I had practically same thing happen to me.  I've been getting paps every year and then suddenly out of no where, BOOM!!!

of course it will change the way the insurance will cover our pap tests. The whole idea behind the change in the mammagrams and now this is to save the insurance companies money and giving us less care will certainly do it. The insurance companies rule the world and even drs are afraid of them. If that sounds cynical sorry, but i believe in facing the truth. If the drs started fighting the insurance companies instead of cowering down to them we might get better care. I've been fighting with insurance companies for over 35 years now and i know they don't care whether we die or not as long as they don't have to pay anything out.

I had the same exact thing happen this year.  I had surgery in September and my doctor has me coming in every three months for a re-check.  I'd hate to think what could have happened if I skipped a year!

The group funding this analysis and recommendation have signed on to ObamaCare.

This is about rationing, get used to it.

ObamaCare will require massive rationing to reduce costs, just like every other country that has tried this is having to do.

Obama is going to cut 1/2 a trilliion dollars in medical benefits for seniors and others dependent on medicare and medicaid.

Here is the HOPE and CHANGE Obama promised.

Anyone who says this is about insurance companies reducing costs is just plain ignorant. State Insurance Commissioners dictate how often insurance companies must offer certain specific tests and evaluations if they want to sell insurance in that specific state, Pap smears are one of those tests.

Exact same thing happened to me.  I was clear at 22, stage 3 precancerous a year later.  What would have happened if I'd waited that additional year?

Just joining the chorus here.  This is a dangerous recommendation.  They caught me with stages 2&3 displaysia.  What would have happened if I had waited a year? 

If a teenager becomes sexually active, regular testing should begin.  I work with cancer data all day.  Whenever I see a woman's data  diagnosed with cancer ages 19 to 20's, the cause is almost always cervical cancer. 

Thanks Cap'n Marvelous for the heads-up about the recommending group having signed on to Obamacare.  I'll have to check this out--but something tells me not to doubt it.  These are similare to "guidelines" in use in the British healthcare system.

The Messiah is showing his true colors.

Ok ladies, how do you feel about the clown now.....

Regardless of general recommendations, American citizens (in consultation with their own doctors) should make their own medical decisions. What I am concerned about is that the **government** or some "advisory board" will be making the decisions about which tests and treatments I can and cannot have. If I decide I need certain services, will I be allowed to pay for them myself, or does everything have to be "approved"? Will doctors be penalized for providing "unauthorized" treatments?

Ladies with cervical cancer... Yes, either you had it in your family history or you, at one point, had HPV.

Sleep around = get pap smears.

That doesn't mean that you need to rant about how EVERYONE needs it though. It's not in my history and my husband and I are monogamous.

you can get any test done as frequently as you like. there is no one stopping you or anyone else. we just should all be expected to have to pay some of that burden for our own specific risk factors and risk tolerance and not expect everyone to bear that burden. that's just being a good american with a sense of personal responsibility.

Mika- Family history has nothing to do with cervical Cancer. HPV is spread through skin contact, not intercourse. you can be in a monogamous relationship for years, and if you'd had sexual contact with anyone for up to 10 years prior to your "monogamous" relationship, you could have HPV.

No not everyone needs it, but if you do you should be able to get tested annually. I can see big insurance cutting this to every other year and really costing those of us... who would be the Majority of us... a ton of money just to get an anual check.

If I had skipped my test last year, I would have lost my ablity to have children completely. The risk of perterm labor is an issue, but at least you would be aware of the risk and still able to have a baby. Stage 1 cervical cancer treatment is a hysterectomy. Is if fair that women in their 20's should have to take the risk?

Wow, Mika, judgmental much? I got HPV when I was 23 and had only been with 2 people. One for a year the other for 3 years. Is that sleeping around?? In the future how about you keep your self-righteousness to yourself?

Mika,

Just because you are monogamous, doesn't mean that your partner is. Also, you can't say that someone who gets HPV sleeps around.

You get HPV though sexual skin contact... Not shaking someone's hand. If you went into a monogamous relationship without HPV, you don't have it and you're not going to get it. Period.

And yes, for people who need to be tested... by all means. But don't force it on those of us for whom it is a useless and damaging procedure.

And I said a monogamous relationship. As in, both partners. If you're not sure of your partner's fidelity, get the test.

Gotta join in too - two of my best friends would likely not be here with me today if not for yearly pap smears and having them at 18. One best friend had cervical cancer at 19, which means if she was not able (because insurance followed the new guidelines and would not pay for it) to have her yearly pap smear at 19, she would have had the cancer grow in her for 2 years before being detected. The other best friend was in her late 20's, had a pap smear that was normal, lost her insurance for a brief period and did not have her next for 18mos. In that 18 mos. she went from clear pap to having Level 3 carcinoma in situ. She went to two different doctors who said the only way to stop the cancer from killing her was to have a full hysterectomy. Thankfully she went to a third and fourth doctor and finally found one who said he could operate and she was able to keep both her uterus and her cervix! But under the new program, she would be dead. This is the worst, most misinformed, misogynist, and absurd health recommendation I have ever heard. We cannot let paper pushers dictate health care! It is not about maximizing the bottom line financially and "acceptable" losses!

Hey Mika - what about those people who are faithful to their spouses, but their spouses turn out to not be so faithful to them. Both of my best friends got their cervical cancer from HPV which was given to them by their cheating spouses (now former spouses). Neither one of them knew their spouses was cheating and it only came out after the cancer was discovered. So how are you supposed to "know" if your partner is cheating? All women should get it, but if you don't want to and are fine with trusting that your husband 1) is faithful, and 2) never had sex with anyone before you met him because if he did he could still have given it to you, then by all means don't get the test. That does not change the fact that this new report is dangerous and should be ignored.

If you actually WANT a pap smear every year (which I would not) then pay for it. It costs $50.00 - $200.00 depending on your provider (which basically means you can choose whether to pay $50 at PP or up to $200 elsewhere) But good news is if you are just getting one so they will give you your pills, you don't have to go in as often.

As I just repeated, I said a monogamous relationship. As in both partners. If you feel your spouse may cheat, get tested.

Trust that your spouse never had sex with anyone before you? Um, no... You simply have that person get HPV tested if they have slept with others. Personally, I was a virgin when I was married and my husband has had routine STD tests for almost a decade as required by the Army. And yes, I trust him enough to stake my health on his fidelity.

Mika, there is no medical way to test men for HPV. A close friend of mine had fallen in love with a man who is still in the miltary and he gets tested just as regularly as other military men. And he was just tested even more thoroughly and physically since he had changed jobs within the military recently. She found out he was a womanizer. That is another story unto itself. A year ago she also found out she is carrying HPV but with no cell change. She is hoping her body would fight this type of strain. What the military test for is blood tests for HIV and other STDs but HPV cannot be tested on men.

So relying on your spouse's fidelity is still not enough, he can still be safe with a different partner but through any sexual contact there is a chance of catching HPV. Im glad you were informed that HPV is not attained by genes in family history but by sexual contact. You should read more about HPV. I think guidelines for testing should be yearly. But it is each and everyone's individual choice to get a papsmear. Good for you that you saved yourself for the one and only.

But ObamaCare can't afford the expense of people getting early detection, but it can afford to pay for your assisted suicide once you have terminal cancer.

How's that HOPE and CHANGE working out for you, still got a job?

DJ,

Get off the party line, and stop throwing curve balls and disatractions. This is a "progressive" movement and ideology, defined as "the needs of the many out weigh the rights of the individual guarranteed under the constitution, to fundamentally change the country and take away yours and my rights, regardless of your political affiliation, and give it to the Government. The collective mindset of our officials is that you and I are stupid and shouldn't be afforded these rights, and we will lose them if we don't wake up ans stand up to them. Power is only derived from the people, at least for now, but not for long.

DJ,

Take another look, the Americans with Disabilities Act was championed by who? Bob Dole (R).

Stop pointing fingers and lying. Republicanc donate more to charities than Democrats....let me rephrase that...Republicans donate more of THEIR OWN money than Democrats.

Democrats have succesfully murdered 40 million babies while Republicans tried to save them, who is killing the weak?

I think that all these new guides are being brought on by the Federal Gov. sticking its nose into medicine. Our gov leaders are not doctors and should keep their mouth shut. All these new guide lnes will do is increase Insurance prem. and cause people not to do preventive exams

This is an early indication of what is planned under ObamaCare.

What else is Obama planning on cutting aside from $500 Billion in healthcare benefits for Seniors and others dependent on Medicare and Medicaid?

These guidelines are from the ACOG, NOT the government. So get a grip.

I am a female in my early 60s now. Back in my 20s and 30s I did not have a family doctor or internist. I was basically healthy. Priorities are different when you are younger. But I did establish with an OB-Gyn and faithfully got a PAP every year, got my birth control prescription, and had somewhere to go whenever I got a minor vaginal infection. Even though my relationships were mostly monogamous, I did this because I am a responsible person and it was the right thing to do. Imagine not knowing for 24 months that you had picked up a sexually transmitted disease and imagine unknowingly spreading it during this time because you were not scheduled to go in for your exam and PAP for two years. There is more to going in for your annual PAP than the PAP itself. I have had several false alarms over the years, which led to transvaginal ultrasounds. Because I have fibroids (lots of women have fibroids of varying degrees) a negative PAP went as far as a cervical biopsy (if you haven't had a baby, then yes, it did hurt). But it came out okay. I will gladly go through a few negative PAP scares following a resonable annual PAP guideline if it will save but one life. These new reduced recommendations are not about saving lives. They are about rationing and saving money when and if the government gets into the health care business. Your insurance company will suddenly tell you that they will only pay for a pap every two years because that is the guideline. Remember, they tried to make new mamogram guidelines back when Hillary was peddling health care reform in the early Clinton years? So many women were dying of breast cancer back then. The backlash was deafening. Smart people saw that it was money-driven and screamed bloody murder. Yes, if the government gets in to healthcare the cost to pay for annual PAPs and Mamograms for all females over 40 will be astronomical. We need to start screaming again. Thank you Kathryn Sebilius and the American Cancer Society for standing up for us little guys.

You get a grip. I'll take my chances and pay out of pocket for my own.

I have the same conclusion.Pap smears include exams for other problems a patient may not be aware they have. It has a role in STDs as well. We do not need fools for a handmaiden. So many people are seeing free they have lost their perspective as to where the health care bill takes our health and eventually who makes our health decisions.

It may have been the ACOG, but the government will implement it into the "government healthcare" I will go along with all of this if Obama's Health care is the same for him and his family !!!

ACOG has already signed on to supporting ObamaCare, this is just getting people prepared for the cuts that are going to come.

Anyone who thinks this isn't about ObamaCare cuts that are coming is just being naive.

Obama has already stated he will be cutting half a trillion dollars in benefits for medicare and medicaid dependents, this is how he'll do it.

Both the Mammogram & Pap studies were started in the Georgw W. Bush Administration. Please STOP blaming Obama for things he did not start! It takes years to perform these studies, and come up with recommendations like this and Obama has not even been in office one year. Start using your heads & think about WHO really started this. However, regardless of who started it, woman have to talk to their own doctors, and do what is right for them.

No, thats the Republican Party. That only cares about the Insurance Industry and Big Business. They could care less about us little guys.

People with out insurance are the ones who skip paps and are more likely to die because of this disease. If "Government Healthcare" will stop that I'm all for it. have some compassion

It's not about Republicans versus Dems.... it's US the people versus the government (both repubs+dems) they are all the same chocolatekat , they have played us and we let them. We need to wake up and take the power back. There are more of us then them we voted them in and unless they represent our intrests we will vote them out next year wether they are republicans or democrats. You do not want to be enslaved to a government bureaucarcy any more then need be. Who wants to be a slave to anyBODY , be it a government or a person?? I do not trust ANY of them and they don't deserve my trust until they prove themselfs worthy. Words mean little, actions speak and when your actions go against what is good for the country and what the majority wants ,and you hide behind closed door meetings, to twist arms and make deals with a handfull of senators and congressmen and woman to serve your own ego, ambition, and greed . If nothing else is clear, this is

The Government is NOT serving it's people . And if you don't see that then they have done a good number on you.

Since most cervical cancers are caused by the HPV...giving young people who are not yet sexually active the HPV shot as a should reduce the number of cases. Many women already practice the new guideline of a PAP test every two to three years with no problem.

The "public option" has been made minimal while carrying insurance will become mandatory, courtesy of the insurance lobby. Didn't the insurance companies already warn us they would adjust? Aren't the timing of these health recommendations being released at a most opportune time for the insurance companies?

Buffy, Chocolate Kat,

Health Insurance companies are dictated to by the Insurance Commissioners of each state as to what test will be performed and when.

ACOG has already signed on to ObamaCare. These recommendations are being sent out now so that people will begin to accept that fact that there will be massive cuts coming with ObamaCare.

The "Public Option" may have been minimalized in your mind but it is still there and is the camel's nose under the tent.

FACT: the death rate for those without insurance when adjusted for wino's and drug addicts is not significantly differenct when compared to those with insurance.

Obama is finding every crack pot doctor to push his Marxist agenda in this country and Cheryl Iglesia is helping push it. Cheryl Iglesia what Czar position is Obama offering you.

You need to calm down. This is not about the President nor is it about a national healthcare insurance initiative.

Irene,

You are being naive. This press release IS about what ObamaCare will be doing. Insurance companies cannot just cut out Pap tests, individual state Insurance Commissioners set the requirements for what insurance companies must provide if they want to sell insurance in that specific state.

This is about setting the stage for cuts in medical coverage under ObamaCare.

I couldn't agree with you more! Insurance companies cover the cost of Viagra so that men can continue to enjoy sex, whether with their wives or girlfriends, for years. But when women need health insurance to cover the cost of annual paps, mamograms, contraceptives, etc. so that they too can enjoy a healthy sex life, suddenly the religious groups and big business insurance companies find all kinds of "studies" or "moral reasons" to diminish or dismiss altogether that need to take care of our health.

The solution is obvious...vote those legislators out of office and support candidates who care about women!

Just wait.. prostate exams will be next: start at 60 and only every 3 years.

Unless of course you're a government official, and therefore will have private insurance, you'll get an exam whenever you want and at Taxpayer expense.

I have to disagree with the comment, if you are in a monogamous relation there is no need, when my pap came back bad (cancer) I had been with my husband for several years, my pap was fine the year before. I think that each woman is different and if you choose to go every other year that is your choice it should not be the choice of the gov!

I also have to disagree. When my pap came back with cancerous cells in 2001, I'd had my previous pap only six months before, but started having severe pain. I'd just switched GYNs with an out of state move, so she wanted to make sure it wasn't just my endometriosis acting up again and did a second pap - and lo and behold.... It came up in only 6 months, and I hadn't been in a relationship of any kind for well over two years. At the time the doctor told me it was a good thing I hadn't waited six more months for my yearly exam or I would have been "a real mess" (not quite sure what she meant by that) but I shudder to think what would have happened if I'd gone a year and a half instead.

I agree that lifestyle has something to do with it. For me, I am comfortable with every two years. For women who have not experienced the benefits of a monogamous relationship, the situation changes. For this reason, the doctor should have the ability to assess risk factors for a woman and then make the recommendation. The insurance agencies should follow the recommendation of the doctor. In either event, costs will be appropriate: reduction of unneeded tests, and saving of the service for those who need it.

I've had a pap every year for as long as I have had an OB/GYN and after JUST having gone through a long year of bad paps, numerous procedures, when I've NEVER had a positive result in my life, that finally lead to a total hysterectomy [age 38, married for 17 years]. DISAGREE!!! Have never had a problem a day in my life. Then suddenly... WHAM! And the dysplacia kept getting worse even after the procedures to the point that the next # on the chart was cancer. It scared my doctor of 15 years. Thank goodness it was caught, my doctor is awesome, it's over and I'm still here to raise my 2 small children with minimal down time. Thanks but no thanks for your "advice" ACOG, I'll stick with my doctor's and have one EVERY YEAR!! Even still, he said we need to keep an eye on what was left after surgery because of the fast progression.

You say monogamous relationship...we think we are in one, but how many husbands are gonna tell you they are having an affair and you need to be tested.

The government wants to cross state lines to offer insurance and competition. Why not let insurance companies cross state lines and offer more competition? The government wants insurance companies to cut cost, so they will cut out preventative care to save money. Insurance companies on the average only make 2% profit a year.

My dear, do you by any chance work for an insurance company?

I wonder if you would feel the same if you were faced with Cancer that could have been caught early!!!!!

My dear, do you by any chance work for the Obama administration?

Gail,

You can't feel cervical cancer. You're body doesn't tell you that something isn't right. I didn't even call my doctor to check on my results because I was so sure I was fine; and I wasn't. If I had followed by those recommendations, I doubt I would have even made it to my 21st birthday, in which I would've just been going to get tested.

i'm with you , i had cancer at age 34 , it was before they went deeper and if i hadn't persued it i would be dead , i finally found a doctor back in 1977 that helped me not that i didn't go through few , telling me it was all in my head , nothing was wrong , i am sick of doctors and everyone else telling me what i can get and what i can't , i will always get a pap smear and a mammogram , how dare they how dare the do this .