After menopause, many women may not need to be screened for cervical cancer as frequently as they were when they were younger, researchers report.
The study included more than 2,500 postmenopausal women with heart disease who were enrolled in a study of hormone replacement therapy. At the beginning of the study, all women had normal Pap smear results.
Within 2 years of having a normal Pap smear, 110 women tested positive for a cervical abnormality on a later screen. However, in all but one of these cases, the results were false-positive, meaning that the women did not have cancer or any other dangerous abnormalities
Besides the expense of medical test procedures used to confirm a false-positive result, a false screen can lead to:
Anxiety
Depression
Reduced self-esteem
"Until more information is available, we recommend not performing cervical smears within 2 years of a normal smear in postmenopausal women," the researchers conclude. Postmenopausal women who choose to be screened more frequently should be informed of the risk for false-positive results and the need for further diagnostic testing.
The findings apply only to postmenopausal women who have had previous normal Pap smears.
Annals of Internal
Medicine, December 19, 2000;133:942-950
DR. MERCOLA'S
COMMENT: The annual Pap smear is clearly NOT
indicated for
women who are postmenopausal. Even by traditional
medical standards,
it should not be done any more frequently than two
years after the
last negative one.
