Today’s recommendations say Pap tests do not begin until the age of 21.
The U.S. Preventative Task Force recommends that women 30-65 get Pap tests every three years.
PEORIA Although it s been about nine years since a hard-and-fast women’s health recommendation changed, a lot of women are still confused about it.
Doctors are no longer doing yearly Pap tests to screen for cervical cancer. Instead, they are following recommendations based on the patient’s age and health status. Planned Parenthood in Peoria has seen a lot of confusion about the new recommendations.
“We still get people who come in and say that their gynecologist told them they need to get it every year,” said Carrie Horack, women’s health nurse practitioner and downstate lead clinician at Planned Parenthood in Peoria. “And we even see people who still think they should start screening earlier, that their moms have told them, ‘You are sexually active, you need to start getting a Pap.’ There�