You can get an HPV test at your regular doctor’s office, an OB-GYN, a community health clinic, your local health department, or a Planned Parenthood health center. The test is part of routine cervical cancer screening for women aged 30 to 65, and most insurance plans cover it at no cost to you. If you don’t have insurance, federally funded clinics offer testing on a sliding-fee scale based on your income.
Where to Go for HPV Testing
Several types of facilities offer HPV testing, and you don’t need a specialist referral for any of them. A primary care doctor, OB-GYN, or nurse practitioner can order and perform the test during a routine visit. Community health clinics and local health departments also provide screening, often with shorter wait times than private practices.
Planned Parenthood health centers are another widely available option, with locations in most states. If cost is a concern, Title X family planning clinics offer cervical cancer screening along with other reproductive health services. You can find one near you through the clinic locator at reproductivehealthservices.gov, which is run by the federal Office of Population Affairs. These clinics charge on a sliding scale, meaning the fee is adjusted based on what you can afford.
One important thing to know: HPV testing isn’t automatically included in a standard checkup or gynecologist exam. You may need to specifically ask for it, especially if your provider hasn’t brought it up.
Who Should Get Tested
Current screening guidelines focus on women and people with a cervix. For ages 21 to 29, the recommended approach is a Pap smear every three years. The Pap looks for abnormal cell changes but doesn’t test for HPV directly. Starting at age 30 through 65, you have three options: a Pap smear alone every three years, an HPV test alone every five years, or both tests together (called co-testing) every five years. All three approaches are equally effective at catching precancerous changes or cervical cancer early.
There is currently no FDA-approved HPV test for men. The CDC does not recommend routine HPV screening for the general male population, in part because no reliable, standardized test exists for detecting the virus in areas other than the cervix. Men who have sex with men and those who are HIV-positive face higher rates of HPV-related disease, and some clinicians may use research-grade testing in those populations, but this isn’t part of standard care.
What the Test Involves
The HPV test uses the same basic procedure as a Pap smear. During a pelvic exam, a clinician inserts a speculum and uses a small brush to collect cells from your cervix, specifically from an area called the transformation zone where HPV most commonly takes hold. The sample is placed in a liquid preservative and sent to a lab, where it’s analyzed for the genetic material of high-risk HPV strains. The whole collection takes about a minute.
If you’re getting both an HPV test and a Pap smear, they’re typically done from the same sample in a single visit. The Pap portion checks for abnormal-looking cells under a microscope, while the HPV portion uses molecular testing to detect the virus itself.
Self-Collection Is Now an Option
In May 2024, the FDA expanded approval for two HPV tests to allow self-collection. This means you can swab your own vaginal sample instead of having a clinician perform a pelvic exam. The catch: you still need to do it at a healthcare facility like a doctor’s office, urgent care center, pharmacy, or mobile clinic. True at-home HPV testing kits are not yet FDA-approved, though a nationwide clinical trial called SHIP is currently testing whether home-based self-collection works as well as clinician-collected samples. If the data supports it, home collection could eventually become available.
What the Test Looks For
Standard HPV tests screen for 12 high-risk strains of the virus that are linked to cancer. Two of these, HPV 16 and HPV 18, cause the majority of HPV-related cancers and are usually identified individually on your results. The remaining high-risk types (31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, and 59) are typically reported as a group. Low-risk strains that cause genital warts are not included in standard screening because they don’t lead to cancer.
What Happens if You Test Positive
A positive HPV result doesn’t mean you have cancer. Most HPV infections clear on their own without causing problems. What happens next depends on which strain was found and whether your Pap results show any cell changes.
If you test positive for HPV 16, which carries the highest cancer risk, your provider will refer you for a colposcopy regardless of what your Pap shows. This is a closer examination of the cervix using a magnifying instrument, and it may include a small biopsy. HPV 18 also triggers an automatic colposcopy referral because of its strong association with cervical cancer.
For other high-risk HPV types with normal or only mildly abnormal Pap results, the approach is more conservative. If you had a negative screening test within the past five years, your provider will typically recommend repeating the test in one year rather than jumping to colposcopy. If the HPV is still present or the results are abnormal at that follow-up visit, colposcopy is the next step.
Cost and Insurance Coverage
Under the Affordable Care Act, all Marketplace health plans and many employer-sponsored plans must cover cervical cancer screening, including Pap smears and HPV tests, with no copay, coinsurance, or deductible. This applies to women aged 21 to 65 who are getting screened at the recommended intervals. If you have insurance, the test should be free as a preventive service, though coverage can vary depending on your specific plan and whether your provider is in-network.
Without insurance, an HPV test can cost anywhere from $20 to over $100 depending on the facility. Title X clinics and community health centers offer the most affordable options, with fees scaled to your income. Some may provide the test at no cost if you qualify.
HPV Vaccination and Testing
Testing positive for HPV doesn’t necessarily mean vaccination is pointless. The vaccine (Gardasil 9) targets nine HPV types, and a positive test result usually reflects infection with just one or two strains. You may still benefit from protection against the others. However, the vaccine prevents new infections only. It does not treat or clear an existing HPV infection. The vaccine works best when given before any exposure to HPV, which is why it’s routinely recommended for preteens, but it’s approved for adults up to age 45.