Is it safe to wait until 25?

You may be wondering why you no longer need to be screened for cervical cancer until you are 25.

Cervical cancer is extremely rare in women under 25, and cervical screening does not appear to have been effective for women your age.

Since the introduction of the National Cervical Screening program in 1991 rates of cervical cancer have dropped by half. However, this drop has not occurred in women under 25.

There are around 10-15 cases of cervical cancer a year in women under 25 in Australia. There are about 900 cases a year in total for all women.