Key takeaways:
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted virus that’s responsible for causing almost all cases of cervical cancer.
People with a cervix ages 21 to 65 should get tested for HPV and cervical cancer on a regular basis.
You can now collect your own HPV sample at a clinic, at a participating pharmacy, or at home with an FDA-approved kit.
It has now become easier to test for human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus that can spread through sexual contact. HPV is a very common virus. But it’s important to test for because some strains of this virus can cause cancer.
The good news is that you don't always need a pelvic exam. The FDA has approved several HPV tests you can collect yourself. Some are done at a clinic or pharmacy, but others can be done at home and mailed to a lab. Either way, you swab your own vagina instead of having a healthcare professional swab your cervix.
Here’s what you need to know.
Pap tests vs. HPV tests
Pap smears and HPV tests are two different tests for cervical cancer screening, but people often assume they're the same thing.
Pap smear test
A Pap test can't be done with a self-collected sample. It requires a pelvic exam because it needs cells from the cervix. Here’s what a Pap test looks for:
Abnormal cells on your cervix, including precancerous changes and cancer
Cervical changes that have already happened
A Pap test is recommended to look for changes every 3 years for people ages 21 to 29.
HPV test
An HPV test can be collected using a self-test or by a healthcare professional. It’s looking for high-risk strains of the HPV virus that cause almost all cervical cancers. Some benefits of the HPV test are that it:
Is used to detect cervical cancer risk, before abnormal cells develop
Doesn’t require a pelvic exam
Can use a vaginal swab to detect HPV
How HPV self-testing works
The FDA’s approval of a self-test makes it easier for you to test for HPV. The self-test allows you to swab your vagina and collect a testing sample yourself. There’s no need for a pelvic exam — or for a healthcare professional to use a speculum and swab your cervix. And the self-test works just as well to detect HPV. But unlike a PAP test, it can’t show early signs of cervical cancer.
In some cases, you can do the self-test in a healthcare setting. You can contact a healthcare professional that supports HPV self-testing and request an appointment to do the self-test.
You can also order an at-home self-test with a prescription from a healthcare professional. The kits will contain all the supplies you need to collect the sample from the privacy of your own home. When you’re done, you will send your sample to the lab, and you’ll be told how to get your results.
Self-collected vs. clinician-collected HPV test
You can have confidence in HPV self-tests. When done correctly, results from a swab you perform yourself are just as accurate as tests performed by healthcare professionals to detect HPV. The lab uses the same diagnostic tools as those used for many years on swabs taken professionally.
Here’s a chart explaining the difference between HPV self-tests and a test performed by a healthcare professional for cervical cancer screening.
| HPV self-test | Clinician HPV test |
Who collects the sample | You | Healthcare professional |
How | Vaginal swab — no speculum, no pelvic exam | Speculum and pelvic exam; sample taken from the cervix |
Where | At home with an FDA-approved kit, or in a private room at a clinic or pharmacy | At a clinic |
Prescription needed | Yes | Ordered during your visit |
What it detects | High-risk HPV strains only | High-risk HPV, plus abnormal cervical cells if a Pap test is done at the same time |
Accuracy for finding HPV | Comparable to clinician-collected | Comparable to self-collected |
If negative, repeat in | 3 years | 5 years (HPV testing alone) |
If positive, next step | Follow-up pelvic exam with a cervical sample; sometimes a colposcopy | Follow-up depends on the result; may go straight to colposcopy |
Who should test for HPV?
HPV testing is generally recommended for cervical cancer screening if you’re between 30 and 65 years old. If you’re between 21 and 29 years old, you should get screened for cervical cancer with a Pap smear and don’t need an HPV test. That’s because infection with the HPV virus is common in this age group and usually clears the body naturally without causing any problems.
If you’re between ages 30 and 65, you should choose one of the following options:
HPV testing once every 5 years
Pap test alone once every 3 years
Both a Pap and HPV test every 5 years
HPV testing without a Pap test is also an option for some people starting at 25 years old.
Self-testing for HPV may be right for you if you’re not due for a Pap test or pelvic exam. Or it can be helpful if it’s hard to find a healthcare professional who can do a pelvic exam or Pap test.
One difference worth knowing: If you collect the sample yourself and the result is negative, the American Cancer Society recommends testing again in 3 years, rather than 5 years.
What HPV strains do self-collection kits test for?
With the sample you collect from your vagina, the lab can test for 14 different types of HPV that are high risk for causing cancer.
When to talk to your doctor
If your test results show that you have HPV, you’ll need to talk to a healthcare professional. They’ll go over the next steps with you. For example, they’ll help you know when it’s time to get a PAP test or colposcopy to make sure you don’t have signs of cervical cancer.
The most important thing is to do the test so you can catch potential cancer-causing HPV early.
HPV and cancer
Most people get exposed to HPV at some point in their lives. Often, there are no signs or symptoms. Sometimes, HPV causes genital warts. But in 9 in 10 people with HPV, the immune system fights off the virus within about 2 years.
Still, experts recommend that you get screened for HPV. That’s because some strains of this virus can lead to cancer. HPV can pass from person to person through different types of sex: oral, anal, and vaginal. So, HPV-related cancer can develop in your:
Cervix
Anus
Vulva
Vagina
Throat
HPV is the cause of almost all cases of cervical and anal cancer. And it’s responsible for most cases of cancer of the vagina and vulva. Each year in the U.S., almost 40,000 people have a cancer diagnosis related to HPV.
The FDA approved the new self-test to help make HPV testing more available. The goal is to reduce cervical cancer and other cancers related to HPV.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can do the latest human papillomavirus (HPV) self-test at home. In May 2025, the FDA approved the first at-home HPV collection kit. It's a prescription device for people ages 25 to 65 who are at average risk. You order it through a telehealth visit, collect the sample yourself, and mail it to a lab. The other FDA-approved self-collection tests still have to be done at a clinic or a participating pharmacy.
Yes, you can have HPV without genital warts. There are many types of HPV. The types that cause cancer are different from the types that cause genital warts.
About 85% of people will get HPV at some point in their lives. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the U.S., and more than 42 million people in the U.S. currently have a type that can cause disease. But while most people get HPV, it doesn’t cause a problem for the majority of people. Despite this, screening is very important because there's no way to know who might develop complications from HPV infection.
Yes, you can get a vaccine to prevent HPV and HPV-related cancer. It’s available to all people ages 11 to 45. It’s still best to test for HPV even if you’ve been vaccinated. Talk to a healthcare professional about your need for testing and how to get the HPV vaccine.
Yes, you can do the latest human papillomavirus (HPV) self-test at home. In May 2025, the FDA approved the first at-home HPV collection kit. It's a prescription device for people ages 25 to 65 who are at average risk. You order it through a telehealth visit, collect the sample yourself, and mail it to a lab. The other FDA-approved self-collection tests still have to be done at a clinic or a participating pharmacy.
Yes, you can have HPV without genital warts. There are many types of HPV. The types that cause cancer are different from the types that cause genital warts.
About 85% of people will get HPV at some point in their lives. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the U.S., and more than 42 million people in the U.S. currently have a type that can cause disease. But while most people get HPV, it doesn’t cause a problem for the majority of people. Despite this, screening is very important because there's no way to know who might develop complications from HPV infection.
Yes, you can get a vaccine to prevent HPV and HPV-related cancer. It’s available to all people ages 11 to 45. It’s still best to test for HPV even if you’ve been vaccinated. Talk to a healthcare professional about your need for testing and how to get the HPV vaccine.
The bottom line
Most people get human papillomavirus (HPV) at some point in their lives. Most times, it goes away without any problem. But it’s important to get tested for HPV to learn if you have the type that could cause cancer. The FDA has approved a new test that you can do yourself in a healthcare setting. The benefit is that you collect a sample from your vagina yourself, in private, and don’t need to have a pelvic exam. Self-tests are available with a prescription or at the offices of healthcare professionals.
Why trust our experts?
References
American Cancer Society. (2025). In-clinic and at-home HPV self-collection test.
American Cancer Society. (2026). Cancers linked with HPV.
American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists' Committee on Clinical Consensus-Gynecology, et al. (2026). ACOG committee statement no. 28: Screening for cervical cancer. Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Arbyn, M., et al. (2022). Meta-analysis of agreement/concordance statistics in studies comparing self- vs clinician-collected samples for HPV testing in cervical cancer screening. International Journal of Cancer.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). About HPV.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Basic information about HPV and cancer.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Clinical overview of HPV.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). Cancers caused by HPV.
MedlinePlus. (2025). Human papillomavirus (HPV) test.
Premarket Approval (PMA). (2026). Device: BD Onclarity HPV assay. U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
