AlliF

Has that changed then in the last 4 years since i moved, or is it different in england to Scotland?
I always had regular pap smears in the uk from an early age with no family history no problem. As far as i know Mammograms were only done regularly for over 50's unless you had a history or noticed a lump though.

HelenTD

Getting a full picture gets a bit murky, made more difficult by differences in data collection and now some public patients are getting surgery carried out in private hospitals. You might find something useful here: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ma...ph-index09.htm

Lots of others refs out there.

HelenTD

The NHS Cervical Screening Programme http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Cerv...ening-Test.htm

Cervical screening is a free service on the NHS. Depending on which country you live in, you may be called at different ages for cervical screening:.

• First invitation for screening in England is at age 25. It is age 20 in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• Routine recall (repeat screening test):

• Women over 65 years of age should be screened if:

• Cervical screening does not stop simply due to age until a woman with a previously abnormal cervical screening test has had 3 negative results.

.

AlliF

Ah, I see, but it is a bit odd and strange how, despite it being a national health service, they make the start point for screening a different age - you would think they would have a medical perspective on what age was the best to start from and apply it across the board.

HelenTD

The health researchers would have collected data about how many cases of cervical cancers occur, normal or abnormal tests, age of women having the test, etc, etc. They would also have data on the age that women become sexually active (looking at such things as contraceptive pill prescriptions), and match their Pap smear programmes to local data and this would vary from country to country - see below for US and Canada.

From another website (http://www.womens-health.co.uk/pap.html)

When to Start and How Often?
In the UK women who have a registered general practitioner (GP) will be asked to have their first Pap test once they turn 25, since before this age cervical cancers rates are extremely low. In the US and Canada, women who are 18 or older are encouraged to take the test. There is, however, no set age at which it is optimal to begin having Pap tests.
If you are under 25 and have been sexually active for more than three years, then it is recommended that you have a Pap test. The three-year waiting period is encouraged so as to avoid overtreating common abnormalities that can occur within the first years a woman becomes sexually active.

paulry

There's a good Canberra bulk billing thread on The-RiotACT. But feedback indicates that are we should watch out for Dr ?