Recommendations generally call for a three-year wait after normal results from a pap and HPV test.
But a report in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology finds doctors continue to order annual screenings.
Researchers say there are downsides of too-frequent testing. They include: excess costs, pain and the inconvenience of extra trips to the doctor's office.
Researchers say women should talk to their physicians especially if they think they are being screened too often.