This is some of the worst health news for women we’ve ever seen

When I was just 25, my doctor looked down at my Pap smear results, looked across the desk at me and said, “Four weeks from now, I won’t be able to save your life.”

Fortunately for me, annual Pap smear screening was the standard…or I wouldn’t be here today to warn you about the new standard.

Earlier this year, I warned you that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued new Pap smear guidelines. These guidelines would dramatically reduce the number of Pap screenings each woman would have over a lifetime.

And now it seems the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has fallen in step with the USPSTF.

Close to home

As I’ve mentioned many times, the annual Pap smear provides excellent protection. It catches cancers early. That means there’s plenty of time for effective treatment. In fact, in a new study this year, frequent Pap smear screening produced a 92% cure rate and a 95% survival rate.

That success is now in serious jeopardy.

The new ACOG guideline, for women 21 to 65, recommends a Pap smear just once every three years. If a doctor tests for HPV at the same time, the guideline calls for Pap screening only once every five years.

I’m sorry — call me old school. That’s just crazy. And NOT just because it hits close to home. For more than half a century, the annual Pap smear has been the standard. And it works.

The American Cancer Society backs the new guidelines. So I don’t need a crystal ball to figure out how this is going to play out.

First, insurance companies will adjust their coverage to conform to the new guidelines. Sure, you’ll still be able to get a Pap smear every year, but you can say goodbye to most of that coverage.

Over the course of five years, your insurance will probably only cover Pap smear screening one time, along with an HPV test.

That’s when your doctor might turn on the reassuring tones to recommend the Gardasil HPV vaccine.

In theory, doctors don’t give Gardasil to women who have already become sexually active. But that won’t stop doctors from using it “off label.” You know, just to be on the safe side.

And yes, most insurers do cover the vaccine.

This is an incredible scam. It puts women at greater risk of cancer AND it will sell more vaccines. Big Pharma fingerprints are all over this one!

The next time you see your gynecologist, let him know you want your Pap screening. Every year.

He can keep his vaccine.

Sources:
“New guidelines put Pap smear screening test for cervical cancer at every 3-5 years” Angela Townsend, Cleveland Plain Dealer, 10/22/12, cleveland.com

“Screening for Cervical Cancer: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement” Annals of Internal Medicine, Published online 3/14/12, annals.org