Women should begin having regular Pap smears at age 18 or earlier if they are sexually active. There is some disagreement about when women should stop having Pap smears. Talk with your doctor about your situation. Done regularly, Pap smears make it possible for doctors to find early evidence of cervical cancer. This can be done before any visible symptoms are present, when the disease is easier to cure.
Cervical cancer is one of the most common female cancers in the United States.
It is diagnosed in an estimated 13,500 women yearly. About 4,400 women die each year from the disease. For those women diagnosed early, the survival rate is 89 percent. If the disease hasn't spread, the survival rate is virtually 100 percent. In 1998, our office began offering the Thin Prep Pap test, an improved technology over the standard Pap smear.