And unfortunately, about 80 percent have seen a primary care physician or some sort of medical person during the prior two years. Rodriquez says what that means is many medical practitioners assume that someone else is taking care of making sure the woman gets a pap smear. And what that means, he says, is that it is up to you to ask for one when you visit your doctor. It is a simple, painless procedure that only takes a few minutes in the doctor's office. Rodriquez says financial problems should not prevent any woman from getting the pap smear.
All states offer free pap smears through their departments of health.
I'm Tom Britt. Rodriquez says 90 to 95 percent of all deaths from cervical cancer can be prevented by having a pap smear. If women will follow the screening guidelines very carefully, the current approach with pap smears on a yearly basis is highly effective for preventing cervical cancer and for preventing the overall majority of any deaths that could be related to cervix cancer. Contact the Web Editor .