Is this the same as a Pap test?

No, though the sample is taken the same way. A Pap looks at whether cells have already begun to change; this looks for the virus that causes them to change, which is detectable years earlier. Depending on your history you may need one, the other, or both.

I am vaccinated against HPV. Do I still need this?

Yes. The vaccine covers most high-risk types but not all of them, and many people were vaccinated after already being exposed to one. Screening and vaccination work together; neither replaces the other.

What does a positive result mean?

A positive result means a high-risk type is present now — not that you have cancer or precancer. Most of these infections clear within two years on their own. What happens next is usually a repeat test to see whether it persists, and sometimes a closer look at the cells.

When should I not book it?

During your period, since blood interferes with the sample. Avoiding intercourse, vaginal medication and douching for 48 hours beforehand also gives a cleaner result.

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Lab and screening · Reviewed by a physician

HPV screening test

Nearly all cervical cancer is caused by persistent infection with a high-risk HPV type, and that infection is detectable long before cells change. Testing for the virus rather than for abnormal cells finds risk earlier, which is why it has become the first-line screen.

From$189per test

Book an evaluation See how it works

At a glance

Appointment

20minutes

Review, then sample.

Sample

Cervical

A cervical sample.

Result

1–2weeks

Explained, not just reported.

Preparation

Not during a period

Not during your period.

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What it looks for

What this test answers.

A test is only worth doing if you know in advance what you would do with each possible answer.

How it works

Fifteen years of warning, if you look for it.

Cervical cancer is one of the slowest cancers there is. A high-risk HPV infection persists, then over a decade or more it drives cells through progressively abnormal stages before anything becomes malignant. Every one of those stages is treatable, and most of that time is warning.

A Pap test looks at the cells and asks whether they have started to change — it finds the consequence. An HPV test looks for the virus itself and finds the cause, which is present years earlier. That is why programmes have shifted to HPV as the first-line screen: a negative HPV result is a stronger reassurance than a normal Pap, and it is why screening intervals lengthened rather than shortened when the change was made.

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01
The sample
Taken at the clinic, labelled against your file, and sent to an accredited laboratory.
02
The analysis
The laboratory runs the assay and reports the result back to the physician who ordered it.
03
The explanation
You are told the result and what it means for you, whichever way it comes back.

Your visit

One appointment, then the result.

The appointment is short. The part that matters is what happens with the result.

01
First
The review
Your screening history, when you were last tested and what the result was. This decides whether a test today is useful or premature.
02
Then
The sample
A cervical sample, taken the same way as a Pap test and taking about the same time.
03
Afterwards
The result
The physician reviews it against your history and tells you what it means and what follows.

Dr. Andrew Gyopar, physician at Clinique Medix.

Who performs it

A physician orders it and reads it.

A result on its own is a number. What makes a test useful is a physician who ordered it for a reason, reads it against the rest of your history, and tells you what it means and what happens next — including when the answer is that nothing needs to happen.

Dr. Andrew Gyopar

General Surgeon, Medical Director

Pricing

The price, agreed before anything starts.

What it costs, and what the figure is counted in. The plan and the price are written down and agreed at your evaluation, before any treatment begins.

From

$189per test

One cervical sample, analysed for high-risk HPV types and discussed with the physician who ordered it.

Ordered and reviewed by Dr. Andrew Gyopar. Laboratory analysis is carried out by an accredited external laboratory.

Prices are before taxes and may change without notice. Results vary from one person to another. A medical evaluation is required before any treatment.

Book an evaluation

Before and after