Local OB GYNS Concerned About Pap Test Guidelines

FAIRFAX, Va. (WUSA) - The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is recommending women don't need to start pap tests for cervical cancer until they're 21. That concerns Dr. Eleanor Yoon.

"The age at which girls are becoming sexually active is younger, and so we're talking about a significant amount of time when they won't have any cervical cancer screenings," says Dr. Yoon.

Sexual activity increases the risk for the human papillomavirus, which can cause cervical cancer. The new guidelines also advise women from 21 to 30 that instead of every year, they only need a pap smear every other year. And after 30, every three years.

"While the new guidelines may be good for most people, some women are going to fall through the cracks," says Dr. Yoon.

Dr. Yoon says her patients feel confused by the new guidelines for pap tests and breast screenings.

"I think we're going backwards, not forwards," says Susan Collins, who says she always get her annual pap smear. It's what saved her mother's life.

"She found 29-years-ago she had cervical cancer, and she's still with me today," says Collins.

The new cervical cancer screening guides and the breast screening guidelines announced earlier this week are a main concern for women is insurance and whether screenings for both will continued to be covered.

"I would worry that insurance companies wouldn't cover it every year, and they should cover it every year," says patient Susie Bear.

Dr. Yoon worries patients won't come in for their annual visits at all, risking overall health. Often, she says, the gynecologist is the only doctor a woman sees.

Dr. Yoon says she'll advise her patients of the new guidelines so they can make an informed decision, but she may also encourage annual screening.