Screening and prevention
Cervical smear, ultrasound, mammography: which examination is due at which age, what public insurance covers and what a finding actually means.
The commonest reason a cervical cancer is missed is not a smear read wrongly but a smear never taken. Screening in gynaecology is therefore less a matter of technology than of rhythm: which examination in which year of life, what public insurance covers and what a finding actually means. This overview sorts that.
The annual check-up is the core: pelvic examination, ultrasound of the uterus and ovaries, breast examination and the cervical smear (Pap test), which public insurance covers every year. The appointment is also the one at which everything else can be discussed – contraception, cycle, plans for children, symptoms. What is due at which age, from mammography to bone density, is shown by the screening planner for your year of life.
HPV: test and vaccination. Almost every woman is infected with human papillomavirus at some point, and almost every infection clears on its own. From 30, the HPV test is an alternative route to early detection – it does not replace the smear, because some precancerous changes are HPV-negative and visible only in the cells. Public insurance covers it for certain indications, above all after an abnormal smear; on request it is possible at any time as a private service. The vaccination is free in Austria up to the completed 21st year, recommended up to 30 and possible at any time beyond that. All of it is on the page HPV.
What a finding means. An abnormal smear is in the great majority of cases not cancer but a change that is monitored or treated long before it could become one. A normal ultrasound, conversely, is no guarantee – what the individual examinations show and what they cannot show is explained under Examinations.
At the practice the smear is part of every check-up, at every age. As a private (Wahlarzt) practice it invoices the examination; you submit the invoice to your insurer. The amounts are listed under Fees. Make an appointment.
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Frequently asked questions
How often should I go for a check-up?
Once a year, from first intercourse or at the latest from 20. The annual smear is covered by public insurance in Austria. From 45, mammography every two years is added; from 40 at your own request.
Does the HPV test replace the smear?
No. From 30 it is an alternative route to early detection, not a replacement and not a reason for longer intervals. A negative HPV test makes a precancerous change less likely, but does not rule it out – some changes are HPV-negative.
Until when is the HPV vaccination worthwhile?
Free up to the completed 21st year, recommended up to the completed 30th, then as a self-paid service – and possible at any time beyond that if you wish. Even after an infection it protects against the types you have not yet encountered.
What happens if a smear is abnormal?
Depending on the finding, a repeat after a few months, an HPV test at the next appointment or a colposcopy – examination of the cervix with a magnifying instrument. Most changes regress on their own; the rest are treated before they become dangerous.
Does public insurance pay for screening at a private practice?
You pay the fee first and submit the invoice; the Austrian insurer refunds 80 per cent of the corresponding public tariff. External laboratory findings – smears, cultures, cytology – are invoiced separately unless they are covered by public insurance; everything that takes place at the practice itself is included in the fee.