January is Cervical Cancer Awareness month. Local Senior Development Manager with the American Cancer Society Stacey Dutton shares guidelines for cervical cancer and recommendations:
“Under the age of 25, screening is not recommended, but if you do have a family history, please talk to your provider and you can work together on what is best for your situation. Then ages 25 to 65, getting screened, using a primary HPV test every five years. If primary HPV testing is not available, screening may be done with a PAP test, so they would do one test for HPV with your PAP test every five years or just a PAP test every three years. Then over age 65, most stop screening. Once again, talk with your doctor, but if you have had regular screening in the previous ten years with negative results, then you don’t have to have that annual screening any longer.”
Dutton says to always talk with your primary care physician to develop a plan and screening procedure that works best with you.
