Health issues are in the headlines again. First it was a change in screenings for breast cancer and now there are new guidelines for cervical cancer tests. Health reporter Marcie Fraser the details.

NATIONWIDE -- According to the American Cancer Society, cervical cancer used to be the leading cause of cancer death for women. Now 40 years later, that number has dramatically decreased by 74 percent.

Cervical cancer affects most women in their mid-life and rarely develops in women younger than 20. Screening is done with a Pap smear. If the test comes back positive, there are a number of options. For some younger patients, it's often a "wait and see."

Gynecologist Dr. Nicholas Montalto said that 90 percent of patients, even with-high risk HPV which can lead to cervical cancer, will get better on their own.

"What we learned is that HPV needs to be there for a long period of time in order to cause infection," said Dr. Montalto. "It's not going to be until you're later in your 40s and 50s when we start to see it."

Even though death rates from cervical cancer are down, mainly due to screenings, new recommendations affecting younger patients are out by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The goal is to decrease unnecessary testing and potentially harmful treatment for teens and younger women. Under the new guidelines, women should begin getting tested at age 21 instead of the three years after becoming sexual active, as previously recommended. Women in their 20s need a pap test every two years rather than annually, and women over 30 should wait three years in between tests once they've had three consecutive clear results. Some people fear that less screening means less cancer detected and less people survive. Not so, according to the expert.

Dr. Montalto said, "The data seems to show that we will be just as effective at preventing cervical cancer and cervical cancer deaths by screening less often."

You may wonder, if so many more lives have been saved under the previous guidelines, why change them?

The change is to protect the younger women who very well may rid the infection on their own and therefore avoiding the treatment - which in many cases is surgery on the cervix.

Dr. Montalto said, "Any surgery is risky, so there is always a risk of bleeding, infection. In terms of removing portions of the cervix, there is the risk of pre-term labor and premature deliveries."

Keep in mind these are only guidelines and may not supported by every medical professional. Be sure to check with your doctor.

Dr. Montalto said, "What we need to get a way from as gynecologists and for the general public is that a Pap smear is synonymous with a gynecological visit. There are a lot of other women's health care issues that should be addressed at the yearly exam and they should stop focusing on just the Pap smear."