Cervical Screening at Age 25

The Ontario Cervical Screening Program has changed the age of initiation for cervical screening from age 21 to 25 for immunocompetent and immunocompromised people with a cervix who have ever been sexually active.
This change is based on moderate quality evidence that suggests that people under age 25 do not benefit from cervical screening ^[1] .
Screening people under age 25 may result in follow-up tests and treatments that do not benefit them.
Early cervical cell changes are likely to resolve on their own in people under age 25. Even if the cell changes do not resolve, they are unlikely to become cancer before someone is screened for the first time because cervical cancer takes several years to develop.
Cervical cancer is extremely rare in people under age 25. From 2016 to 2020, 29 new cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed in people under age 25 in Ontario compared with 3,058 cases for all ages. 11 of these new cases were diagnosed in people ages 21 to 24.
From 2016 to 2020, the incidence rate of cervical cancer in people under age 25 in Ontario was 0.3 per 100,000 compared with 8.3 per 100,000 for all ages. Specifically for people ages 21 to 24 in Ontario, the incidence rate of cervical cancer was 0.6 per 100,000 across five years from 2016 to 2020.
Many screening programs recommend starting cervical screening at age 25 or later, including those in British Columbia, Alberta and Nova Scotia in Canada, and other countries internationally.
Any visible cervical abnormalities or abnormal symptoms should be investigated regardless of someone’s age. Consider referral to a specialist (e.g., colposcopist, gynecologist, gyne-oncologist) as appropriate.

Find cervical screening resources from the Ontario Cervical Screening Program.