STI TEST · BANGKOK
HPV Test in Bangkok
HPV DNA testing for high-risk HPV types, the recommended cervical screening test, with a doctor who comes to you in Bangkok and explains what the result means.
Message Ovio Medically reviewed by Kewalee Rujikajorn, MD · 24 September 2026
HPV test at a glance.
- SampleA cervical or vaginal swab
- ScreeningFrom 30, every 5–10 years (WHO)
- Clears by itselfIn around 90% of people
- PreventionA highly effective vaccine
- Who comesA doctor, to your home, condo, hotel or office
- ResultsExplained by your doctor
- PriceConfirmed before your visit
THE INFECTION
What is HPV?
- Cause
- A virus, human papillomavirus
- Also called
- Human papillomavirus infection · High-risk HPV
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection. Most sexually active people get it at some point, usually without knowing. It spreads through skin-to-skin genital contact, so condoms reduce but do not fully prevent it.
There are more than 100 types. Low-risk types can cause genital warts. High-risk types, above all HPV 16 and 18, can cause changes in the cells of the cervix and, much more rarely, cancers of the anus, penis, vulva and throat. In around 90% of people the immune system clears HPV by itself, typically within two years.
That is why an HPV test is not a general STI test. For people with a cervix, an HPV DNA test is the recommended way to screen for cervical cancer risk, finding a persistent high-risk infection years before any cancer could develop. For men there is no routine HPV screening test, and warts are diagnosed by a doctor examining them.
Symptoms of HPV.
HPV itself almost never causes symptoms. What people notice, if anything, depends on the type.
Low-risk types
- Genital or anal warts: small, flesh-coloured bumps
- Usually painless, sometimes itchy
- Can appear weeks to months after contact
High-risk types
- No symptoms at all while cells change
- Found only by screening
- Cancer, if it develops, takes 15 to 20 years
Cell changes caused by high-risk HPV cause no symptoms. Screening is the only way to find them early, when they are easy to treat.
How the HPV test works.
HPV testing is cervical screening. It looks for high-risk HPV types, and often identifies HPV 16 and 18 separately because they carry the highest risk.
HPV DNA test (high-risk types)
Cervical swab, or a vaginal swab
WHO's recommended primary screening test. Detects high-risk HPV types, with 16 and 18 usually reported separately.
Cytology (Pap smear)
Cervical cells
Looks for abnormal cells. Now mainly used to follow up a positive HPV result and decide whether a colposcopy is needed.
Testing with Ovio
- Tell us what you needCall or message Ovio, privately. Say where you are in Bangkok and when suits you.
- A doctor comes to youAt your home, condo, hotel or office. The doctor asks about your concerns and recommends the right samples.
- Samples go to the laboratoryTaken there and then; for most tests the visit itself is short.
- Your result, explainedWhat it means, and what to do next if anything needs treatment or a repeat test.
Not sure which test you need?
Speak to one of our doctors. They will ask about your situation and suggest the tests, samples and timing that fit it.
When to test for HPV.
Every test has a window period: the time after exposure before it can reliably detect an infection. A test taken too early can be negative even when the infection is there.
| Test | Sample | Timing after exposure | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cervical screening where eligible | Cervical sample | Not a universal test a set number of days after one exposure. | HPV tests are not a general STI test for every person or exposure. |
Sources: CDC2
Who should get tested
- People with a cervix aged 30 to 65, every 5 to 10 years
- Women living with HIV, from 25 and every 3 years
- Anyone who is overdue for cervical screening
- Anyone asked to repeat a test after an earlier positive or abnormal result
AFTER THE TEST
Results and next steps.
A negative HPV test means a very low risk of cervical cancer for the next several years, which is why the screening interval can safely be 5 to 10 years.
A positive test is common and usually temporary. What happens next depends on the type: HPV 16 or 18 usually leads to a closer examination (colposcopy), while other high-risk types are often followed up with cytology or a repeat test in a year. Your doctor will explain your result and arrange the right follow-up.
If abnormal cells are found, they can be treated simply and effectively long before cancer develops.
This page is general information, not a diagnosis. If you are unwell, in severe pain or worried about something urgent, contact a doctor now or go to a hospital emergency department.
HPV testing:
your questions.
Can't see your question? Ask one of our doctors.
People with a cervix. The World Health Organization recommends HPV DNA testing from age 30, repeated every 5 to 10 years, and from age 25 every 3 years for women living with HIV. Your doctor may advise a different schedule based on your history and previous results.
There is no approved routine HPV screening test for men. Genital warts are diagnosed by examination. In some higher-risk groups, such as men who have sex with men and people living with HIV, a doctor may discuss anal cancer screening, which is a different, specialist assessment.
Almost certainly not. A positive result means a high-risk HPV type was found, not that there are abnormal cells or cancer. Most infections clear on their own. Depending on the type, especially HPV 16 or 18, the next step is usually a closer look at the cervix (cytology or colposcopy) or a repeat test later.
A Pap smear (cytology) looks for abnormal cells under a microscope. An HPV test looks for the high-risk virus that causes those changes, so it finds risk earlier and misses fewer cases. That is why HPV DNA testing is now WHO's recommended primary screening test, with cytology used to follow up a positive result.
Yes. The vaccine prevents the types most likely to cause cancer, but not every high-risk type, and it does not treat an infection you already had. Continue cervical screening at the recommended ages.
No. Screening tests look for high-risk types linked to cancer. The low-risk types that cause warts are not the target, and warts are diagnosed by a doctor looking at them.
MEDICALLY REVIEWED
Kewalee Rujikajorn, MD
General Practitioner, Bangkok
Reviewed 24 September 2026
Kewalee Rujikajorn is a general practitioner in Bangkok, providing outpatient care for urgent, acute and chronic illness and remote consultations through a telemedicine platform. A graduate of the Medical University of Lublin, Kewalee completed postgraduate medical training at Thammasat University Hospital and has published research in ophthalmology.
Sources.
- Human papillomavirus and cancer: fact sheetWorld Health Organization, 5 March 2024
- Human Papillomavirus Infection: STI Treatment GuidelinesUS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Ovio uses official public-health sources and reviews this page when they change. Questions about this content: info@oviowellness.com.
Speak to one of our doctors.
A doctor comes to your home, condo, hotel or office in Bangkok, talks through what you are worried about, takes the samples for your HPV test and explains what happens next.