Cervical Screening, Explained

• About 5 minutesfor the test itself
• From age 25for most women
• About 5 working daysfor your result

Cervical screening finds changes on the cervix years before they turn into cancer. Here is what to know before you book.

Am I due?

This schedule follows the HPV test, which South Africa is moving to as the main screening test. It comes from the Department of Health (2026) and the South African Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (SASOG, 2024), with one difference: for women living with HIV, we recommend a test every year.

Screened with a Pap smear instead? The older national schedule

HIV-negative, 30 or older

Three screens in your lifetime, ten years apart

Living with HIV

When you are diagnosed, then every three years. We recommend every year.

Abnormal result

Every year if living with HIV, every three years if HIV-negative, until your tests are clear

A few situations change the answer

• Had the HPV vaccine? You still need screening. The vaccine does not cover every type of HPV that causes cancer.
• Had a hysterectomy? Ask us. If your cervix was removed for a reason other than cancer or pre-cancer, you might not need screening.
• Pregnant? Screening is best done before 20 weeks. If you need treatment, it waits until six weeks after the birth.

Symptoms override any schedule. Bleeding after sex, bleeding between periods or after menopause, or a discharge that will not settle: get checked now, whatever your last result.

Why it matters

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in South African women. Almost every case starts with HPV, a common virus passed on through sex. Most bodies clear it. In a few women it stays, and over years it changes the cells of the cervix. Screening finds those changes early, when treatment is quick and done in the consulting room.

Prefer a test every year?

We offer it on request. Many women in private care have a Pap smear every year, and many private doctors encourage it. National guidelines set a longer interval after a normal result, so here is what to weigh up together:

• What it adds: reassurance between scheduled screens.
• What to know: the test fee each year, and a higher chance of a false alarm and follow-up visits that turn out not to be needed. Treatment of the cervix has a small effect on later pregnancies.
• Your cover: your medical aid sets how often it pays for a screening test. We check your cover before you book.

The yearly visit itself is Well Woman 360: your breasts, contraception, hormones, symptoms and screening dates, in one check. We record your choice in your file.

Pap smear or HPV test?

• A Pap smear looks at cells from your cervix under a microscope, for early changes.
• An HPV test looks for the virus that causes those changes. It picks up more early disease, and a negative result lets you wait longer before your next screen.
• Both use the same kind of sample, taken the same way.
• Some medical schemes, including Discovery, sponsor HPV self-sampling kits. You take the sample yourself, at home or at a pharmacy.

We choose the test with you, based on your age, your history and your HIV status.

What happens on the day

1. A short conversation. Your last screen, your periods, any symptoms, your questions.
2. The test. You lie on the couch. A speculum gently opens the vagina. A soft brush takes cells from the cervix. About five minutes. Some women find it uncomfortable. Most do not find it painful.
3. You go home. No recovery time. Light spotting for a day is normal.

Before you come. Book outside your period, and avoid sex, douching and vaginal creams for 48 hours before your test.

Your result

• Your sample goes to the laboratory. Results take about 5 working days.
• We send you your result and a clear plan. Your own doctor gets a copy if you want one.
• Normal: you go back to your routine schedule, and we diarise your next screen.
• HPV positive or abnormal cells: the next step is a closer look, called a colposcopy. Read Colposcopy, Explained.

An abnormal result is not a cancer diagnosis. Most abnormal results are early changes, and most are treated in one visit.

Cost and where to go

Questions women ask