United Kindgom

Age group (years)
25: First invitation
25 – 49: 3 yearly
50 – 64: 5 yearly
65+: Only screen those who have not been screened since age 50 or have had recent abnormal tests

Reference:  NHS Cervical Screening Website

USA

Current general guidelines recommend that women have a Pap test at least once every 3 years, beginning about 3 years after they begin to have sexual intercourse, but no later than age 21. Experts recommend waiting about 3 years after the start of sexual activity to avoid overtreatment for common, temporary abnormal changes. It is safe to wait 3 years, because cervical cancer usually develops slowly. Cervical cancer is extremely rare in women under age 25.

Women ages 65 to 70 who have had at least three normal Pap tests and no abnormal Pap tests in the last 10 years may decide, after talking with their clinician, to stop having Pap tests. Women who have had a hysterectomy (surgery to remove the uterus and cervix) do not need to have a Pap test, unless the surgery was done as a treatment for precancer or cancer.

Reference:  National Cancer Institute

Australia

The national policy provides consensus guidelines on which women need screening and how often Pap smears should be taken. It states:

1. Routine screening with Pap smears should be carried out every two years for women who have no symptoms or history suggestive of cervical pathology.
2. All women who have ever been sexually active should start having Pap smears between the ages of 18 and 20 years, or one or two years after first having sexual intercourse, whichever is later.  (This includes female to male and female to female sexual contact)
3. Pap smears may cease at the age of 70 years for women who have had two normal Pap smears within the last five years. Women over 70 years who have never had a Pap smear, or who request a Pap smear, should be screened.

Reference:  National Cervical Screening Program

Canada

Reference:   Public Health Agency of Canada

If you have information about other countries then let us know.

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If you are facing menopause then it is a good idea to have your “annual” checkup including pap smear and mammogram to not only find out if all is OK now but to set some benchmarks for Blood Pressure and Cholesterol as well as Diabetes  so you can monitor changes in the future.  So if you have not done it yet, go to it!

[Some of you might be thinking about tests to determine if you have in fact started the transition.  While there are lots of tests out there and more coming, your hormone levels vary day to day and even within the day.  So a test is not going to test anything other than the state they are in when you take the test which can make the results pretty useless.  The only test that is useful is doing an FSH test after menopause to confirm it has in fact occurred -  if an absence of your period for 12 months with no baby turning up in that time is not a big enough clue ...]

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