The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released new guidelines about how often women should have pap smears.

The guidelines say: women under 21 don't need them; women in their 20's should get them every two years; women over 30 with normal paps should be tested every 3 years; and after age 65, they're no longer necessary.

Many Quad City doctors agree with the recommendations.  Doctor Rita Aronson, with Obstetrics and Gynecology Specialists in Davenport, says, "I think they're good recommendations based on good science."

Aronson has been an OBGYN for 22 years. She says the new recommendations might take some getting used to, but she says it's nice to have some clear guidelines.  "These were things we were seeing coming out in different studies and we felt that changes were warranted; especially about starting pap smears a little bit later."

The pap smear gathers cells from the cervix to look for anything abnormal.  Aronson says when abnormal cells are found, in most cases, the body cures itself.  "We know that with mild dysplasia, especially in young women, even if we do nothing, about 80% will go back to normal if they have a good, intact immune system."

When says cervical cancer progresses very slowly, taking as long as seven years to develop, so skipping a year or two really won't make a difference.  "We rarely see cervical cancer and when we do see it, it's usually women that haven't had a pap smear in 5, 10, 15 years. Not somebody that skipped one year."

Doctors still recommend a yearly pap test for anyone with a weak immune system, especially smokers and women with HIV.  If you've had abnormal tests in the past, you should probably have a pap every 6 months.

And Aronson says you shouldn't confuse your pap test with your annual exam.  "We're checking for breast cancer, we're checking for ovarian cancer, we're checking for vaginal cancer.  We might be looking for melanoma, so you need to keep doing the annual exams; it's just the pap smear part."