Teen girls can skip Pap tests, according to new guidelines that say women should start cervical cancer screening at age 21. But some experts are concerned that rates of sexually transmitted diseases or unplanned pregnancies could increase without the Pap test to prompt a doctor's visit…

"I do not fear the consequences because these guidelines are well thought out and give us a great opportunity to focus on who is at risk for cervical cancer," says Bobbie Gostout, M.D., the chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota.

CNN.com by Denise Mann, 11/29/09

Tags: Cancer, ObGyn, Pap tests, STDs