How Gynecology Visits Change Throughout Your Life
- By
Julia Austin
Source: Peter Dazeley / Getty
When pap smears begin
“We start screening for cervical cancer or abnormal paps at age 21. It usually depends on what the pap smear looks like that determines if HPV testing is done,” says Dr. Gray. And she adds that she isn’t necessarily testing for every type of HPV. “We are testing for high risk versus low risk. We test for high risk because those are the ones that can cause cervical cancer and are involved in changing the cells on your cervix. That testing can start as early as 21 based on what the cells look like when you do a pap smear.”
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