29/01/2023
Screening Options
Worried about the cost?
If you have a low income or don’t have health insurance, you may qualify for free or low-cost cervical cancer screening through CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program.
You should start getting Pap tests at age 21. If your Pap test result is normal, your doctor may tell you that you can wait three years until your next Pap test.
If you’re 30 to 65 years old, you have three options. Talk to your doctor about which testing option is right for you.
An HPV test only. If your result is normal, your doctor may tell you that you can wait five years until your next screening test.
An HPV test along with the Pap test. If both of your results are normal, your doctor may tell you that you can wait five years until your next screening test.
A Pap test only. If your result is normal, your doctor may tell you that you can wait three years until your next Pap test.
If you’re older than 65, your doctor may tell you that you don’t need to be screened anymore if you have had normal screening test results for several years and you have not had a cervical precancer in the past, or you have had your cervix removed as part of a total hysterectomy for non-cancerous conditions, like fibroids.