How often should I have a Pap smear?

After you turn 21, you should get a Pap smear every 3 years. This is enough to find HPV infections that aren’t going away on their own, but not so often that you might get treatments you don’t need.

After you turn 25, you have options:

• Pap smears every 3 years OR

• HPV test (that looks for the HPV virus) AND a Pap smear every 5 years (this option is for those over age 30)
• HPV test only every 5 years. The Pap smear is done only if the HPV test is positive.

After 65, most women can stop having Pap smears. This is normally recommended for women who have a cervical health history that shows regular screening and no abnormal tests.