It is generally recommended that women start having Pap smears at the age of 21. Women between the ages of 21 and 65 should have a Pap smear every three years. Women aged 30 and older can opt to have the test combined with an HPV test — a screening for the human papillomavirus, a common sexually transmitted infection that can cause cervical cancer — every five years, as an alternative to the three-year Pap smear schedule.
