When should i start getting a pap smear?

Age 21.: The most recent recommendations are that women should start getting a pap smear at age 21. You can have a pap smear every other year in your 20's if they are normal. Starting at age 30, you can have a pap and a test for hpv. Hpv is the virus that causes most cervical cancers. If your pap and hpv test are both negative, you can have your next pap smear in three years.

Age 21: New recommendations are that women start pap tests at age 21 and they should continue every three years during your 20s as long as they are normal. Lots of research has been done on this topic. No pap test should be done prior to age 21 because of the high likelihood of spontaneous clearance of hpv in adolescents and to avoid unnecessary surgeries for transient cervical dysplasia in young women.