Urine Test for HPV May Be an Alternative for Cervical Cancer Screening

According to the most recent studies on the subject, a disturbing number of young women in the modern world eventually contract or develop HPV in one way or another. Up until now, young women had to undergo blood tests or pelvic examinations in order to find out whether or not they had HPV. Now, however, new developments in the medical field are making it even easier for women to figure out how their reproductive health is holding up. In fact, obstetricians are now able to use a simple urine test for HPV diagnosis.

What Is HPV?

Before you can understand how the new urine test for HPV actually works, you have to first grasp the fundamentals of what HPV really is. Simply put, it is a virus that is closely related to, but vastly different from, HIV and HSV (better known as herpes). One of the scariest things about HPV is the fact that most sexually active people nowadays eventually contract HPV at least once in their lives. Not a big deal in most cases, HPV nonetheless has been known to cause certain warts and cancers.

How HPV Is Usually Diagnosed

Before the advent of this new urine test for HPV, the most common way of diagnosing a person was through somewhat invasive means. A man would usually have to undergo some sort of blood test while a woman would be subject to a pap smear, blood work, or both. Although these tests are usually pretty easy to come by, they do create certain health-related problems, not to mention confidence issues in some cases. The urine test for HPV changes all of that.

How Is the Urine Screen Different?

Instead of forcing potential HPV patients to undergo any sort of invasive procedure, as was previously the case, doctors and even nurse practitioners can administer a simple test right in the office. There are very few lab results for which to wait, and the entire process is usually completed within the appointment itself (in much the same way a pregnancy test result can be reached quickly). Of course, each doctor’s office will handle the urine test for HPV differently, so it is important for you to speak with your healthcare professional about the details before agreeing to participate in anything new.