- With Mayo Clinic gynecologist and obstetrician
Mary M. Gallenberg, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Mary M. Gallenberg, M.D.
Mary M. Gallenberg, M.D.
Dr. Mary Gallenberg is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and by the American Board of Internal Medicine in internal medicine and medical oncology.
An Antigo, Wis., native, Dr. Gallenberg is a consultant in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and an assistant professor at College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Gallenberg has been with Mayo Clinic since 1990. She was on the Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource editorial board and has been honored for excellence in teaching. She also won a Mayo Clinic Excellence Through Teamwork award.
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Question
Pap smear: Still needed after hysterectomy?
Are Pap smears still needed after removal of the uterus (hysterectomy)?
Answer
from Mary M. Gallenberg, M.D.
It depends.
A Pap smear, also called a Pap test, is an important screening test for early diagnosis of cervical cancer.
If you had a partial hysterectomy — when the uterus is removed but the neck of the uterus (cervix) remains — your health care provider will likely recommend continued Pap smears.
Similarly, if you had a partial hysterectomy or a total hysterectomy — when both the uterus and cervix are removed — for a cancerous or precancerous condition, regular Pap smears remain important.
You can stop having Pap smears, however, if you had a total hysterectomy for a noncancerous condition.
Your age matters, too.
According to guidelines from the American Cancer Society, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, you can stop routine Pap smear screening after age 65 — whether you've had a hysterectomy or not — if you have a history of regular screenings with normal results and you're not at high risk of cervical cancer.
If you're unsure whether you still need Pap smears, ask your doctor what's best for you.
Next questionPap smear: Do I need one if I'm a virgin?
- Feldman S, et al. Screening for cervical cancer: Rationale and recommendations. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Oct. 17, 2012.
- New guidelines for cervical cancer. American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/news/new-screening-guidelines-for-cervical-cancer. Accessed Oct. 17, 2012.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee on Practice Bulletins — Gynecology. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 131: Screening for Cervical Cancer. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2012;120:1222.
- Screening for cervical cancer: Current recommendation. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/uspscerv.htm. Accessed Oct. 17, 2012.
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