How often should women aged 21-29 be screened for cervical cancer?

How often should women aged 21-29 be screened for cervical cancer?

• A. Every year
• B. Every 5 years
• C. Only once
• D. Every 3 years

Answer: (D)

Cervical cancer screening in this age group uses cytology (Pap smear) every 3 years. The goal is to detect precancerous changes without overdoing testing. Pap tests are reliable enough on their own in 21–29-year-olds, and doing them every 3 years balances the benefit of catching issues early with the risk of false positives and unnecessary procedures that more frequent testing would cause. HPV testing isn’t routinely used as the primary screening method in this younger group because many HPV infections are common and clear on their own, and using it would lead to more referrals and potential overtreatment.

Cervical cancer screening in this age group uses cytology (Pap smear) every 3 years. The goal is to detect precancerous changes without overdoing testing. Pap tests are reliable enough on their own in 21–29-year-olds, and doing them every 3 years balances the benefit of catching issues early with the risk of false positives and unnecessary procedures that more frequent testing would cause. HPV testing isn’t routinely used as the primary screening method in this younger group because many HPV infections are common and clear on their own, and using it would lead to more referrals and potential overtreatment.