The Cervical Screening Test is free for many eligible women aged 25 to 74. However, your doctor or health provider may charge a small fee. If you choose a doctor, clinic or health care centre that offers bulk billing there will be no out-of-pocket-expenses and therefore no cost to you for the test.
There is a Medicare rebate for cervical screening. If your chosen health care provider bulk bills there should be no cost to you, depending on when you had your last test. Some health care providers do charge a fee, so it's best to check if there are any extra costs when making your appointment.
The Cervical Screening Test is free for eligible women, however your doctor may charge their standard consultation fee for the appointment. Some doctors, clinics and health centres offer bulk billing, which means there are no out-of-pocket expenses.
On MDsave, the cost of a Pelvic Exam with Pap Smear ranges from $125 to $272. Those on high deductible health plans or without insurance can shop, compare prices and save. Read more about how MDsave works.
Local county health departments and women's clinics offer free and low-cost Pap smears. For the uninsured, the cost of the test is often based on income level. Your local Planned Parenthood may also offer low-cost Pap smears.
More information on self-collection and the National Cervical Screening Program can be found at www.health.gov.au/ncsp. “Anyone who has ever had a traditional 'pap smear' knows how uncomfortable and off-putting they can be. Now, women can choose to do a test themselves to detect cervical cancer.”
Do virgins need Pap smears? Answer From Tatnai Burnett, M.D. Yes. Doctors recommend routine cervical cancer screening, regardless of your sexual history.
Women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 74 years of age are invited to have a Cervical Screening Test every 5 years through their healthcare provider.
The Cervical Screening Test is free for many eligible women aged 25 to 74. However, your doctor or health provider may charge a small fee. If you choose a doctor, clinic or health care centre that offers bulk billing there will be no out-of-pocket-expenses and therefore no cost to you for the test.
Women age 21 to 29 should have a Pap test alone every 3 years. HPV testing alone can be considered for women who are 25 to 29, but Pap tests are preferred. Women age 30 to 65 have three options for testing. They can have both a Pap test and an HPV test every 5 years.
You are eligible to have your first test when you turn 25 or 2 years after your last Pap test. Cervical screening occurs every 5 years after that.
The new cervical screening test now looks for HPV (which causes almost all cervical cancers), not just abnormal cells (like the Pap test did). The new cervical screening test was introduced on 1 December 2017, so if you haven't had a test since then, you're now overdue.
Avoid intercourse, douching, or using any vaginal medicines or spermicidal foams, creams or jellies for two days before having a Pap smear, as these may wash away or obscure abnormal cells. Try not to schedule a Pap smear during your menstrual period. It's best to avoid this time of your cycle, if possible.
Pap Smear Procedure
It takes about 10-20 minutes for the whole exam, but only a few minutes for the actual Pap smear. The test is done in your doctor's office or clinic. You'll lie on a table with your feet placed firmly in stirrups.
There's no need to panic
When you hear that your Pap smear results were abnormal, you might feel some anxiety. Although worry is a common and normal reaction, it's important to know that your test results merely showed that you have an infection or unusual cells known as dysplasia. None of this means you have cancer.
You can get HPV by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has the virus. It is most commonly spread during vaginal or anal sex. It also spreads through close skin-to-skin touching during sex. A person with HPV can pass the infection to someone even when they have no signs or symptoms.
The importance of the Pap smear is in the early detection, before there are any symptoms. Finding abnormal cells early can lead to treatment that prevents the development of cancer, and detecting cancer cells early enough can lead to greater chance of a cure.
Women who are 21 to 29 should have a Pap test alone every 3 years. HPV testing alone can be considered for women who are 25 to 29, but Pap tests are preferred. Women who are 30 to 65 have three options for testing. They can have a Pap test and an HPV test (co-testing) every 5 years.
And women over 30 can safely wait five years in between tests if they feel comfortable doing that, the task force says in the recommendations, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. For women under 30, the Pap smear is still the best option, but testing every three years is all right.
Most cervical cancer is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). The only sure way to find out if you have cervical cancer is to get a screening test (a Pap test and/or an HPV test). If you are a woman who has not had her cervix removed by surgery (a hysterectomy), keep getting tested until you are at least 65 years old.
Most of the time, a doctor can't tell if a girl has had sex just from a pelvic exam (and doctors don't usually give teen girls pelvic exams unless there's a sign of a problem). But you should let your doctor know if you've had sex anyway.
A Pap test is a procedure that involves collecting cells from your cervix and examining them under a microscope. A Pap test can detect cervical cancer and changes in your cervical cells that may increase your risk of cervical cancer in the future.