The diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis typically involves four parts: Your medical history is reviewed to check whether you have had past vaginal infections, including sexually transmitted ones. A pelvic exam is performed to visually check for signs of infection. A pH test, performed with a paper test strip, is used to measure vaginal acidity. Watch on. Key points for GPs. Self-collection is a vaginal swab taken by a woman for HPV testing. The sample contains vaginal rather than cervical cells. The vaginal HPV test is sufficiently accurate and includes partial genotyping for HPV 16 and 18. There is some loss of sensitivity compared to a clinician-collected sample; however, HPV Testing for human papillomavirus (HPV), which requires a sample of cells from the opening of the cervix, can be done during a pelvic exam—either by itself or at the same time as a Pap smear. Self-swabs can be a big help for people who have histories of sexual trauma or those who are simply reluctant to have a stranger touch their bodies. Endocervical swab. A swab of mucus and cells from the endocervix taken by a health care provider during per speculum examination; Obtained in order to perform a nucleic acid amplification test if cervicitis or pelvic inflammatory disease is suspected; For cervical cytology in the screening of cervical cancer, see Papanicolaou test. Standard HPV screening involves swabbing the cervix during a pap smear; the specimen is then analyzed for the presence of high-risk HPV and cells collected through the swab are inspected for changes caused by HPV. It's a routine procedure that's recommended for women ages 25-65 every five years. While most cases of cervical cancer are The use of the liquid-based cytology specimen for multiple tests may limit the volume available for Pap processing or HPV testing. Detection of high-risk HPV is dependent on the number of copies present in the specimen and may be affected by specimen collection methods, patient factors, stage of infection, and the presence of interfering The cells are then transferred to a glass slide by gently rolling the swab with minimal pressure to avoid rupturing cells. The smear is allowed to air-dry thoroughly before staining. Romanowsky-type stains typically used for blood films (Wright or modified Wright-Giemsa stains, including quick-type stains) provide good morphologic detail. Cervical screening includes two different tests: The Pap test (or Pap smear): A sample of cells from the cervix is examined for any abnormalities that could turn into cancer. The HPV test: A sample of cells from the cervix is examined for any HPV strains that can cause cancer. Both of these tests are done during a regular pelvic exam. gMZq.