Dear DOLLY DR, I'm just wondering if you have to get a pap smear every time you have sex or just the first time?
Anonymous.
In Australia, pap smears are recommended every two years for women 18 years and over who have had sex. It doesn't matter how often you have sex, or how long ago it was. A pap smear is a test the helps to prevent cancer of the cervix by detecting abnormal changes in the cells of the cervix before they become cancerous. This means that the abnormalities can be removed or treated, and so stops cancer from actually developing. Research has now proven that the wart virus (HPV) is responsible for leading to cancer of the cervix. If a pap smear detects abnormal cells, then further tests usually get done to look for HPV and sometimes a Pap smear will actually detect HPV itself.
HPV is a sexually transmitted infection and is extremely common, but not everyone who has HPV will get cancer of the cervix. In fact, only a very tiny proportion of women with HPV will. Fortunately HPV and cancer of the cervix are both slow developers — if you catch HPV and start to develop abnormal cells in the cervix it usually takes a few years before cancer will happen. Your body's immune system is also likely to get rid of the infection eventually or prevent it from causing cancer.
Having a pap smear every two years will usually pick up changes before they become cancerous. If there are any abnormalities on your pap smear, your doctor may advise you to have another pap smear earlier than two years — it depends on what the problem is. Women under 18 years don't need to have pap smears because the risk of cancer of the cervix is extremely low. If you've never had sex, you don't need to have a pap smear. Once you become sexually active, it's a great idea to make an appointment with your GP or a family planning clinic to discuss safe and healthy sex, including what tests to have and when.
