For those at average risk of breast and cervical cancer, it has been a busy week! Last week new, more lenient mammography guidelines were recommended, stirring up controversy among cancer organizations and political cynics. Today, we see changes in cervical cancer screening guidelines, issued by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Like the updated mammography guidelines, ACOG is recommending less Pap smear tests for women of average risk of cervical cancer. Women who have had abnormal cervical screenings should continue to follow their doctors recommendations as the new guidelines only apply to women of average risk.
New Guidelines Suggest:
- Women should have their first Pap smear at age 21. Old guidelines recommended women have their first Pap three years after become sexually active or at age 21 -- whichever came first.
- Women in their 20's should have a Pap smear every two years, instead of annually.
- Women in their 30's and have had three consecutive normal Pap smears should have undergo screening every three years.
- Women 65-70, who have have three normal Pap smear results consecutive and no abnormal findings in 10 years, can discontinue screenings altogether if they choose.
- Women who have undergone a total hysterectomy due to a noncancerous condition and have not had previously abnormal Pap smears can also discontinue screenings.
Shouldn't We Be Screening More Often?
Unlike a lot of cancers, cervical cancer is very slow growing. It can take up to 8-10 years for cervical cancer to develop. New guidelines give ample time to catch any cases of cervical pre-cancer before it progresses into cancer. Conspiracy theorists argue that these new guidelines for cancer screenings are among a grand plan by the Obama administration to cut costs for healthcare reform. I completely disagree. There have been talks of updating guidelines for years now. Medically, it makes perfect sense to increase the time between Pap smears and there isn't a huge debate among cancer organizations about the new changes. Now, the breast cancer screening debate is a whole different ballgame. Check out About.com's Breast Cancer site's heated discussion about the new changes.
And so the backlash against pending healthcare reform begins, and of course they start by attacking women. If anyone needs proof big insurance and the federal government don’t give a rat’s backside about anything but profit, they need look no further than all these new “guidelines” being released “coincidentally” at this time of healthcare reform. Because guaranteed, somewhere this was driven by private insurance lobbyists. Fearful they will no longer make billions of dollars in profit, they are now going to cut back at the expense of human life, and why not start with women, since they’re already taking away abortion. Where are the guidelines telling men no more prostate exams?
This is Obama prepping for his socialist goverment and national healthcare. He has strong armed or paid off certain people in the medical community to change these guidelines for mammograms and Pap test so that if his healthcare plan does pass (I pray it doesn’t)You would have to pay out of pocket for these tests if outside the “recomended guidlines” He thinks the American People are stupid!
I think the new guidelines are still beneficial to woman with average risk of cervical cancer. I do not really know about Obama’s plan. So i do not have any comment on that.
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I don’t beleive this is right. I found out I had cerivcal cancer when I was 21. I had a two year old and a 9 month old. So, there are instances where cervical cancer does not take 8-10 years to develope. I had my first abnormal pap a couple of months before I found out I was pregnant with my youngest. By the time I had my hysterectomy, my tumor wieghed 11oz.So what happens if another woman like me has this problem, and then they find out and it’s too late! I don’t want my daughter to have to go through what I did.
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Women in other countries are never screened as frequently as US women. I have wondered for years how much longer your doctors could continue to over-screen women. The major concern is that over-screening provides little benefit, but causes harmful and distressing over-treatment. I’ve read that almost all US women with have unnecessary treatments because of irreponsible and inappropriate screening. Also, the routine gyn exam your doctors strongly recommend – NOT recommended by our doctors at all, at any age. Pelvic exams are only of value in symptomatic women. These exams can lead to further harmful testing and even surgery. No wonder one in three US women will have a hysterectomy. The medical control over women’s bodies is frightening and damaging to your health and quality of life. Routine breast exams are not done in other countries either – there is no evidence they bring down the death rate from cancer, just cause unnecessary biopsies.
Almost all women’s health care in the States is of dubious value, low/little clinical value, completely unnecessary or harmful…yet your doctors continue despite the clear evidence of harm. I assume money is the motivation and fear of legal liability.
Informed consent is required for all cancer screening – it is never wrong to decline screening or adopt a screening schedule that reduces the risk of harm. I think US women need to look at overseas practices to protect their health and lives especially the Netherlands and Finland.
I have many American colleagues and I have endeavoured to get as much information for them as possible – with many years of brainwashing and scare mongering they all fear their bodies…gradually they have come to realize they have all been misled and manipulated to their detriment. Be very careful of your “doctors”…they are much more likely to harm you. If you’re actually ill, then you have some of the finest doctors in the world – it’s the obsession with routine exams and screenings that causes the most damage and the complete lack of respect for informed consent. I heard of one elderly lady with severe arthritis, despite her protests, was put through hell so the Dr could get a decent pap smear sample – just one of many examples of abuse in your system…doctors focused on putting ticks in boxes and forgetting people are human beings with rights. There is no balance and no common sense, just excess and abuse of rights.
I love your country and actually lived in California for 4 years…I mean no offence to Americans, I just feel very concerned for the well-being of US women. The use of stirrups is another demeaning feature – not used in other countries.
I compare my healthcare to my US colleagues and it’s stark – they have had so many pap smears, LEEP and assorted negative biopsies, pelvic exams, rectal and breast exams, breast biopsies, ultrasounds – it’s excessive and harmful – not to mention the unpleasantness of living like that and contantly focused on a search for cancer. So much of this is “required” for a woman to get the Pill…so coercive methods are used to force women into this excessive, unnecessary and harmful program. I’m so pleased our doctors treat us as adults respectful of our rights, health and dignity.
I’m almost 50 and have had no breast exams, no pelvic or rectal exams and no pap smears. I have declined mammograms due to concerns about risk. I’m in a lifetime mutually monogamous relationship and so my risk of cervical cancer is close to zero – I would be most unlikely to benefit from pap smears, but any schedule would expose me to the risk of over-treatment. It’s an unreliable test that produces false positives and false negatives. Given the risk of this cancer is very low anyway…it was an easy decision for me. If I were higher risk, I would have discussed the matter with my Dr, but it would have been my decision whether I screen or not and how often…
No Dr would ever withhold Pills forcing you into a screening program – doing so would result in disciplinary action. I have never heard of any Dr behaving that way – my colleagues tell me it’s the norm in the States.
Hope you can all change the system and claim your rights.