Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow Do HPV Self-Collection Tests Work?What Can the Self-Collection Tests Detect?When Should You Opt for Self-Collection?How Can You Get a Self-Collection HPV Test?

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

How Do HPV Self-Collection Tests Work?

What Can the Self-Collection Tests Detect?

When Should You Opt for Self-Collection?

How Can You Get a Self-Collection HPV Test?

Key TakeawaysTwo new HPV tests allow people to collect their own samples in a healthcare facility rather than undergo a traditional test involving a speculum.The tests could improve access to screening for people who are unwilling or unable to get routine pelvic exams.Experts say people who can visit a gynecologist for a pelvic exam should continue to do so.

Key Takeaways

Two new HPV tests allow people to collect their own samples in a healthcare facility rather than undergo a traditional test involving a speculum.The tests could improve access to screening for people who are unwilling or unable to get routine pelvic exams.Experts say people who can visit a gynecologist for a pelvic exam should continue to do so.

A new HPV test for cervical cancer screening allows people to collect their own sample without needing a gynecologist to insert a speculum.

With self-collection tests, people can use a vaginal swab to gather a sample, similar to urine tests at a clinic. They then give the sample to a healthcare provider, who sends it for lab analysis and later explains the results.

Human papillomavirus (HPV)is a group of 200 sexually transmitted viruses. HPV infections sometimes cause warts around the mouth, genitals, or anus that often go away without treatment. Some HPV strains, however, can be cancer-causing.

Nearly half of people who develop cervical cancer in the United States were not up to date on their screening.

TheFDA saidself-collection tests should be used when a pelvic exam isn’t possible.This may be due to a lack of access to a healthcare provider, personal or religious reasons for avoiding pelvic exams, or discomfort related to sexual trauma.

“There’s a growing realization that usual care doesn’t work for a whole bunch of people, and we need to get more creative and have alternative strategies,” saidJane Montealegre, PhD, associate professor of cancer prevention and population sciences at MD Anderson Cancer Center. “The big promise of self-collection is that we can expand not just how screening is done, but when and where it’s done.”

Montealegre, who has studied HPV testing for a decade, said that when self-collection tests are offered, uptake among underscreened people increases twofold globally. In the U.S., people may lack insurance, live in rural areas with few healthcare providers, or have a schedule that makes it difficult to visit a health provider.

“We don’t want to detract people going to see their OB-GYN if that’s been working for them all along. But for many people, it hasn’t,” Montealegre said. “This is about empowering people who haven’t traditionally participated in screening to have another option that might be for them and that they are in control of.”

How HPV Is Diagnosed

HPV tests are not the same as Pap smears. To give a pap test, an OB-GYN uses a speculum and stirrups to access the patient’s cervix, where they collect cells using a long swab. The sample is sent to a lab where a pathologist smears the cells onto a slide and analyzes them under a microscope to check for irregular cells that could indicate cancer.

The HPV self-collection tests allow patients to swab themselves without needing a pelvic exam. Depending on the test, your provider might have you use a long swab or a brush with an injectable applicator to take a sample of the vaginal wall.

Carolyn Kay, MD, a medical affairs lead at Roche, said the HPV test is “much more objective” and efficient than a Pap test. It allows providers to identify the presence of a high-risk infection rather than wait for a human to identify abnormal cells once there’s a burgeoning problem.

“Discovering the link [between HPV and cervical cancer] decades ago was instrumental because before then, they were just looking at the cells and didn’t really understand why the cells were becoming abnormal,” Kay said.

Can You Get the HPV Shot If You’re Not a Teen?

People who test positive for two strains—HPV 16 and 18—are at the highest risk of developing cervical or other cancers if the infection isn’t treated. Both available self-collection tests report the results as positive or negative for HPV 16, 18, or any of the other 12 viral strains of concern. The BD test uses “extensive genotyping,” which means it reports the exact strain detected.

The new HPV tests are only FDA-approved to screen for cervical cancer, but Andrews said they could prove useful for broader cancer prevention. In addition to cervical cancer, the virus can cause anal, oropharyngeal, penile, vaginal, and vulvar cancers.

The accuracy of provider-collected tests and self-collected tests are “identical,” Montealegre said. Just because you collect the sample yourself doesn’t make it an inferior test.

“Some people feel really embarrassed or discomforted or ashamed to undress in front of a healthcare provider and have a pelvic exam. There’s a lot of trauma in our population that makes getting a pelvic exam really painful and unpleasant. And for many, there are cultural or religious objections to having this exam,” Montealegre said.

However, Montealegre said that if you’re already in the habit of seeing your OB-GYN or having an annual well-woman exam, it’s best to continue with traditional HPV and Pap tests.

For one, the self-collection tests only require the user to scrape the vaginal wall. When your provider conducts an HPV test, they will swab the cervix. That way, if your test is abnormal, they’ve already collected the cells they need to run a Pap test to see if the virus has affected the cervix.

Besides, HPV testing is just one part of a well-woman or OB-GYN visit. Your provider may also look for abnormalities in your vagina, check for lumps in your breast, order tests for sexually transmitted infections, ask questions about your sexual health, and more.

Will HPV Testing via Menstrual Blood Mean the End of Pap Smears?

If traditional HPV and Pap testing is uncomfortable for you, you can ask for a self-collection option at your annual physical or well-woman visit.

The tests will be available in many locations, including pharmacies, urgent care centers, hospitals, and federally qualified health centers, which serve about a third of people living in poverty.

In the next few weeks, the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology is expected to release new testing guidelines that incorporate new self-collection tests. Currently, primary HPV testing is not recommended for people younger than 25 because most HPV infections in young adults clear on their own and never lead to cancer.

The current U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations for cervical cancer screening are:

“It’s always a good idea to go see your healthcare provider annually,” Kay said. “They can make the right recommendation of how frequently you should get screened.”

How Is Cervical Cancer Diagnosed?

What This Means For YouPeople with a cervix who are older than 21 years old should periodically get screened for cervical cancer using an HPV test or Pap test. You can speak to a health provider or refer to the USPTSF guidelines for more information about the testing recommended for your age group.

What This Means For You

People with a cervix who are older than 21 years old should periodically get screened for cervical cancer using an HPV test or Pap test. You can speak to a health provider or refer to the USPTSF guidelines for more information about the testing recommended for your age group.

4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Chao CR, Chubak J, Beaber EF, et al.Gaps in the screening process for women diagnosed with cervical cancer in four diverse US health care settings.Cancer Med. 2023;12(3):3705-3717. doi: 10.1002/cam4.5226Chesson HW, Dunne EF, Hariri S, Markowitz LE.The estimated lifetime probability of acquiring human papillomavirus in the United States.Sex Transm Dis. 2014;41(11):660-664. doi:10.1097/OLQ.0000000000000193National Cancer Institute.HPV and cancer.U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.Cervical cancer: screening.

4 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Chao CR, Chubak J, Beaber EF, et al.Gaps in the screening process for women diagnosed with cervical cancer in four diverse US health care settings.Cancer Med. 2023;12(3):3705-3717. doi: 10.1002/cam4.5226Chesson HW, Dunne EF, Hariri S, Markowitz LE.The estimated lifetime probability of acquiring human papillomavirus in the United States.Sex Transm Dis. 2014;41(11):660-664. doi:10.1097/OLQ.0000000000000193National Cancer Institute.HPV and cancer.U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.Cervical cancer: screening.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Chao CR, Chubak J, Beaber EF, et al.Gaps in the screening process for women diagnosed with cervical cancer in four diverse US health care settings.Cancer Med. 2023;12(3):3705-3717. doi: 10.1002/cam4.5226Chesson HW, Dunne EF, Hariri S, Markowitz LE.The estimated lifetime probability of acquiring human papillomavirus in the United States.Sex Transm Dis. 2014;41(11):660-664. doi:10.1097/OLQ.0000000000000193National Cancer Institute.HPV and cancer.U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.Cervical cancer: screening.

Chao CR, Chubak J, Beaber EF, et al.Gaps in the screening process for women diagnosed with cervical cancer in four diverse US health care settings.Cancer Med. 2023;12(3):3705-3717. doi: 10.1002/cam4.5226

Chesson HW, Dunne EF, Hariri S, Markowitz LE.The estimated lifetime probability of acquiring human papillomavirus in the United States.Sex Transm Dis. 2014;41(11):660-664. doi:10.1097/OLQ.0000000000000193

National Cancer Institute.HPV and cancer.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.Cervical cancer: screening.

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