New cervical screening recs worry some

AUSTIN (KXAN) - New recommendations for when women should be screened for cervical cancer have concerned some local women, who say it risks the progress women have made toward protecting themselves. 

To Barbara Schroeder Hill, fewer screenings seem like a step in the wrong direction.

"Why are they taking us backward?” said Schroeder Hill. “We’re going forward with screening of women and getting them into doctors’ offices. It’s very important."

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists this week issued these updated guidelines:
Routine pap smears should start at 21.
Women between 21 and 30 should be screen every two years.
Women over 30 who have had three consecutive clear screenings can be screen every three years.

“There has been more information, more solid evidence to support what the recommendations should be to patients,” said Dr. Natasya Ikbal with Women Partners in Health. “For cost effective purposes and to hopefully intervene less for young women who are of child bearing age so we aren’t doing procedures unnecessarily.”

Cervical cancer can be caused by certain strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV).

HPV in young women often clears up on its own. Doctors say fewer screenings would mean fewer unnecessary invasive procedures that would affect child bearing later on.

"We believe that for many young women who are healthy and have no other medical issues like immuno-suppression or HIV.” said Dr. Ikbal. “They will heal this infection and not have any more issues with it in one to two years".

Cervical cancer progresses slowly, on average taking 10 years to develop.

Dr. Ikbal stresses that women with a high risk of cervical cancer, or those with concerns should see their doctor to discuss more frequent screenings.

"These are not hard and fast rules but they're merely guidelines to help us, guide us through managing patients," said Dr. Ikbal.

Dr. Ikbal says women with the greatest risk for cervical cancer are those that do not get routine check-ups, who go years without a pap smear, which are at a lower economic status, have multiple sexual partners, who smoke or who have had abnormal pap smears in the past.