(Chicago, IL) -- New guidelines have been issued for cervical cancer screenings.
Doctors with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists now say women should wait until age 21 to get their first Pap smear, and women under 30 should get screened every two years, rather than annually.
Women over 30 should get Pap smears every three years.
The new guidelines are based on studies that show screening women under 21 can lead to complications with pregnancies later in life.
The panel stresses that women still need regular Pap smears even though the guidelines have changed.