HPV testing is not necessary under the age of 21

According to a study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, for women younger than 21 years, Papanicolaou (Pap) and human papillomavirus (HPV) testing are unnecessarily high. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommended that women younger than 21 years should not receive Pap or HPV tests, Jacqueline M. Hirth, M.P.H., Ph.D., from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, and colleagues conducted a retrospective secondary data analysis of administrative claims data to examine the frequency of these tests among 178,898 12- to 20-year-old females with a paid claim for a well-woman visit in 2008, 2009, or 2010. “These data show that some physicians are adjusting their practices among young women according to ACOG guidelines, but Papanicolaou and HPV testing among insured women younger than 21 years of age still remains unnecessarily high”, the authors write.