How often should you be getting a smear test?
According to the governmental guidelines cervical screening is available to women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 in England. The first invitation is sent to eligible people at the age of 24.5 years. People aged 25 to 49 receive invitations every 3 years. People aged 50 to 64 receive invitations every 5 years.
Cervical screening prevents cervical cancer because it can find and remove abnormal cells before they have a chance to turn cancerous. Cervical cancer usually develops very slowly. It is estimated that it takes between 10 and 20 years for the virus called the human papillomavirus (HPV) infection to develop into abnormal cervical cells, and then on into cervical cancer. As cervical cancer develops so slowly, it is highly unlikely that women over 64 who have been regularly screened will go on to develop the disease, this is why screening usually stops at this time.
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