HPV testing using period blood: A pioneering test that looks for early signs of cervical cancer using period blood could offer women a convenient, non-invasive and accurate way to screen for the disease, researchers say.
In the study, a standard sanitary pad fitted with a small blood-collection strip detected human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus responsible for most cervical cancers, suggesting the method could be used at home.
Cervical screening is usually carried out by a clinician, who takes a sample using a small brush inserted into the vagina. But millions of women invited for screening do not attend appointments, raising concerns about missed opportunities to detect cell changes before cancer develops.
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Researchers in China compared how well menstrual blood samples performed against clinician-collected cervical samples in identifying cervical cell abnormalities known as CIN2 and CIN3, which can require treatment. The research involved 3,068 women aged 20 to 54 with regular menstrual cycles, recruited in Hubei province between 2021 and 2025.
Each participant provided three samples: a menstrual blood sample collected using the sanitary pad and strip, a cervical sample collected by a clinician, and an additional sample collected by a health worker for laboratory processing.
The team evaluated the test’s sensitivity, its ability to correctly identify people with disease, and specificity, which reflects how well it rules out those without disease. The pad-based samples showed a sensitivity of 94.7% for detecting CIN2, compared with 92.1% for clinician-collected samples.
Although the pad method was less specific, researchers reported that the likelihood that someone with a negative result truly did not have the disease was the same for both methods. Referral rates for follow-up testing were also similar.
The authors said the findings from the large, community-based study support mini-pad menstrual blood collection as a standardised, non-invasive alternative, or possible replacement, for HPV testing within cervical screening.
