Whipsaw week in women's health: New Pap smear recommendations
December 06, 2009 20:01 PM
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. -- First, it was mammograms. Then, it was Pap smears. Doctors and others acknowledge it's been a whipsaw week when it comes to women's health.
"It is overwhelming to have all this new information just bombarded with all these standards that we were ascribing to, and all of a sudden that's now changed. It's concerning -- what should we listen to," said Robin Landy, while walking around Lake Calhoun on Friday.
On Monday, a government task force announced women could wait until age 50 to get their first mammogram -- the screening for breast cancer.
On Friday, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said women can wait until age 21 for their first Pap smear -- the screening for cervical cancer -- and then get it just every two years, not annually. The guidelines also suggest women 30 and older should wait three years between Paps once they've had three consecutive clear tests. Higher risk women, such as those with previous cervical abnormalities, need more frequent screening.
Doctors say the timing of the new guidelines is mere coincidence, and the response to the recommended new rules is vastly different. At this point, the medical community remains divided about the new mammogram rules, while key groups have already accepted the changes in Pap smears -- in part because cervical cancer grows slowly and is rare.
"These new recommendations are really just an extension of previous recommendations that have been evolving, relating to our expanded knowledge of how cervical cancer develops," said Dr. Jan Strathy, a Park Nicollet OB/GYN.
Strathy recommends women talk to their doctors about any confusion they may have. She also encourages women to keep going for regular check-ups.
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