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When you heard about HPV test, you may think that it is a test for someone who has a serious suspect in her v-area. But, the fact is every woman should get HPV test. Let’s talk more about it.

HPV is a virus that can cause cell changes in the cervix, which more seriously can lead to cervical cancer. The HPV test checks for HPV. The test can be done at the same time as the Pap test, with the same swab or a second swab. You will not notice a difference in your exam if you have both tests.

Infection with the most common types of “genital” HPV can be prevented with the HPV vaccine. However, vaccination is only fully effective if administered before a girl or young woman has been exposed to those types of HPV through sexual contact. In addition, the vaccine does not protect against all types of HPV that can cause cervical cancer. Thus, it is important to get a regular Pap and – if you’re over 30 – an HPV test, even if you’ve been vaccinated. A Pap can identify abnormal cells, and the digene HPV Test detects the presence of 13 high-risk types of HPV. Together, they help make sure abnormal cells are diagnosed and treated early.

If you are age 30 or older, you can have an HPV test with your Pap test as part of your normal health visit. If both test results are normal (negative), you should have your next Pap test in 3 years. Why 30 or older? Because, virtually everybody who has sex is exposed to HPV, but the vast majority of HPV infections just flush out of a woman’s body. So the test is only used on women 30 and older to reduce the number of transient infections.

However, if the result is positive, this means you need a follow-up test 6 to 12 months later. If that test is positive the HPV could have been hanging around awhile, putting you at risk for cancer. Or it could mean nothing at all. There’s concern too many people taking the test would test positive for HPV and get unnecessary treatment as a result.

As smaller, less-rigorous studies have found, the HPV test picked up far more cervical pre-cancers than the Pap smear did, the researchers write in The New England Journal of Medicine. “The paper clearly comes across strongly in favor of HPV testing as a primary screening test,” says senior author Eduardo Franco, a cancer researcher at Montreal’s McGill University.

HPV test is not a cure for cervical cancer, but it is the first screening for the area down there. Just to check whether it is in a normal circumstances or not. Therefore, if you are 30 or older and still asking “should I get HPV test?”, the answer is YES.

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