Cervical cancer does not occur overnight, but undergoes a series of precancerous states in between. From the time of HPV infection to the occurrence of cervical cancer, it can be as short as several years or as long as several decades. If the virus infection is detected in time and the precancerous state is identified within this time, then the occurrence of cervical cancer can be effectively prevented. Cervical cancer screening should start at the age of 21 There is no need to do cervical cancer screening before the age of 21, regardless of the age of the beginning of sexual life. This is because cervical cancer and its precancerous lesions are very rare at ages younger than 21, and even if you have been infected with HPV, it is not enough to cause any trouble in such a short period of time. If you are in the 21-29 age group, then a TCT every 3 years is sufficient and HPV testing is not needed. “Why don’t you need to get tested for HPV, didn’t you say that HPV is the culprit of cervical cancer?” In fact, HPV infection is very common at this stage, but most of them are transient infections, which can be completely cleared by the body’s own immunity in time, and there is no worry of cancer. Therefore, only TCT is needed between 21-29 years old. If you are 30 years old or above, it is recommended to have a combined TCT+HPV test once every 5 years to detect the signs of cervical lesions more accurately. However, some places do not have HPV testing, so TCT once every 3 years is acceptable. Dr. Lee’s tip: For people who have had enough screenings with normal results, screening can be stopped after age 65. Continuing screening for these people will not reduce the incidence of cervical cancer because the probability of developing cervical cancer after the age of 65 is very small if the screening is very standard. However, for those who have not been screened at all, or for those who have been screened before for cervical precancerous lesions, the age limit of 65 years does not apply and screening should be continued.