HPV Testing

The human papillomavirus, or HPV, is a group of over 150+ related viruses which are primarily spread through sexual activity. Most adults will develop an HPV infection in their lifetime without knowing it as HPV often doesn’t have any symptoms.

Frequently, the virus will clear in the same way as a common cold. However, some high-risk HPV types don’t clear.

A high-risk HPV infection can cause cells to change or become abnormal. In the cervix, these changes can lead to the development of precancerous cells (dysplasia). If not treated, these cells can lead to cervical cancer.

HPV testing can detect high-risk HPV infections before they cause cervical cancer. With early detection, cervical cancer is one of the few cancers that can actually be prevented.

HPV testing looks for the presence of high-risk HPV types commonly associated with cervical cancer.

The Pap test looks for abnormal cell changes.

HPV testing is available for anyone with a cervix aged 25 years and over and sexually active.

Your health care provider may also decide to order an HPV test along with your Pap test or to assist with follow up on abnormal Pap results.

Even if you have received the HPV vaccination, it’s recommended to get tested.

To use the test, you must not be menstruating, pregnant, or have given birth in the last three months.

Note: Until HPV testing is implemented in the Ontario Cervical Screening Program, cervical screening with a Pap test is safe, accurate and allows people to receive key benefits of organized screening (e.g. correspondence letters). LifeLabs offers the collection kit to complement existing services, and to encourage patients in maintaining regularity when it comes to essential health testing services so they can make informed decisions with their health care providers about their health.

There are two options to collect your sample for HPV testing:

1. At-home (collect your own sample)
If you would like to collect your sample yourself, order your kit today. Learn more about the self-collection process and instructions.

2. In a clinic (collected by your health care provider)
If you prefer, you can ask your health care provider about getting your sample collected at their clinic. Your health care provider will complete and sign the HPV test requisition, collect a cervical sample in a similar manner as a Pap test, and send it to LifeLabs for analysis.

1. The Cervical Health (HPV) Kit by LifeLabs is $129.
The kit includes a self-collection swab and a pre-signed request form. Anyone with positive results will be contacted by the clinical support team to discuss next steps.


2. The test collected by your health care provider is $95.
If your health care provider has already collected your sample, we will mail you an invoice, which you can pay here.

Note: Patients are encouraged to check with their private health care insurer to see if coverage is provided.

For next steps getting this test, go to How to order.

For at-home collection,your results will be available online. A notification will be sent to you when your results are ready from our secure platform.

For samples collected by your health care provider, test results will be provided directly to your health care provider for discussion with you.

The HPV test screens for high risk types of HPV and not low risk types. This is because certain high risk types may cause cervical cancer and cancer of the throat, tongue, anus, or vagina. The low-risk HPV types mostly cause genital warts in the vagina, cervix, and on the skin, that mostly clear on their own.

As infection with low-risk HPV types do not lead to cancer, the HPV test is not recommended for detecting low-risk HPV infections.

If the result is HPV positive, it means the test detected a high-risk HPV type. This does not mean you have cancer. You will be contacted to book a follow-up appointment to answer your questions and for further assessment to determine if a Pap or a colposcopy is needed. If you like, your results can be shared with your primary health care provider.

If the result is HPV negative it means the test did not detect a high-risk HPV type. You are at low risk of cervical cancer. You may still require an in-person visit with a health care provider or further investigation if:

• You previously had cervical cancer
• Are immunodeficient/immunocompromised
• Or experience abnormal bleeding during menstruation, between cycles, after sexual intercourse or any post-menopausal bleeding

Indeterminate or unsatisfactory results: In a small number of cases, your result may be indeterminate (meaning that the test didn’t provide a clear negative or positive result) or unsatisfactory (for example, there were not enough cells present in the sample or your sample was contaminated) and may require a new sample or further follow-up. A clinical support team member will contact you to discuss this further.

HPV testing is recommended every 5 years.
Screening too frequently does not provide extra protection. Most high-risk HPV infections clear on their own. Pre-cancer and cancer that can develop as a result of a persistent high-risk HPV infection take many years to develop.

Regular testing for STIs such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea is important. HPV testing should only be used for cervical screening. HPV testing should not be used as an STI test (for example, to determine if someone has contracted an HPV infection from a new sexual partner).

There is no treatment for high-risk HPV infections. Only persistent high-risk HPV infections cause cervical cancer, but it takes many years to develop. Only the pre-cancer and cancer that can develop as a result of a persistent high-risk HPV infection can be treated.

• * Public Health Agency of Canada: HPV
• Public Health Agency of Canada: Cervical Cancer
• Canadian Cancer Society: HPV Test