How often to have a pap/smear test?

[not_talula]

I'd be really interested to hear what you've read and what your doctors have told you about this.

My problem is that I'm an ex-pat in Germany - I don't know what the medical norms are here, and I sometimes have the feeling that, because I'm privately insured, doctors are sometimes over-enthusastic to test me for things (!!).

I come from the UK where, under the National Health Service, women normally have a pap/smear once every 3 years. All the websites I find which are UK-based say that there is no medical reason to do it more often than that. But then, the NHS can't afford to do much at all these days, so who knows??

When I first came over to Germany, my gynaecologist here told me the norm was to carry out a smear once a year. I accepted this, espeically as my boyfriend's sister - an MD - backed it up. But now I've got a new gynaecologist and she's telling me every woman needs a complete internal examination and smear once every SIX MONTHS *cough!*.

I'm in no way medically trained, but this seems excessive to me, and I'm angry with myself that I couldn't stand up to this doctor and question what she was saying. I'm also sick of constantly paying medical bills when I'm a young and fundmentally healthy person!!

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!