NPR: but important for Moms and our DD's!

I just heard on the radio the AMA is now recommending women get a pap smear every 2 years instead of 1 and that they do not see a gyno until they are 21 years old!!!

I don't see where this change came from, hasn't cervical cancer rates gone down due to early detection? What about young girls at risk for STD? I just can't believe that they would be so lax about such an important detection tool as the pap smear??

Did anyone else hear this??

Message edited 11/21/2009 11:29:51 AM.

Re: NPR: but important for Moms and our DD's!

Yes, and they said its just a coincidence that its the same time they had the same message about mammograms

I don't see the future of healthcare heading in a good direction

Re: NPR: but important for Moms and our DD's!

I heard a good discussion about this on the radio yesterday and what they said is that just because they are saying not everyone needs a pap smear every year doesn't mean some women still won't get them every year. If you are in a higher risk category, you can still get them every year. If you even just ask for it every year you will still get it. Same with mammograms. You can absolutely get them in your 40s, that's your choice, they're just not making sweeping recommendations to all women in their 40s anymore. At first I was completely outraged by both things, then I read a little more into it and listened to some doctors discuss it on the radio and it wasn't as bad as I had originally thought. The choice is there, they're just saying if you're an average risk person, you really don't need to get screened every year for cervical cancer and you don't need a mammogram at 40.

Re: NPR: but important for Moms and our DD's!

Posted by brownie

Yes, and they said its just a coincidence that its the same time they had the same message about mammograms

I don't see the future of healthcare heading in a good direction

Re: NPR: but important for Moms and our DD's!

Re: NPR: but important for Moms and our DD's!

Yeah, but there are plenty of women who knew the recommendations before and still didn't go. So there's always a group that will be blind to the issues. Does that make sense? I mean, if you don't take control of your own health, you really only have yourself to blame, imo. I mean, if the tests aren't benefitting a majority of women, then I can see why they are changing the recommendations. I mean, the they are not saying you shouldn't get a pap smear every year, they are saying you don't need to be screened for cervical cancer every year. The only thing I find interesting about that is that it's obviously enough of an issue that they want girls to get the Guardasil vaccination, but they won't screen you every year for cervical cancer? That's quite contradictory to me.
In any case, I think it's important that women do self breast exams at home and stay on top of their personal health, then you can be your own advocate. There's always women out there who won't do that anyway.

Re: NPR: but important for Moms and our DD's!

Maybe more women (and young girls) are getting Gardasil and the rates have gone down. I had an HPV diagnosis may years ago which left undetected without annual pap smears, could have left me with cervical cancer. I will be getting pap smears every year for the rest of my life. I will be encouraging Abby to go to a doctor every year when she is old enough for pap smears. This whole HPV thing also gave me my IF issues. I don't want that for her. She deserves better - all of our daughters do.

Re: NPR: but important for Moms and our DD's!

Posted by karanthony

I just heard on the radio the AMA is now recommending women get a pap smear every 2 years instead of 1 and that they do not see a gyno until they are 21 years old!!!

I don't see where this change came from, hasn't cervical cancer rates gone down due to early detection? What about young girls at risk for STD? I just can't believe that they would be so lax about such an important detection tool as the pap smear??

Did anyone else hear this??

Posted by pickles16

Posted by brownie

Yes, and they said its just a coincidence that its the same time they had the same message about mammograms

I don't see the future of healthcare heading in a good direction

ITA!!!

Re: NPR: but important for Moms and our DD's!

Right, but they haven't revoked the recommendation to start going to the gyn and getting paps after becoming sexually active, at least not that I've read.

Re: NPR: but important for Moms and our DD's!

My doctors office has been giving me one every other year for a few years already

Re: NPR: but important for Moms and our DD's!

i think the govt health safety director (whatever her title is) is getting invovled.

These recommendations can/do influence insurance companies decisions to pay claims.

They are trying to get them overturned (or whatever they call it)

(i'll keep my healthcare reform comments to myself .. this time... )

Re: NPR: but important for Moms and our DD's!

Posted by Xelindrya

i think the govt health safety director (whatever her title is) is getting invovled.

These recommendations can/do influence insurance companies decisions to pay claims.

They are trying to get them overturned (or whatever they call it)

(i'll keep my healthcare reform comments to myself .. this time... )