Testing for HPV can be done during a Pap smear for women. In terms of men, testing for HPV is not always easy, as there are not a lot of reliable ways to test for HPV in men. Testing for HPV in men is usually only done in research. Most insurance plans cover costs for HPV testing. HPV testing screens for HPV strains which are “high-risk” or oncogenic. Oncogenic is just another term meaning “cancer causing”.
Women who are infected with HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, not to be confused with HPV, are at a greater risk for developing HPV itself. These women who have HIV undergo testing for HPV every six months, while women who do not have Human Immunodeficiency Virus undergo testing for HPV every three years. However, a recent study that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that women who are infected with HIV and have no current infection with HPV, may not need to undergo testing for Human Papilloma Virus as frequently as once thought. They came across the realization that women with HIV who also weren’t at a critical point in their HIV disease, whose Pap smears showed nothing suspicious, and who showed negative results when testing for HPV, had the same low cervical cancer rates comparative to HIV negative women. Although more research should be completed, it still shows the possibility of women HIV-positive women not having to test as often for Human Papilloma Virus.
The Food and Drug Administration permitted testing for HPV to be included in every routine Pap smear for women who are over thirty years of age. Women can choose if they want to add the testing for HPV as part of their Pap smear, which costs an average of fifty dollars. There are new doctor guidelines that would allow cancer-free and HPV infection-free women to be rechecked every three years. Of course, if a woman exhibited signs of infection, she would be tested earlier than the three year mark.
Testing for HPV is administered by a company in Gaithersburg, Maryland called the Digene Corporation. This test can find thirteen of the high-risk types of HPV that correspond with developing cervical cancer. Testing for HPV will not find cancer, but rather pinpoint changes in the cells of the cervix. Without treatment for HPV, the changes of the cells of the cervix may sometimes result in cancer. This happens with a persistent HPV infection that won’t go away or clear up on its own from the body’s immune system. In 2003, over 12,000 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer and 4,000 died from it.
Testing for HPV attempts to detect infections of HPV as well as pinpoint the type of HPV that is there. Testing for HPV detects the genetic material, or DNA, of HPV. An HPV test is similar to a Pap test in that sample cells are taken and examined from the cervix. The high-risk types of HPV in women cause changes in the cervical cells, which are shown as abnormal. Testing for HPV might be completed as a follow-up to a Pap smear that comes back abnormal.
There are some things to keep in mind before testing for HPV. Do not use tampons, douche, or use vaginal treatments for at least two days prior. It would also be wise, if possible, to abstain from sex those to days as well, in order to eliminate the possibility of altering the results of the test. Do not schedule the test during your menstrual period, as the presence of blood cells can also alter the results of the test, and you would have to be tested again. Testing for HPV involves signing a consent form. Be sure to speak to your doctor about any questions or concerns you may have, such as risks, how HPV is tested, what the results will mean, etc. The doctor is a qualified professional who should be able to answer your questions. Testing for HPV is routine.
Testing for HPV is completed at a doctor’s office, a gynecological office, a clinic, or another office of a health professional. The types of professionals who might perform HPV testing are gynecologists, family practice physicians, nurse practitioners, urologists, physician assistants, and internists.
Before the test, you’ll want to empty your bladder. This allows for a more comfortable exam for you and a more helpful one for the professional. You’ll be covered by a paper drape or cloth and will be unclothed from the waist down. Just like a Pap smear, you’ll be on your back with your feet placed in stirrups. This provides the best way for you to be examined. A sample from a cotton swab will be taken, placed in a collection tube, and sent to a laboratory to be analyzed.
Alternatively, testing for HPV can be completed from a cell sample taken during your Pap smear if a special technique was used, which is a liquid-based Pap test called “Hybrid Capture II”. During this type of testing for HPV, a plastic brush rotates on the cervix to gather the cells. The samples are simply put into a solution and forwarded to the laboratory. Testing for HPV using the liquid-based Pap test allows for one not to be tested for HPV at a later date.
Testing for HPV poses no risks to your health, and results will come back in approximately one to two weeks. If your results come back and show that HPV is present, you are at an increased risk for precancerous cell changes of the cervix. You may need to have further testing for HPV done with a colposcopy or a biopsy of the cervix. This further testing will help determine if the precancerous cells are present. Your doctor will let you know the steps that need to be taken and what is involved.