That does not seem to be an evidence-based recommendation. Pap smears are recommended every 3-5 years, pelvic exams are not recommended by the American College

That does not seem to be an evidence-based recommendation. Pap smears are recommended every 3-5 years, pelvic exams are not recommended by the American College of Physicians for healthy asymptomatic adult women, HPV test is recommended every five years in adult healthy women. Pap smears and pelvic exams more frequently than every five years are associated with a high false positive and false negative rate, incidental findings that lead to additional testing or treatment but turn out to be benign, discomfort, and higher cost. Overscreening is a real problem, and since HN has a lot of male readers I'll do a public service announcement (PSA, get it?!!) that prostate cancer overscreening doesn't lead to a mortality benefit on a population level (if you look at all-cause mortality) and leads to interventions that leave a lot of men incontinent and unable to enjoy their previous sex life [1]. If you have any symptoms, definitely go to the doctor -- screening in men with symptoms saves lives. Prostate cancer can be a killer. But just screening all healthy people of a certain age for breast, prostate, and cervical cancer every year actually leads to poorer health outcomes because we don't yet understand when to treat cancer aggressively and when to just ignore it. [1] http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1216568 http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1216568 Per 1000 men, screening all every 1-4 years for 10 years and then following through their treatment saves about 1 guy from dying, kills about 1 guy and puts 2 in the hospital from complications of biopsy and treatment, gives 3 heart attacks, and leaves 35 with bladder or sexual dysfunction problems.