HPV Testing & Helping Women Over 30 Take Control of Their Health

An HPV test can save your life if you are a woman who is 30 years of age and older.  But wait. Just women who are over 30 years old? That’s right. It may seem strange to tell people not to get tested, so let’s look at why women are the only recommended group for this test.

Who Should Use an HPV Test

HPV is the number one most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. It is spread by having vaginal, anal or oral sex with someone who has the virus, even if there are no symptoms present. However, while both men and women can get HPV, “women over 30” are the only people for whom a routine HPV test is recommended.  Here’s why:

• Men: Unfortunately, testing for this particular virus in men is not as accurate as testing in women. In addition, there is no available treatment for men.
• Women Under 30: When the infection is present in these women, it is likely that their immune system will clear it. Therefore, treatments are unneeded and require unnecessary cost. A vaccine is available for women who are under 26 years of age.

HPV and Cancer

The reason women over 30 should use an HPV test regularly is because high-risk HPV viruses are more likely to cause cancerous changes to the cervix in women who are in this age group. If women aren’t diagnosed and the virus remains untreated, this can lead to cancers of the cervix, vagina, and vulva.  Knowing your status can prevent these serious complications.

Take Control of Your Health

Luckily, the FDA has approved HPV tests for primary cervical cancer screenings. In fact, myLAB Box’s home HPV test kit detects DNA from fourteen types of high-risk HPV (hrHPV), including the most problematic types: HPV 16 and 18. These are the hrHPV types that are most persistent and can result in pre-cancerous changes to the cervix.

With myLAB Box’s home tests, you can skip the inconvenient doctor’s visit and skip right to the accurate, lab-certified results. Here’s how it works:

• Order your full STD panel online. (You even get free shipping!)
• Collect a sample using the easy-to-follow instructions.
• Send the sample off for testing. (More free shipping!)
• Receive your lab-certified results online in just days.

Testing Options

Women who are 30 years and older have two HPV home testing options: The first option is the HPV Home Test. This test kit allows you to screen just for HPV, the most common sexually transmitted infection, by identifying common high-risk HPV types.

That said, a more thorough screening allows you to test for the fourteen most common infections all at once by using one sample set.  The Total Box is the most comprehensive at-home test on the market.  Women who are 30 years of age or older can add an HPV option to this test kit. It also screens for HIV (I & II), Hepatitis C, HSV-2, Syphilis, Chlamydia (genital, throat and rectal), Gonorrhea (genital, throat and rectal), Trichomoniasis and Mycoplasma genitalium.

A home HPV test is a simple way to take control of your health.  After all, if you can prevent cancer, why not be vigilant about it?  Test regularly from the comfort of home and provide yourself with ease of mind.