Study examined relationship between contraception types, screening frequency, and cancer rates
According to recent research, women who have a tubal ligation are at an increased risk for cervical cancer due to less frequent Pap smears.
According to Cara A. Mathews, MD, a gynecologic oncologist at the Program in Women’s Oncology at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, researchers investigated connections between various forms of contraception, patient screening frequency, and cancer rates. Women who received a colposcopy following an abnormal Pap test were study participants. Patients completed questionnaires regarding factors associated with the cancer, including Pap test frequency.
“Previously, we have advised women to have a Pap test every two years starting at age 21. Women over the age of 30 with three or more normal Pap tests were able to space screening intervals to every 3 years. And women over 65 without risk factors do not need to keep screening,” Mathews explains.
However, researchers learned that women who have undergone a tubal ligation were not as apt to have regular Pap tests.
Mathews says, “In all age groups, women with tubal ligation were more likely to have had no Pap screening in the previous 5 years compared to women using other forms of contraception.”
Prior to the release of study results, The American College of Gynecology (ACOG) recently released new recommended Pap guidelines, which state that women between 21 and 65 without risk factors should be screened every 3 years. Women aged 30 to 65 who want to extend the screening interval can go every 5 years.
“In issuing the new guidelines, ACOG stressed the importance of emphasizing well visits and screenings in women, including the Pap test, to promote health and prevent cancer,” Mathews concludes.
Study findings were published in the professional journal Gynecologic Oncology.