There is no FDA-approved HPV test for men, and no routine screening is recommended regardless of age. Unlike cervical screening for women, which reliably detects high-risk HPV strains, no equivalent test exists for detecting HPV on the penis, scrotum, or throat in a standard clinical setting. That doesn’t mean HPV goes completely undetected in men, but the available options are limited and situation-specific.
Why No Routine Test Exists for Men
HPV tests were developed specifically for cervical cancer screening. The cervix provides a reliable sample site where cells can be collected and analyzed for cancer-causing HPV strains. The CDC states explicitly that these tests “are not useful for men of any age” and should not be used for male partners of women with HPV.
The challenge with testing men comes down to biology. HPV can live on penile skin, the scrotum, the anal canal, and the throat. Swabbing these areas doesn’t produce the same consistent, reliable results that cervical samples do. Even in research settings, clinician-collected penile swabs detect HPV with about 88% sensitivity, meaning roughly 1 in 8 infections gets missed. Self-collected swabs perform worse, catching about 79% of infections. These numbers aren’t reliable enough for a mass screening program, and a positive result wouldn’t change clinical management in most cases since most HPV infections clear on their own.
Visual Diagnosis of Genital Warts
The most common way HPV is identified in men is through a visual exam. Genital warts, caused by low-risk HPV strains (types 6 and 11), are diagnosed by a doctor simply looking at them. No lab test is needed in most cases. If warts look unusual, such as being pigmented, bleeding, ulcerated, or fixed to deeper tissue, a biopsy may be performed to rule out other conditions. But HPV DNA testing is not recommended even when warts are present, because the results don’t change how warts are treated.
This means that men who carry high-risk, cancer-causing HPV strains without visible warts generally have no way to know they’re infected. The virus produces no symptoms in most people and clears without treatment in the majority of cases.
Anal Screening for Higher-Risk Groups
The one area where HPV-related screening does exist for men is anal cancer detection, specifically for men living with HIV. Because HIV weakens the immune system’s ability to clear HPV, anal cancer rates are significantly higher in this population.
Screening involves an anal Pap smear, similar in concept to a cervical Pap. A swab collects cells from the anal canal, which are then examined for precancerous changes. This can be done with or without HPV co-testing. For men who have sex with men and transgender women living with HIV, screening is recommended starting at age 35. For other people with HIV, screening starts at age 45. Annual symptom checks and a digital anorectal exam are also part of routine care.
If the Pap results are abnormal, the next step is high-resolution anoscopy, a procedure where a specialist uses a magnifying scope to closely examine the anal lining and biopsy any suspicious areas. This screening pathway is well-established but currently applies only to people living with HIV or those with specific symptoms like unexplained anal bleeding, pain, or itching.
Oral HPV and Throat Cancer Screening
HPV-related throat cancer, particularly in the back of the tongue and tonsils, has been rising sharply in men. Despite this, there is no approved screening test for oral HPV. You can’t walk into a clinic and get a reliable throat swab to check for cancer-causing strains.
Researchers are working on a two-step approach that combines oral rinse samples (testing for HPV16 DNA) with a blood test that detects antibodies to an HPV protein. In studies, oral rinses detected HPV16 DNA with about 81% sensitivity, while the blood antibody test reached 92%. The idea is to use these biomarkers as a first-pass screen, then follow up with ultrasound imaging of the neck for those who test positive. This approach is still experimental and not available outside of research settings. For now, throat cancers related to HPV are typically caught when symptoms appear, such as a persistent sore throat, difficulty swallowing, or a lump in the neck.
What to Do If Your Partner Tests Positive
Many men search for HPV testing because a female partner received an abnormal Pap result or a positive HPV test. The CDC’s guidance here is straightforward: sex partners do not need to be tested for HPV. Partners tend to share the virus, and if your partner has it, you likely do too (or did at some point). There is no test you can take that would provide useful clinical information in this situation.
A positive HPV result in your partner does not mean you need more frequent medical exams. Female partners of men who disclose a previous partner with HPV should continue standard screening intervals, with no evidence that more aggressive screening helps. Condoms reduce but don’t eliminate HPV transmission, since the virus can infect skin not covered by a condom.
Vaccination as the Primary Prevention Tool
Since testing options are so limited, the HPV vaccine is the most effective tool available to men. The vaccine protects against nine HPV strains, including the types responsible for most HPV-related cancers and genital warts.
Routine vaccination is recommended at age 11 or 12 (it can start as early as 9) and remains available as catch-up vaccination through age 26 for anyone not previously vaccinated. Starting before age 15 requires only two doses, spaced 6 to 12 months apart. Starting at 15 or older requires three doses over six months. For adults between 27 and 45 who were never vaccinated, the vaccine is available but not universally recommended. The benefit decreases with age because most people in this range have already been exposed to HPV. If you’re in this age group and haven’t been vaccinated, it’s worth discussing with your doctor whether it makes sense for your situation.
For men specifically, vaccination reduces the risk of penile cancer, anal cancer, throat cancer, and genital warts. Given the absence of any reliable screening test, prevention through vaccination carries even more weight than it does for women, who at least have cervical screening as a safety net.