My Yearly

In November at my yearly I was told if you've had 3 consecutive good paps then going every 3 years is the new "norm". They will probably ask you if you want it or not.

from about age 30 on, my ob had no problem with 18-24 month intervals on my paps. He said as long as I had one partner & a history of good paps....then it wasn't an issue.

After reading the other posts, wow....he was waaaay before his times!

My doc told me that if you and your partner are not having sex with other partners that a pap is only necessary every other year... so if that's your case I'm sure you are fine to argue against paying for one.

Have you always had normal paps in the past? If so, it would not be that big of a deal if you skip this one, but when you get your insurance back...I would make an appt to have one done. Hope this helps! Good Luck!

Did you try explaining the lack of insurance to your doctor's office. I would and ask for an extension for the birth control prescription and see if they will renew it for the 6 months to avoid having to see the doctor at all until you have insurance again. It might could save you even more money.

Talk with your doctor, but some will not refill your BC prescription without doing a pap each year. They are testing for cervical cancer signs, and yes, that can hit at any age. Ask your clinic how much this test costs, as the cost seems to vary greatly (as the cost of most medical procedures do, grrrr).

Planned Parenthood is one place you can go for inexpensive reproductive care. (at least for now...)

I was just in to my OB last week. Surprisingly, she said paps are only required yearly if you've had an abnormal one in the past (in that case, you need yearly paps for 20 years). Otherwise, she said every 3 years is the new requirements for pap smears. The CDC has concluded that cervical cancer typically grows slow enough that it would get "caught" within the 3 year window. I thought it sounded very risky, but she said that's the new guidelines. So, if you had one last year, you should be fine to NOT get one this year.

Missouri has a 'Show Me Healthy Women' program through Family Planning that pays for yearly pap smears based on income. Check to see if KC has anything like it.

My Ob told me that Paps are no longer an every year test. So you may not need one anyways :)

Yup, just wanted to get on the bandwagon for the "new rule". I have had abnormal paps in the past but b/c my last 3 were normal then I went on the new every 3 year schedule and it's worked out well. I would make sure that your office knows you don't have insurance before you're seen though, that way you can make sure you're getting only what you need at that moment.

The newer guidelines don't require a pap every year if you have a history of normal results. Ask your doctor. The other option would be to go to Planned Parenthood and get your exam. They'll do it for little or nothing since you're uninsured. They can also take care of your birth control Rx if you need...

... but you might need to act fast :-/

HTH
T.

Have you tried telling the docs office this? maybe they can just refill your BC over the phone and then schedule you for a future exam with pap.

The news recommendations say that many women don't need a pap yearly. If you have had 3 normal pap's in a row, don't have hx of abnromal ones, and have the same sexual partner for 5 years, you only really need a pap every 2-3 years. It's ok to ask for that, and still get a script for your birth control pills.

K.

if your income is low enough, or even for the fact that you dont have insurance, you could get it done at planned parenthood for really cheap or free. if not, then as L. as your not doing anything risky, then it would probably be worth it to wait until you have the insurance to take care of that.

Of course everyone says do them. Cancer of any kind caught early is better treatable. I can't say anything though. I haven't done anything at all in 5 years. I have no desire or plans to do anything either.

Planned Parenthood will give you birth control at a price based on your income.

Have you asked your dr about making payments?

One reason is they look for things such as cervical cancer. My friend's wife was about 29 and she just died from it a few months ago.

You can go to your state dept or even planned parenthood for a less expensive pap. I would ask your Dr what the total cost is, because obviously they would need to do lab work as well.