Patient Resources
Women's Health News
At Portland Obstetrics & Gynecology Associates, we believe knowledge and education plays an important role in your health & healthcare decisions. Sometimes media coverage does not provide balanced information or can be misleading. Therefore, we would like to provide you with the resources you need, to make the healthcare decisions that are right for you and your loved ones.
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National Health Observances
NOVEMBER > Prematurity Awareness Month
3 Topics Every Woman Should Know About
Many of our patients have asked about the "new" breast cancer screening guidelines announced in November of 2009. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's (USPSTF) recommendations on breast cancer screening published at that time advises that mammogram screening start at age 50 and occur every other year until age 74 and advises against teaching self breast examination. On their website you can find a summary of their recommendations.
What You Need To Know
The American Congress of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, The National Cancer Institute, American Cancer Society, and your healthcare providers at POGA, continue to recommend mammograms every 1 to 2 years for women 40-49 and annually for women ages 50 to 74. As well, women should know how their breasts normally look and feel and report any changes promptly to their healthcare provider. In addition, some women may be at higher risk for breast cancer (because of their family history, genetic history, or other factors) and may be recommended to have additional testing.
Further recources:
- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' (ACOG) Statement On Revised USPSTF Recommendations On Breast Cancer Screening
- American Cancer Society Guidelines for the Early Detection of Cancer
- The American Cancer Society offers information online about the factors that may affect your risk for breast cancer, and help you find out what you can do to help detect breast cancer early, when it is likely to be most easily treated: Breast Cancer: Early Detection
- The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has an excellent pamphlet on cancer screening, including breast cancer screening: Detecting and Treating Breast Problems
Pap smear is named after its developer George Papanicolaou. A Pap smear is an important part of your overall health that detects changes in the cells of the cervix usually before they become serious. The cervix is covered with a thin layer of cells, which periodically shed and become abnormal. Abnormal cells, or "cervical dysplasia" go through several stages of change before cervical cancer appears, and usually this takes a number of years.
It is important that you see your doctor each year for a pelvic exam and Pap smear. Depending on your medical history, your doctor may advise you to have a Pap test done more often. If the lab reports any abnormal findings, the doctor will arrange for further test (a repeat Pap smear, colposcopy, cryotherapy, or LEEP). The treatment will depend on the findings.
There have been ongoing changes in the guidelines on PAP smear testing.
What You Need To Know
We continue to recommend yearly exams which may or may not include a PAP smear. We also recommend HPV vaccinations for younger women.
Guidelines
The current American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology's (ACOG) guidelines for PAP smear testing are:
- First PAP smear be done at age 21
- For women ages 20 to 29, a PAP smear should be done every two years as long as they remain normal
- For women ages 30 to 70, a PAP smear should be done every three years as long as they remain normal
- If you have had a hysterectomy and the cervix has been removed and you did not have cervical cancer, PAP smears do not need to be obtained
- Women over age 70 do not require PAP smears if they have not had an abnormal result in the last ten years
- If you have had a history of moderate dysplasia (CIN 2) or greater, then annual screening should continue for 20 years
Your doctor may recommend a different screening plan, including frequency of PAPs and possible use of additional HPV testing. If you have had previous PAP smears in other locations, please make every effort to get copies of these reports for your doctor.
Further recources:
- Visit CDC’s website for more Cervical Cancer Screening Information
- CDC brochure download: Cervical cancer screening with the HPV test and the Pap test in women ages 30 and older [pdf]
- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has an excellent pamphlet on cancer screening, including cervical cancer screening: Reducing Your Risk of Cancer
"Genital human papillomavirus (also called HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are more than 40 HPV types that can infect the genital areas of males and females. These HPV types can also infect the mouth and throat. Most people who become infected with HPV do not even know they have it. HPV is not the same as herpes or HIV (the virus that causes AIDS). These are all viruses that can be passed on during sex, but they cause different symptoms and health problems" - source: CDC
What You Need To Know
We continue to strongly recommend HPV immunization of girls and young women ages 9 to 26.
How Important Is Getting A Pap Smear?
A Pap smear is an important part of your overall health that detects changes in the cells of the cervix usually before they become serious. The cervix is covered with a thin layer of cells, which periodically shed and become abnormal. Abnormal cells, or "cervical dysplasia" go through several stages of change before cervical cancer appears, and usually this takes a number of years.
It is important that you see your doctor each year for a pelvic exam and Pap smear. Depending on your medical history, your doctor may advise you to have a Pap test done more often. If the lab reports any abnormal findings, the doctor will arrange for further test (a repeat Pap smear, colposcopy, cryotherapy, or LEEP). The treatment will depend on the findings.
HPV Testing
Woman under age 30 -
HPV testing is not necessariley done routinely in women under age 30, although HPV infections are very common among young women. However, in the under-30 age group, HPV infections usually don't stay active for very long, since their immune systems are very strong. As a result, cervical cancer is relatively rare in young women.
Woman over age 30 -
Any woman 30 years of age or older can benefit from the added peace of mind offered by routine HPV testing. The major women's health and cancer associations - the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), American Cancer Society (ACS) and American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) - agree that routine screening for HPV, combined with a Pap test, may begin at age 30. As women grow older, HPV infections become less common, but the occurrence of cervical cancer increases. That's why it is recommended that women 30 and older be routinely tested for infection with high-risk types of HPV. If both your PAP smear and HPV test return negative then you may not need another PAP smear for two to three years — but an annual pelvic exam is still strongly recommended.
HPV Vaccine
There is a vaccine available to help protect against certain strains of the human papilloma virus (HPV) that can lead to abnormal and pre-cancerous cervical, vaginal, and vulvar lesions. However the vaccination may not fully protect everyone who gets the vaccine, and should not substitute for routine cervical cancer screening.
The Gardasil vaccine is against HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18 which cause 70% of all cervical cancer and 90% of genital warts. To complete the immunization, three shots are required, The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention all recommend this vaccination for girls and women between 9 and 26 years of age.
Further recources:
- The Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HPV Overview, Fact Sheets & Brochures
- The Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HPV Vaccine Q&A
- The Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HPV and Men - Fact Sheet
- HPV Vaccine website Gardasil®
- NEW ACOG's Immunization For Women website is designed to provide ob-gyns and their patients with a central, trusted source of up-to-date information on seasonal flu and other vaccine-preventable diseases, including immunization facts and safety, immunization schedules, clinical and practice management guidelines, and links to other reliable immunization resources. It is their goal to empower women with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about immunization and their health and to provide ob-gyns with a valuable resource for immunization best practices and patient education.