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  • February 18, 2025
Self-service HPV testing ‘very important for women’s health,’ says UVA gynecologist

Self-service HPV testing ‘very important for women’s health,’ says UVA gynecologist

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – Doctors have developed a new way to test for one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases that often causes cervical cancer.

Eight in ten sexually active adults will contract the human papillomavirus, or HPV, in their lifetime, and 95% of cervical cancer cases in women are due to HPV.

Until recently, the main method of detecting the infection was using a swab test. Now doctors are taking the lead in shifting the early detection process from the exam room to the home through self-service HPV testing.

“This would allow us to screen more people for cervical cancer and hopefully get them the help they need,” said Dr. Carrie Sopata, a gynecologist at UVA Health and associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology.

Sopata says that over the past decade, doctors have discovered that direct testing for HPV can be more effective than the traditional Pap smear at detecting cervical cancer.

Many patients also don’t like the feeling or can’t see a gynecologist regularly, added Dr. Sopata to it.

“There are a lot of people who find that exam very uncomfortable,” Sopata said. “A lot of thought has gone into how we can do this exam differently.”

That’s where self-serve cotton swabs come into the picture. Ultimately, the hope is that women will be able to administer the tests at home, but for now patients can only use these tests at a doctor’s office.

“The self-swab test puts a swab into the vagina, which means the patient does it themselves, and collects vaginal and sometimes cervical cells, and then those cells are tested for the HPV virus,” Sopata said.

Of course, the entire screening process is not a do-it-yourself process. Sopata reminds patients that if they test positive for HPV, they should return to their doctor’s office for a follow-up examination, called a colposcopy.

“I think this is very important for women’s health,” Sopata said. “There are many people who do not screen for cervical cancer because they cannot go to the doctor or because they find the idea of ​​a speculum exam intimidating or painful.”

Although HPV infection in men can lead to several types of cancer, Sopata says there is currently no single, universal method to screen male patients for HPV.

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