Cervical screening invites to change in England
Invitations for cervical screening will be sent out every five years instead of every three for women aged 25-49 in England, if they have a negative test.
Research shows they are at very low risk of cervical cancer and can safely wait longer to be screened again, NHS England has said.
The roll out of a vaccine to protect against HPV - the virus which causes nearly all cervical cancers - has reduced cases by around a quarter since the early 1990s.
Charities said the change was good news for those at low risk because they no longer needed to go for screening as often.
Scotland and Wales have already introduced this change, which will start in England from 1 July.
Cancer Research UK urged women and people with a cervix not to wait for a screening invitation if they noticed any unusual changes.
They are encouraged to go for regular cervical screening between the ages of 25 and 64, external.
Source: BBC News, 10 June 2025
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