I don't think routine Pap testing should be stopped at 65. That's too early. I know someone diagnosed in her late 60s, who received chemo and radiation and is now doing great in her mid 70s. She bought herself some time, since women in her family live to almost 90, as a rule.

Anonymous wrote:My mother told me that they quit doing mammograms on women over 75 (according to her MD). She asked him to do one anyway and ended up diagnosed with breast cancer. She has a mastectomy.

I just thought it was odd that they would "quit" at a certain age.

Cancer treatment isn't good for your health, and actually kills some people. Surgery, too, is harder in an older more frail person. at some point, it just isn't worth it.

PAPs test for cells that can turn into cervical cancer, not ovarian. There is no regualr screening test for ovarian cancer (see http://www.cancer.org/cancer/ovariancancer/detailedguide/ovarian-cancer-detection for more info).

Some doctors do PAPs annually along with HPV tests, but, some suggests PAPs every 3 years for ages 21-65.

"In certain situations a woman and her doctor may decide to end Pap testing, such as:

After a total hysterectomy. After a total hysterectomy — surgical removal of the uterus including the cervix — ask your doctor if you need to continue having Pap smears.

If your hysterectomy was performed for a noncancerous condition, such as uterine fibroids, you may be able to discontinue routine Pap smears.

But if your hysterectomy was for a precancerous or cancerous condition of the cervix, your doctor may recommend continuing routine Pap testing.

Older age. Doctors generally agree that women can consider stopping routine Pap testing at age 65 if their previous tests for cervical cancer have been negative." Web MD

Anonymous wrote:Women over 50 are one of the biggest risk groups for ovarian cancer.

And anyone can get HPV and have cervical cancer. As long as you still have a cervix, you should be getting pap smears.

PAP smears will not detect ovarian cancer. In fact, there is no reliable early detection method for ovarian cancer. Most women have no idea until it is stage III or IV.

Women over 50 are one of the biggest risk groups for ovarian cancer.

And anyone can get HPV and have cervical cancer. As long as you still have a cervix, you should be getting pap smears.

Anonymous wrote:My mother told me that they quit doing mammograms on women over 75 (according to her MD). She asked him to do one anyway and ended up diagnosed with breast cancer. She has a mastectomy.

I just thought it was odd that they would "quit" at a certain age.

At some point the treatments stop improving life expectancy. Mammograms help to detect tumors early but it may take years, decades for a tumor to become problematic whereas major surgery/chemo is obviously difficult for an older body to tolerate. It's probably highly individual.

My mother told me that they quit doing mammograms on women over 75 (according to her MD). She asked him to do one anyway and ended up diagnosed with breast cancer. She has a mastectomy.

I just thought it was odd that they would "quit" at a certain age.

Why would your gyno quit doing pap smears???? You need a new doctor.

You are not out of the woods.

From 15 Common Myths about cervical cancer

Myth 2: I'm too young to worry about cervical cancer.
Truth: The average age of cervical cancer patients is 48. While it's not common, women can be diagnosed in their 20s. HPV infection and the precancerous condition dysplasia are common in younger women.

http://www.cancer.med.umich.edu/news/cervical_myths07.shtml

Huh? As PP said, the older you get, the likelier you are to have cancer period. Menopause doesn't stop cancer...where did you get that idea??

The risk for most types of cancer goes exponentially higher the older you get. Plenty of ovarian cancers in older women.

This is a bit of an odd question, but for some reason I had always thought that after menopause I'd be out of the woods for cervical or ovarian cancer. But now that I am 50, I am realizing that it probably doesn't matter at all. I would imagine I could get those cancers at any point in my life (unless i have a hysterectomy). So why do they stop doing pap smears on older women and quit doing mammograms, too?