Why won't planned parenthood test for hpv till age 21?

Answer 1

The standard of care nationwide is to start screening for Cervical cancer at age 21. The usual tools for screening are Pap smear with HPV testing done only if the Pap diagnosis is unclear (i.e. a diagnosis of ASCUS). HPV testing in pap screening is not done to tell you if you do or don't have HPV; it only tells you if you have high-risk (cancer-causing) subtypes of HPV on your cervix. The standard was changed to 21 years old because younger women generally clear HPV and cervical abnormalities without treatment, and treatment options may affect future fertility. If you're interested in this decision, visit the ACOG website to read about the cervical cancer screening standards and the nationwide move to a later Pap start age.

There is no test to determine if a person has been exposed to HPV or is currently carrying HPV somewhere in their body. Because of the widespread infection rate with HPV, it is safest to assume that if you have been sexually active with anyone who has had genital/genital contact with someone else, you are likely to have it. Getting immunized against HPV is an important strategy to reduce the risk of cervical and other cancers; some HPV immunization options also lower the risk of genital warts.