Welcome to EmpowHer and thank you for your question.
New pap smear guidelines (and old as well) do pertain to virgins. Your doctor may have told you that you didn't need one in the past because you were not sexually active and perhaps under 21 as well? Old guidelines stated that a woman should get a pap smear at the age of 21 or whenever she was sexually active--whichever came first. New guidelines state that all women 21 and over should get their first smear.
The pap smear doesn't only check for STDs-- it checks for abnormal changes of the cells in the cervix. These pap checks help prevent cervical cancer in women.
After your first pap smear, if results are normal, then you should be expecting another every 2 years.
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Hi Anon,
Welcome to EmpowHer and thank you for your question.
New pap smear guidelines (and old as well) do pertain to virgins. Your doctor may have told you that you didn't need one in the past because you were not sexually active and perhaps under 21 as well? Old guidelines stated that a woman should get a pap smear at the age of 21 or whenever she was sexually active--whichever came first. New guidelines state that all women 21 and over should get their first smear.
The pap smear doesn't only check for STDs-- it checks for abnormal changes of the cells in the cervix. These pap checks help prevent cervical cancer in women.
After your first pap smear, if results are normal, then you should be expecting another every 2 years.
I hope this answered your question.
https://www.empowher.com/cervical-cancer/content/2010-pap-smear-recommendations?page=0,0
February 25, 2011 - 6:40amThis Comment
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