Pap smear every year? Not so much.

A government-backed panel released new recommendations for women of reproductive age to get a pap smear every 3 years rather than annually. The recommendations are still in draft form and accepting public comment, but given that cancer patient advocacy groups like the American Cancer Society have voiced their support for the recommendations, they may not change much. How long it will take for the guidelines to affect how often health care providers schedule pap smears is less clear cut. [New York Times]