When Should You Get a Pap Smear?

Featuring Dr. Duncan Miller, BSc, MD

Duration: 1 minute, 25 seconds

Pap smears should be part of your regular healthcare within three years of the onset of sexual activity.

Generally, in your 20s, you should have them every year, and once you've had three normal Pap smears in a row, you can generally go to every two years until the age of 70, and after age 70, you don't need a Pap smear.

Women that have had a hysterectomy, or their uterus removed – for non-cancer reasons – generally no longer need Pap smears. The importance of the Pap smear is that not only does it prevent cancer, but it also can prevent disease from getting too far ahead of you.

And the real implications of that is that it can maintain your ability to have children. If cancer gets too advanced in that area, often, surgery involved would affect your fertility. So, it not only has the import of catching the disease early, but it also can maintain your fertility.

If you have any more questions, please, contact your primary healthcare provider. Just remember that treatment for your condition will vary with the individual and the condition they may have, so always consult your primary healthcare provider for more information.

Presenter: Dr. Duncan Miller, Family Doctor, Vancouver, BC

Local Practitioners: Family Doctor