Collection description
If you’re due for your 5-yearly Cervical Screening Test, you can choose to:
- do the test yourself using a thin swab to collect a sample from inside your vagina (no need to reach the cervix!)
- have a doctor or a nurse do the test for you using a speculum and a small brush to take a sample from your cervix.
Both tests are safe and accurate at detecting HPV – the common infection that causes almost all cervical cancers.
Find out more below about the option to do your own Cervical Screening Test.
How to guides
National Cervical Screening Program – How to collect your own vaginal sample for a Cervical Screening Test – Detailed
This fact sheet shows participants how to collect their own vaginal sample for a Cervical Screening Test.
National Cervical Screening Program – How to collect your own sample – Condensed
This is a visual guide to help people understand how to collect their own vaginal sample if they choose self-collection as a screening option for their Cervical Screening Test.
Videos
- Image:
1:53National Cervical Screening Program – How to take your own Cervical Screening Test sample
This video explains how to take your own cervical screening test sample if self-collection is chosen as a screening option for a cervical screening test. - Image:
4:20Cervical Cancer Awareness Video
This video shows just how easy it is to collect your own sample for a Cervical Screening Test.
Related resources
National Cervical Screening Program – What happens when my healthcare provider collects my sample
This is a visual guide to help people understand the process when they choose to have a healthcare provider collect their Cervical Screening Test sample.
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Publication date:
Publication type:
Collection
Audience:
General public