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What is the target age for cervical cancer screening in Alberta?

The Alberta Cervical Cancer Screening Program would like to share a reminder about the following:

All women aged 25 to 69 are recommended to screen every three years

The ACCSP follows the Toward Optimized Practice clinical practice guidelines.
Screening should be initiated at age 25, or three years after first sexual activity, whichever is later.
Women are encouraged to book an appointment with their health care provider or at a women’s health clinic to get a Pap test.
The ACCSP sends reminder letters to clients who are overdue for Pap testing, as well as result letters indicating whether their result was normal, abnormal or unsatisfactory.
Most women 70 years and older can stop screening if their last three Pap tests were normal.

Women under age 25 are not recommended for screening

The harms of screening in this age group likely outweigh the benefits.
Abnormal results in younger women are much less likely to be a serious abnormality.
The incidence of cervical cancer is extremely low under age 20 and stays low until age 25.

Colposcopy may pose a greater risk for women under age 25

Treatment during colposcopy increases the risk of pregnancy loss from 0.9% to 1.8%. The risk is more significant for younger women who have not yet had children.
Younger women are more at risk for over-diagnosis and over-treatment, as very few of their lesions would progress to cancer.

Visit screeningforlife.ca for more information, including clinical practice guidelines and patient resources.