UPDATE: Women should delay first Pap test for cervical cancer until they are 21

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has recommended that women begin getting cervical cancer screenings at the age of 21. This differs from the current suggestion of doctors for women to begin getting the screenings at age 18.

The ACOG also suggests that instead of annual screenings, women in their 20s who have had normal screenings should only be tested every 2 years and women in their 30s should receive a screening approximately every 3 years.

With all of the talk of HPV infections lately, some women are concerned. This is because most college age women who are sexually active have a very high rate of contracting an HPV infection. This causes a lot of abnormalities in pap smear results. But the ACOG guidelines point out that only .1 percent of the abnormalities occur in women under the age of 21. This is believed to be in part because younger women have a stronger immune system allowing them to fight off these infections.

The ACOG believes that by women receiving less screenings than this will reduce the number of surgical cervical procedures they receive from abnormal pap smear. Ultimately reducing the number of problems women experience during later pregnancies.