"In  I was shocked to learn that new guidelines issued by the The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists http stated that women should wait three to five years between pap smears which are the primary method of screening for cervical cancer. Thanks to that recommendation which has influenced insurance company policies annual pap tests are no longer the standard of care today and I see that as a huge problem. For one the three to fiveyear interval between screening tests for women ages  to  doesnt take into account the several risk factors that boost a womans chance of developing cervical cancer such as multiple sexual partners a weakened immune system that occurs with smoking and even oral contraceptive use for more than five year http For these women there is a still a serious need for more frequent cervical cancer screening but nowhere in the guidelines are these risk factors addressed. Unfortunately the only risk factor that changes the recommended frequency of screening is an abnormal pap result in the past. I watched a yearold woman die of cervical cancer during my OBGYN residency and it was horrible. I dont see why major medical organizations have made a recommendation that puts women at risk of a cancer that can be so easily prevented and frankly I see it as more of an economic decision than anything else. Lets take a closer look at what this means Lets say you have multiple sexual partners and during a visit to your gynecologist this information flies under the radar for whatever reason. A woman with multiple sexual partners has a greater chance of acquiring HPV the virus that causes most cervical cancers. By the same token no one brings up the issue of your partners number of partners. And by the way you can never be  percent positive that your partner is monogamous no one can The greater the number of partners he has the greater his risk of contracting HPV and passing it to you. So you arent given cervical cancer screening that day when in fact many doctors would agree that you need it. Another problem I have with the current guidelines is this New recommendations published last summer in the Annals of Internal Medicine httpannals.orgarticle.aspxarticleid advised physicians to stop offering routine pelvic exams to asymptomatic averagerisk women. I find this outrageous. Pelvic exams allow your physician to inspect the vulva for changes and even feel around the ovaries uterus and fallopian tubes for any masses. The delay to diagnosis of vulvar cancer specifically is about  months. A gynecologist is trained to detect early changes and then do a biopsy for anything suspicious. As a diagnostic and screening tool the pelvic exam is vital. What makes all of this even worse No more pelvic exams and infrequent paps mean women wont see their gynecologist as regularly and they may miss opportunities to voice concerns related to their reproductive health. An annual wellwoman visit with your gynecologist allows you to discuss your health status sexual practices contraception needs and get a breast exam among other things so its still important for you to go even if you dont end up having a pap or pelvic exam. Ultimately when it comes to gynecological cancer screening tests every woman has individual risk factors so you should talk to your doctor about yours. If you fall into any of the high risk categories you have multiple partners you smoke or are otherwise immunocompromised and youve been on birth control pills for five years or more you really should be screened at least every other year. If youre insurance denies to cover this you should fight them on the basis of being at a higher risk. And always be sure to visit your gyno if youre having any sort of symptom such as pelvic pain irregular discharge or sexual dysfunction all of which can point to a more serious problem. In these cases you should be given a pelvic exam at the very least."