Cervical screening and HPV testing

Cervical screening tests for cancer-causing strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV).

Regular cervical screening — every 5 years — is the best way to prevent cervical cancer. Some people need to be screened every 3 years. It’s a good idea to ask your nurse or doctor how often you need to be screened.

You need regular cervical screening if you have ever had sex and you are both:

• A person with a cervix
• 25-69 years old

• A cervical sample (also known as a smear test). This is when a doctor or nurse uses a speculum to open your vagina and take a sample of cells from your cervix.
• An HPV self-test. This is where you take your own test using a swab to take a sample of cells from your vagina. Or a nurse or doctor can help you. 

What type of cervical screening is best for you depends on results you’ve had from cervical screening in the past. For example, if your tests have shown you have HPV or abnormal cells, you’ll need to have a cervical sample taken. If you’ve tested positive for HPV in the past and you haven’t been told you can go back to normal screening, you may need to have a cervical sample taken. 

If you’re not sure which type of test is better for you, you can book a phone appointment with us to discuss. 
 

Learn more about cervical screening

HPV is really common. It’s the most common STI worldwide. Around 80% of adults who aren’t vaccinated will have an HPV infection at some point.

There are lots of different strains of HPV. Most don’t cause any issues. But some lead to genital warts. And some cause cell changes in the cervix that may lead to cervical cancer. That’s why we test for HPV. And why we offer HPV vaccination.

Having HPV doesn’t mean you have cervical cancer. If you test positive for HPV, you’ll need to book an appointment for a cervical sample to confirm what type of HPV you have and decide next steps. 

You can do an HPV self-test if:

• This is your first cervical screen, or
• You’ve had cervical screening before, with normal results 

Most people who are eligible for free cervical screening can get a free HPV self-test sent to them. Or you can do your HPV test in one of our clinics.

Request an at-home HPV test

If you’ve tested positive for HPV or abnormal cells before, and you haven’t had a negative test since, it’s best to get a cervical sample instead.

Book a cervical screening appointment

You can get cervical screening from us, or your usual screening provider.    

You can do an HPV self-test yourself (or a nurse or doctor can do it for you). You can:

• Get an at-home HPV test if you’re eligible, or
• Ask a nurse or doctor to show you how to do the self-test, or ask them to do it for you (you’ll need to book a cervical screening appointment with us). 

Cervical samples are done by nurses or doctors, so you need to go to a clinic. If you want to do this at a Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa clinic, you need to:

• Book your appointment online (choose cervical screening), or
• Call us on 07 810 6610. 

Learn more at Time to screen | Check out Smear Your Mea on Facebook

Cervical screening isn’t fully funded in Aotearoa. Te Whatu Ora funds free cervical screening for:

• People 30 years and over, with a cervix, who have never had a screening test (unscreened). This includes people with a cervix aged 70 to 74 years who have never been screened.  
• People 30 years and over, with a cervix, who haven’t had a test in the past five years (under-screened).  
• Anyone requiring a follow up.  
• Māori and Pacific people aged 25 to 69 years, with a cervix.
• Anyone aged 25 to 69 years, with a cervix, who has their own Community Services Card    

Find out more about eligibility for free cervical screening.

If you come to a Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa clinic for cervical screening and you’re not eligible for free screening, you’ll pay for a 15-minute appointment. Check out our fees page for more details.

We are cervical screening experts. We can: 

• Help you work out what type of cervical screening is best for you  
• Do your cervical sample
• Teach you how to do your HPV self-test  
• Send you an at-home HPV test (if you're eligible)

Get an at-home HPV test

Anyone can visit our clinics. If you want to talk with us, we want to talk to you. 

Book an appointment.