What is a HPV Test?
This test checks for high risk types of HPV, including the most high-risk types type 16 and 18. HPV often has no symptoms and is spread through sexual contact, even if barriers like condoms are used. Most people will have an HPV infection in their lifetime without knowing it. This infection most often clears up on its own, although it is possible to be infected for life. Some people may experience genital warts from an HPV infection. The types of HPV that cause genital warts are not the same types associated with cancer. Vaccination is the most effective protection against HPV, providing nearly 100% protection from the most high-risk HPV types. However, vaccination does not protect against all high risk types and protection is not 100% in all individuals (NIH, 2021). Therefore, testing is still recommended in vaccinated individuals.
This simple test can determine if you are positive for high-risk types of HPV. This is a vaginal swab test that you can easily take from home. Your sample will then be examined by a certified laboratory and you will receive the results within a matter of days. It couldn’t be easier!
Is a HPV test the same as Pap smear?
An HPV test and Pap smear are slightly different. During a Pap smear, health care providers scrape cells from the surface of the cervix and analyze them under a microscope for abnormal cells that could turn into cervical cancer. An HPV test, on the other hand, detects the presence of HPV DNA from cervical cells that are collected using a swab. While a Pap smear can only be performed by a healthcare provider, an HPV test can be performed either at home or in the doctor’s office. HPV strains 16 and 18 are responsible for about 70% of cervical cancer cases.
Is there a difference between high and low-risk HPV?
There are more than 100 different types of HPV. These different types are grouped into two categories low-risk and high-risk. Low-risk HPV types can cause genital warts, but are not known to cause cancer. A high-risk HPV infection can lead to cervical cancer-or cancer of the vagina, vulva, or anus.
HPV test results
This test is able to specifically identify the two highest risk types of HPV types 16 and 18. The test is also able to detect 12 other HPV types (31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, 68). While these types of HPV can potentially cause cancer, the risk is lower than types 16 and 18.
The results of your test will either be negative or positive. A negative test result means that no form of high risk HPV has been found. This does not mean you do not have any form of low-risk HPV, as there are many other possible types of HPV that this method does not test for. Additionally, this test is not a substitute for regular Pap smears conducted by a medical professional, in line with local cervical cancer screening programs.
What should I do if my test is positive?
A positive test result indicates the presence of one or more high risk HPV types. A positive test result does not mean that you have cervical cancer, as many high-risk HPV infections resolve themselves on their own. A positive test result requires follow-up with your GP to discuss whether additional testing or treatment is needed.
I tested positive. Am I going to get cervical cancer?
It can be scary to test positive for HPV. However, please know that HPV is highly common and almost everyone is infected with it at some point. Additionally, many HPV infections clear themselves on their own, with time. Despite testing positive, your body may eventually clear the infection. Even if this does not happen, being aware of your HPV status allows you to engage with preventive care that can stop cervical cancer before it occurs.
Most individuals that test positive for high-risk HPV will never develop cervical cancer. However, if your test result is positive, please contact your GP for follow-up.
HPV
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a highly contagious virus. HPV is spread through sexual contact or touching through the hands, mouth, penis, or vagina. Almost everyone is infected with HPV at some point- almost 80% of sexually active individuals will come into contact with HPV in their lifetime. There are many different types of HPV. Some can cause genital warts or no disease at all, and are known as low-risk HPV. Other types of HPV can cause cancer and are called high-risk HPV. While there are several types of high-risk HPV, types 16 and 18 cause the majority of HPV-related cancers.
Most people with HPV have no symptoms at all. Furthermore, testing for HPV is only widely available to women and often only checks for high-risk HPV as a form of cervical cancer screening. This means HPV is easily passed to other people unknowingly. While there is no cure for HPV, your body usually clears the virus on its own within two years. In some cases, the virus does not clear and remains in the body for a long time. A long-term infection with high-risk HPV can cause cell changes that lead to cancer. High-risk HPV is associated with cancers of the cervix, vulva, vagina, head and neck, penis, and anus.
Preventing HPV
The best protection against HPV is vaccination. Since testing for HPV is limited and it can spread even during safe sex, preventing HPV infections before they occur is important. Vaccination against HPV protects against the most dangerous types of high-risk HPV, as well as the low-risk HPV types that most commonly cause genital warts. It is important to note that vaccination does not provide 100% protection against HPV-related cancers. That is why women in many countries are invited to take part in screening for cervical cancer using a combination of 1) an HPV Test that checks for HPV infections and 2) a Pap smear that checks for HPV-related cell changes in the cervix.
