HPV Test

Formal name: Genital Human Papilloma Virus

Related tests: Cervical smear test

At a Glance

Why Get Tested?

To screen for infection with HPV, some types of which are associated with cervical cancer

When to Get Tested?

If you are sexually active, have symptoms of HPV infection (genital warts), or have an irregular cervical smear test

Sample Required?

A sampling of cells from the cervical area

The Test Sample

What is being tested?

The test is looking for evidence of infection by human papilloma virus (HPV), a virus that can cause skin warts and genital warts (also called condylomata) and that has been linked to cervical, penile, and other forms of genital cancer.

How is the sample collected for testing?

Testing for HPV infection is usually done as part of a cervical smear test (a test used mainly to detect cancer of the cervix, the lower part of the uterus or womb, or conditions that may lead to cancer). A sample of cells is taken from the cervical area during a pelvic examination, using a type of wooden "spatula", swab, or brush. If the smear test is abnormal, this sample may be used or another one taken for a follow-up test for the presence of HPV.

NOTE: If undergoing medical tests makes you or someone you care for anxious, embarrassed, or even difficult to manage, you might consider reading one or more of the following articles: Coping with Test Pain, Discomfort, and Anxiety, Tips on Blood Testing, Tips to Help Children through Their Medical Tests, and Tips to Help the Elderly through Their Medical Tests.

Another article, Follow That Sample, provides a glimpse at the collection and processing of a blood sample and throat culture.

The Test

How is it used?

Your doctor can detect warts and other lesions by visual inspection. As part of a pelvic examination, your doctor may be able to identify some otherwise invisible warts in the genital tissue by applying acetic acid to areas of suspected infection. This process makes the infected areas whiten when they are examined by a procedure called colposcopy.

Your doctor might also take a small piece of tissue (called a biopsy) from the cervix and examine it under a microscope. When either the cervical smear test or the biopsy indicates a condition that could lead to cancer in some women (called intraepithelial neoplasia), the HPV test can find out if you are infected with a strain of HPV that increases the chance that cancer would develop if you don’t receive treatment.

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When is it requested?

Women and men who are sexually active with more than one partner—or whose partner has more than one sex partner—should have regular examinations for sexually transmitted diseases, including HPV. Women between the ages of 25 and 49 should have a smear test every 3 years, and those between 50 and 64 should have one every 5 years to screen for cancer or situations that may develop into cancer. The smear test can also often detect HPV infection. There are a number of different types of HPV, some of which have a low risk of causing cancer and others that have a high risk. The HPV test can confirm whether the person is infected with HPV and which type of HPV is present.

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What does the test result mean?

HPV types 6 and 11 typically cause venereal warts, and (along with types 42, 43, and 44) have a low risk of progressing to cancer.
HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, and 36 have a higher risk of progressing to cancer.

While the test can be helpful in guessing the 'likelihood' that cancer will develop if you receive no treatment, there is no guarantee that the predicted risk is correct, since other factors seem to be involved in development of cancer.

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Is there anything else I should know?

HPV is one of the most commonly transmitted STDs in the world. In 90% of women who have cervical HPV infection, the infection becomes undetectable within two years. A few women have persistent infection, which is a key risk factor for cervical cancer. Regular smear tests can monitor this risk and provide an early warning that you might need treatment.

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Common Questions

1. How is HPV transmitted?

Genital HPV infection is spread through sexual contact—primarily vaginal, anal, and oral intercourse. It is possible, though less likely, for the to be transmitted by sexual contact without intercourse. Rarely, a pregnant woman will pass HPV to her baby during vaginal delivery, resulting in laryngeal papillomatosis (warts on the voice box).

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2. What are the symptoms of HPV infection?

Certain types of HPV cause genital warts and other lesions, but the virus usually causes no symptoms. Most people with a genital HPV infection do not know they are infected. That is why regular exams and cervical smear tests are so important.

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3. How is HPV infection treated?

Genital warts can be removed in a number of ways:

With chemicals,
By freezing,
By electrically being burned off, or
Via surgery or lasers.

For most people, this treatment will clear the warts. If your warts return repeatedly, the doctor may try injecting them with the drug interferon. Although treatment clears the symptoms, the virus remains in your body.

Abnormal smear tests can be treated in a variety of ways, from monitoring over a period of months to see if they return to normal, to cryosurgery that freezes and destroys infected cells, to procedures that remove problem tissue.

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4. What will happen if I don’t get treated?

Untreated genital warts can disappear, stay the same, or grow in size and number and cluster in large masses. Some types of the can lead to cervical or penile cancer.

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5. How can HPV be prevented?

For information on prevention, visit the NHS 'Playing Safely' site.

In the UK, a national HPV immunisation programme was introduced for all girls aged 12-13 years in Autum 2008. This is to protect girls against infection with HPV 16 and 18 (associated with 70% of cervical cancers). A catch-up campaign for girls aged up to 18 years has also been implemented.

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6. How common is HPV infection?

It is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the world. It is estimated that about 50% to 75% of sexually active men and women contract genital HPV infection at some point in their lives. For more information, visit the NHS 'Playing Safely' site.

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NOTE: This article is based on research that utilizes the sources cited here as well as the collective experience of the Lab Tests Online Editorial Review Board. This article is periodically reviewed by the Editorial Board and may be updated as a result of the review. Any new sources cited will be added to the list and distinguished from the original sources used.