What is HPV?
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common infection that most people will have at some point in their lives. Most of the time, the infection goes away naturally without causing any health issues, or without a person even knowing they have HPV. HPV is passed from person to person through intimate skin-to-skin sexual contact.
There are over 100 HPV types which are grouped as either “low-risk” or “high-risk”. High-risk types may lead to genital, anal, or head & neck cancers if they last for many years and are not detected and treated. Most HPV related cancers are preventable with vaccines and/or early detection (through screening) and treatment.
HPV and Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer is the most common cancer caused by HPV. For an HPV infection to lead to cervical cancer, it must be present for many years or decades. It is for this reason that it is important to regularly attend screening in order to identify individuals at risk for having changes to the cervix when they can be treated successfully.
At-home self-collected HPV-based cervix screening
In Canada, cervical cancer screening is done by examining the cells of the cervix through the use of the Pap test. In recent years, medical advances have created more effective tools to identify individuals at risk for having cervical cancer and pre-cancer earlier by testing for HPV directly.
CervixCheck offers HPV testing, which is a safe and highly researched method for cervical cancer screening. Many countries have already started using, or are planning to use HPV-based cervix screening in their screening programs, including Canada. Through CervixCheck, you will collect your sample yourself using a vaginal swab. This type of screening allows screening to be done safely and easily in private without having to see a health care provider for a pelvic exam. The sample is then tested for HPV at the lab.
To learn more