Unless your doctor suggests that you need one more often, you should have a Pap smear every 3 years, beginning at 21 years of age and until 65 years of age. Discuss a Pap smear plan with your doctor if you start having sex and are younger than 21 years of age. If you are between 30 and 65 years of age and you want to have Pap smears less often, talk to your doctor about combining your Pap smear with human papillomavirus (HPV) testing every 5 years. Certain things put you at higher or lower risk for cervical cancer. Your doctor will consider these when recommending how often you should have a Pap smear. If you’re older than 65, talk to your doctor about how often you need a Pap smear. If you’ve been having Pap smears regularly and their results have been normal, you may not need to keep having them. If you’ve had a hysterectomy with removal of your cervix, talk to your doctor about how often you need a Pap smear. If you’ve never had a high-grade precancerous lesion or cervical cancer, ask your doctor how often you need a Pap smear.