Full Answer
What is HPV test?
The human papillomavirus (HPV) test detects the presence of human papillomavirus, a virus that can lead to the development of genital warts, abnormal cervical cells or cervical cancer. Your doctor may likely recommend the HPV test if: Your Pap test was abnormal, showing atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS)
What does a negative HPV test mean?
Negative HPV test. A negative test result means that you don't have any of the types of HPV that cause cervical cancer. Depending on your test results, your doctor may recommend one of the following as a next step: Normal monitoring.
How to test for cervix?
Next, a sample of cells from your cervix is collected using a small cone-shaped brush and a tiny plastic spatula (1 and 2). Your doctor then rinses the brush and spatula in a liquid-filled vial (3) and sends the vial to a laboratory for testing.
What is the instrument called that holds the vaginal walls apart?
Your heels rest in supports called stirrups. Your doctor will gently insert an instrument called a speculum into your vagina. The speculum holds the vaginal walls apart so that your doctor can easily see your cervix. Inserting the speculum may cause a sensation of pressure in your pelvic area.
What is the best way to check if a Pap test is abnormal?
Colposcopy. In this follow-up procedure, which is recommended if your Pap test is abnormal, your doctor uses a special magnifying lens (colposcope) to more closely examine your cervix.
Do you need to take a Pap test before HPV?
No special preparation is necessary before you have an HPV test. However, since an HPV test often is done at the same time as a Pap test, you can take these measures to make both tests as accurate as possible:
Does HPV test show cancer?
The HPV test is a screening test for cervical cancer, but the test doesn't tell you whether you have cancer. Instead, the test detects the presence of HPV, the virus that causes cervical cancer, in your system. Certain types of HPV — including types 16 and 18 — increase your cervical cancer risk. Knowing whether you have a type ...
How to do a Pap test?
Pap test. Pap test. In a Pap test, your doctor uses a vaginal speculum to hold your vaginal walls apart and to see the cervix. Next, a sample of cells from your cervix is collected using a small cone-shaped brush and a tiny plastic spatula (1 and 2). Your doctor then rinses the brush and spatula in a liquid-filled vial ...
What does a Pap smear tell you?
A Pap smear can alert your doctor to the presence of suspicious cells that need further testing.
What does it mean when a Pap smear is positive?
If abnormal or unusual cells were discovered during your Pap smear, you're said to have a positive result. A positive result doesn't mean you have cervical cancer. What a positive result means depends on the type of cells discovered in your test.
Why do we do a Pap smear?
Why it's done. A Pap smear is used to screen for cervical cancer. The Pap smear is usually done in conjunction with a pelvic exam. In women older than age 30, the Pap test may be combined with a test for human papillomavirus (HPV) — a common sexually transmitted infection that can cause cervical cancer.
Why are samples transferred to a laboratory?
The samples are transferred to a laboratory where they're examined under a microscope to look for characteristics in the cells that indicate cancer or a precancerous condition.
What is the instrument called that holds the walls of your vagina apart?
Your heels rest in supports called stirrups. Your doctor will gently insert an instrument called a speculum into your vagina. The speculum holds the walls of your vagina apart so that your doctor can easily see your cervix. Inserting the speculum may cause a sensation of pressure in your pelvic area.
Can a Pap smear detect cervical cancer?
Detecting cervical cancer early with a Pap smear gives you a greater chance at a cure. A Pap smear can also detect changes in your cervical cells that suggest cancer may develop in the future. Detecting these abnormal cells early with a Pap smear is your first step in halting the possible development of cervical cancer.
How Is the Apolipoprotein B-100 Test Done?
The apoB test is a simple blood test. A lab technician or nurse draws blood from your arm to use for analysis.
What Is Apolipoprotein B?
Apolipoprotein B-100 is a protein that helps carry fat and cholesterol through your body. It is also called apolipoprotein B or apoB, for short.
Overview
Aspartate transferase (AST), also known as aspartate aminotransferase, is an enzyme that exists in your liver, heart, brain, pancreas, kidneys, muscles and many tissues in your body. Although it can be found throughout your body, AST is most commonly associated with liver health.
Test Details
A phlebotomist usually performs blood draws, including those for an AST blood test, but any healthcare provider who is trained in drawing blood can perform this task. They then send the samples to a lab where a medical laboratory scientist prepares the samples and performs the tests on machines known as analyzers.
Results and Follow-Up
Blood test reports, including aspartate transferase (AST) test reports, usually provide the following information:
When should I measure my hs-CRP levels?
Your healthcare professional may recommend this test to check for inflammation due to an infection, to see if you might have an inflammatory disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, or to gauge your risk for a heart attack. If your level is high, they might recommend further tests to assess your risk for heart disease.
What does a high level of hs-CRP mean?
A high level of hs-CRP, i.e., greater than 3 mg/L, indicates acute inflammation and might be a sign of a serious infection, an injury, or chronic disease. Levels in this “red zone'' mean you’re at greater risk for heart disease.
Overview
- The human papillomavirus (HPV) test detects the presence of human papillomavirus, a virus that can lead to the development of genital warts, abnormal cervical cells or cervical cancer. Your doctor may likely recommend the HPVtest if: 1. Your Pap test was abnormal, showing atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) 2. You're age 30...
Why It's Done
- The HPV test is a screening test for cervical cancer, but the test doesn't tell you whether you have cancer. Instead, the test detects the presence of HPV, the virus that causes cervical cancer, in your system. Certain types of HPV— including types 16 and 18 — increase your cervical cancer risk. Knowing whether you have a type of HPVthat puts you at high risk of cervical cancer mean…
Risks
- As with any screening test, an HPVtest carries the risk of false-positive or false-negative results. 1. False-positive. A false-positive test result indicates that you have a high-risk type of HPVwhen you really don't. A false-positive result could lead to unnecessary follow-up procedures, such as colposcopy or biopsy, and undue anxiety over the test results. 2. False-negative. A false-negativ…
How You Prepare
- No special preparation is necessary before you have an HPV test. However, since an HPVtest often is done at the same time as a Pap test, you can take these measures to make both tests as accurate as possible: 1. Avoid intercourse, douching, or using any vaginal medicines or spermicidal foams, creams or jellies for two days before the test. 2. Try not to schedule the test …
What You Can Expect
- An HPV test is usually done at the same time as a Pap test — a test that collects cells from your cervix to check for abnormalities or the presence of cancer. An HPVtest can be done using the same sample from the Pap test or by collecting a second sample from the cervical canal.
Results
- Results from your HPVtest will come back as either positive or negative. 1. Positive HPV test. A positive test result means that you have a type of high-risk HPVthat's linked to cervical cancer. It doesn't mean that you have cervical cancer now, but it's a warning sign that cervical cancer could develop in the future. Your doctor will probably recommend a follow-up test in a year to see if th…
Clinical Trials
- Explore Mayo Clinic studiesof tests and procedures to help prevent, detect, treat or manage conditions.