DNA test outperforms Pap smear

[JTsMom]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/health/07virus.html?_r=1

[ZeeBaby]

Very informative article.

[gatorsmom]

Thank you for the link- that was very interesting.

They article says that women can go longer between vaginal exams because of this test. I wonder how that would work for a woman who acquired HPV between exams (who didn't have the vaccine).

I still think, as one doctor said, it's a good idea for women to come in for their yearly exam because so many other things can be checked then.

[JTsMom]

Lisa,
HPV takes many years (generally speaking) to develop into cancer, and the vast majority of cases will clear on their own. Even now, with Paps, it's pretty rare to die fromm cervical cancer, b/c even if you only have one done every now and then, you're likely going to catch any pre-cancerous/cancerous lesions with enough time to deal with them. Most people who die from cervical cancer have never had a Pap, or haven't had one in a very long time. That's one part of the reason for controversy over Gardasil.

There's no way I'd go 10 years without getting checked. That's playing with fire for no good reason imo. However, in areas where Paps aren't readily available, it makes more sense. I don't think we'll see anything more than a 3-5 year gap here in the US, but that's just my opinion.