Pap smears decrease the incidence of cervical cancer. If your adolescent daughter is sexually active consult with her gynecologist to obtain yearly cervical “pap” screenings. This is a very effective screen tool to detect precancers or cancers of the cervix.  It is extremely important for parents to speak openly and honestly with your teenagers about safe sex practices due to an increasing rate of HPV positive cancers of the cervix.  In addition, an increase in noncoital sex (oral) by teenagers has contributed to increasing incidence of oral cancers as well, the majority of cases of oral cancer occurring in males.  This is truly the only proven way to decrease the incidence of HPV associated cancers.

Pap smears in sexually active females prevent HPV related cancers