First it was the mammogram, which is a test to detect breast cancer. Now the Pap smear test’s validity is being called into question.

I’m not a gambling woman, but I would bet money that there isn’t one person who can say they don’t know a woman who has had breast cancer. This is why it was troubling to learn earlier this week that the United States Preventive Services Task Force, a group of outside experts who advise the Department of Health and Human Services, said that mammograms do more harm than good.

One breast cancer survivor, rightfully so, disagrees.

Now, this morning I wake up to the news that the pap smear test which screens for cervical cancer, STDs and many not easily detected women’s health issues is also being questioned. Is it coincidence? I don’t know. But what’s confusing is that the CDC’s website reports that:

Cervical cancer used to be the leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States. However, in the past 40 years, the number of cases of cervical cancer and the number of deaths from cervical cancer have decreased significantly. This decline largely is the result of many women getting regular Pap tests, which can find cervical precancer before it turns into cancer.”

(Source: Centers for Disease Control)

So, why is the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommending that women 30 and older get screened with a Pap test once every three years, instead of every two to three years?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.