ASU health officials announced that women should only need to have one Pap test every two years instead of annually.
The policy change resulted from recently published guidelines on screening for cervical cancer by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which prompted Student Health and Wellness to review its policy.
The health center uses a variation of testing called the liquid Pap test that is considered the most accurate method currently available. Due to its accuracy, health officials decided that one test every two years is enough for most women.
Because a Pap test is required in order to obtain contraceptives at ASU, Director of Student Health Mary Rimsza said that she hopes to see an increase in the number of women seeking them.
She added that because of the pelvic exam required for a Pap test, women tend to avoid contraception.
"You can't do a Pap test without a pelvic exam, and most women don't like to have pelvic exams," Rimsza said. "I'm hopeful that this will make more women seek out effective contraception and medical care for other gynecologic problems."
A Pap test is an exam given to women to diagnose cervical cancer and other diseases.
In the liquid-based test, a sample swabbed from the cervix - located at the back of the vagina - is put into a vial of liquid for analysis.
The Pap smear test, an older and less accurate method, entails scraping loose cells from the opening of the cervix.
A pelvic exam is required prior to having a Pap test and requires the gynecologist to feel for abnormalities in the vagina.
ASU health officials administered approximately 3,000 Pap tests last year. That number is nearly the same in previous years.
Although 95 percent of female ASU students reported using contraception in a 2002 spring survey, the figure is not limited to the use of chemical variations of birth control, which Rimsza hopes will increase as a result of the new policy.
ASU provides several forms of contraception, including pills, patches and shots.
Rimsza also said that women who are not sexually active, but wish to be on contraceptives for acne, severe cramps, or because they have frequent bone fractures and require more estrogen, will not be required to have a Pap test done at all.
For more information, or to schedule an appointment with a physician, call (480) 965-3349.
Reach the reporter at milos.podmanik@asu.edu.
