How it works
questhealth.com offers 100+ consumer-initiated Quest Diagnostics lab tests to empower you to have more control over your health journey. Choose from a variety of test types that best suit your needs.
HPV Test for Cervical Cancer Risk (Self-Swab Collection)
HPV Test for Cervical Cancer Risk (Self-Swab Collection)
This high-risk HPV test detects high-risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV) types to assess the risk for cervical precancer and cancer. It involves a vaginal swab that you collect yourself in a healthcare setting. Testing for these HPV types is important to help you and your healthcare provider understand your risk for cervical cancer and, if necessary, determine next steps. Read moreTest details
Sample type:
Vaginal swab (patient-collected)
Preparation:
In the 3 days prior to self-collection of a vaginal sample, use of vaginal ovules, creams or washes, and vaginal contraceptives or condoms should be avoided.
In the 2 days prior to self-collection of a vaginal sample, you should not have sexual intercourse, ultrasound scans, or a gynecological examination.
Sample collection during the menstrual cycle has not been evaluated. HPV self-collection is not recommended during pregnancy or in the 3 months after giving birth.
During your scheduled appointment time, a Quest Patient Service Representative (PSR) will provide you with a copan FLOQSwab™ that comes in a sealed, protected tube, and instructions for collecting your sample. If you have questions before collecting your sample, you may ask the PSR or call 1-833-700-2423. The help line is open Monday-Friday 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM ET. It is closed on weekends and holidays.
Sample collection during the menstrual cycle has not been evaluated. HPV self-collection is not recommended during pregnancy or in the 3 months after giving birth.
During your scheduled appointment time, a Quest Patient Service Representative (PSR) will provide you with a copan FLOQSwab™ that comes in a sealed, protected tube, and instructions for collecting your sample. If you have questions before collecting your sample, you may ask the PSR or call 1-833-700-2423. The help line is open Monday-Friday 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM ET. It is closed on weekends and holidays.
$99.00
+ $6.00 Physician Service Fee
How
Vaginal swab (patient-collected)
About the Test
This HPV Test for Cervical Cancer Risk is a qualitative in vitro test for the detection of high-risk Human Papillomavirus. This test detects the high-risk HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, and 68 in self-collected vaginal specimens. Self-collected vaginal specimens, obtained in a healthcare setting, can be tested as an alternative specimen type when cervical sampling is either contraindicated or cervical samples otherwise cannot be obtained.
Early detection is key to prevention and successful treatment of cervical cancer. More than half of new cervical cancers are in women who haven’t been tested in at least 5 years. Plus, 24% of women are not up to date with their cervical cancer screening. Almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by the human papilloma virus, or HPV.
This test will tell you and your doctor if you have HPV. This could help determine your risk for cervical cancer or help catch it early when it’s most treatable. To increase the number of women who receive this vital screening, the FDA recently approved a new way to collect samples for HPV testing. Before, cervical cancer screening required a healthcare professional to use an instrument called a speculum to access the cervix and gather cells using a brush or broom from the cervix, deep within the vagina. It’s been discovered that cells from the vaginal wall can also be used for testing for HPV, and you can collect the sample yourself, in a healthcare setting, using a soft swab.
Note: This test is for routine cervical cancer screening using professional medical guidelines. Regardless of results, it is important to follow-up with and/or establish care with a healthcare provider to work together on determining next steps.
Buy a self-collection HPV test online with Quest. No doctor’s visit required – simply purchase, and access HPV testing at a nearby location.
FAQs
High-risk HPV types can cause cancer whereas low-risk HPV types can cause genital warts and rarely cause cancer. This test only detects high-risk HPV types.
As with any medical testing, you should consult with your physician after receiving test
results, whether they are positive or negative.
Yes. According to the CDC, by following the step-by-step collection instructions, patients can properly collect their own samples, with test results that are as accurate when they are collected by a doctor.4
During your scheduled appointment time, a Quest Patient Service Representative (PSR) will provide you with a copan FLOQSwab™ that comes in a sealed, protected tube, and instructions for collecting your sample. Read all instructions before starting to collect a sample. Failure to follow the instructions could affect the test results. If you do not feel comfortable with vaginal self-collection, please contact your doctor. The collection cannot be done by the PSR.
If you have questions prior to performing your self-collection, you may ask the Patient Service Representative (PSR) or call 1-833-700-2423. The help line is open Monday-Friday 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM EST. It is closed on weekends and holidays. If you are unable to self-collect, please contact your doctor. The collection cannot be done by the PSR.
No, the collection cannot be done by the PSR. It must be done by the patient.
Sample collection during the menstrual cycle has not been evaluated.
HPV self-collection is not recommended during pregnancy or in the 3 months after giving birth.
Inform the Patient Service Representative (PSR), who will dispose of the contaminated swab and/or collection tube and provide a new one.
You may be able to use your FSA or HSA funds to purchase lab tests at questhealth.com. Please review your FSA/HSA plan or check with a tax professional to confirm specific requirements for individual eligibility.
Our references
- ACOG. Cervical Cancer Screening. Accessed May 13, 2025. https://www.acog.org/-/media/project/acog/acogorg/womens-health/files/infographics/cervical-cancer-screening.pdf?rev=2ca474997ed747a5801de351a35c2c3e&hash=B037FB71487B9F31ECB77C833E7A75F7
- US Preventive Services Task Force. Final recommendation statement. Cervical cancer: screening. August 21, 2018. Accessed December 20, 2024. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/cervical-cancer-screening
- American Cancer Society. The American Cancer Society guidelines for the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer. 2024. Updated April 22, 2021. Accessed May 13, 2025. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/cervical-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/cervical-cancer-screening-guidelines.html
- https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2023/23_0056.htm
- Inturrisi F, Aitken CA, Melchers WJG, et al. Clinical performance of high-risk HPV testing on self-samples versus clinician samples in routine primary HPV screening in the Netherlands: an observational study. Lancet Reg Health Eur. 2021;11:100235. doi:10.1016/j.lanepe.2021.100235
- Yoda R, Cherne R, Lin J, et al. Validating human papillomavirus self-collection testing as an alternative approach to cervical cancer screening. J Am Soc Cytopathol. 2024;13(5):S25-S26. Accessed February 28, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasc.2024.08.044
- Le A, Rohweder C, Wheeler SB, et al., Self-collection for primary HPV testing: perspectives on implementation from federally qualified health centers. Prev Chronic Dis. 2023;20:E93. doi: 10.5888/pcd20.230056
- Danan ER, Amundson EC, Gowdy-Jaehnig A, et al. “It feels like health care with the patient in mind”: VA patient and staff perspectives on self-collected HPV testing. Women’s Health Issues. 2024;34(5):518-527. doi:10.1016/j.whi.2024.05.003
- Goldstein A, Plafker B, Stamper S, et al. Patient satisfaction with human papillomavirus self-sampling in a cohort of ethnically diverse and rural women in Yunnan Province, China. J Low Genit Tract Dis. 2020;24(4):349-352. doi:10.1097/LGT.0000000000000560
- Fontenot HB, Fuzzell L, Brownstein NC, et al. Health care provider willingness to recommend self-collected tests for human papillomavirus: a mixed methods examination of associated factors. Womens Health Issues. 2024;34(5):506-517. doi:10.1016/j.whi.2024.05.005
- https://testdirectory.questdiagnostics.com/test/test-detail/14263/hpv-dna-16-18-other-high-risk-pcr-self-collected?p=r&q=14263&cc=PHP
- National Cancer Institute. Cervical Cancer Screening. https://progressreport.cancer.gov/detection/cervical_cancer. Accessed 09 August 2024.
- Subramaniam A, Fauci JM, Schneider KE, et al. Invasive cervical cancer and screening: what are the rates of unscreened and underscreened women in the modern era? J Low Genit Tract Dis. 2011;15(2)110-113. doi: 10.1097/LGT.0b013e3181f515a2
- Bassett, Mike. 2025. “U.S. Sees ‘Troubling’ Trend in Cervical Cancer Screening Rates.” Medpagetoday.com. MedpageToday. March 5, 2025. https://www.medpagetoday.com/obgyn/cervicalcancer/114506. Accessed 07 March 2025.
- https://www.cdc.gov/sti/about/about-genital-hpv-infection.html#cdc_disease_basics_symptoms-signs-and-symptoms
- https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/infectious-agents/hpv-and-cancer
- National Cancer Institute. Cervical Cancer Prognosis and Survival Rates - NCI. www.cancer.gov. Published October 13, 2022.
- Increase the proportion of females who get screened for cervical cancer — C-09 - Healthy People 2030. Health.gov. Published 2021. https://odphp.health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/cancer/increase-proportion-females-who-get-screened-cervical-cancer-c-09
- https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/hpv/types-of-hpv.html