A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA) indicates that as many as half of those women (10 million) may be undergoing the discomfort and cost of this test that is no longer necessary for them.
Hysterectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the uterus of a female. The presence of benign or malignant tumors is the most frequent reason for hysterectomy. There are different degrees of hysterectomies performed. In a partial or subtotal hysterectomy, only the uterus is removed leaving the cervix intact, along with the ovaries and fallopian tubes. A total hysterectomy generally involves removal of the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes and cervix. Total hysterectomy is the more common type of hysterectomy that is generally performed.
Most women who have undergone hysterectomy are not at risk of cervical cancer because they no longer have a cervix. If they no longer have a cervix, a pap smear is an unnecessary test.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended that routine Pap smear screening is unnecessary for women who have undergone a complete hysterectomy for benign (non-cancerous) disease. This recommendation was issued in 1996 but millions of women continue to have unnecessary pap smears every year. It could be that may women do not understand the implications of the type of hysterectomy they have had and continue to request a pap smear yearly, and doctors continue to perform them when requested.
If you have had a hysterectomy talk with your doctor about pap smear.