Research and analysis

Cervical screening and its impact on young women

NHSCSP Publication No 31: a critical review of the literature from 2002 to 2009.

• From: Public Health England
• Published: 1 February 2010

Documents

The impact of cervical screening on young women: a critical review of the literature 2002 to 2009

Ref: ISBN 978-1-84463-066-0, NHSCSP Publication No 31

PDF, 258 KB, 20 pages

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Details

Until 2003 the age at which the English Cervical Screening Programme invited women for their first cervical screening ranged from 20 to 24, depending on local screening policy.

In 2003 the age of first invitation was standardised at 25, on the grounds that normal changes in the cervix before age 25 could lead to unnecessary treatment with potentially negative consequences for women’s childbearing, while abnormal changes could be easily detected and treated at this later age.

Since that time there have been a number of publications addressing the impact of cervical screening on young women.

This review offers a critical overview of papers published on the topic since 2002, and includes a tabular summary of the main findings of each paper.

Published 1 February 2010