Menstrual blood test could offer alternative to cervical screening for cancer

The study used a blood sample strip applied to a regular sanitary pad to test for human papillomavirus. Photograph: Geoffrey Swaine/Shutterstock

A pioneering test of period blood for signs of cervical cancer could be a convenient, non-invasive and accurate way of screening for the disease, researchers have said.

A regular sanitary pad topped with a blood sample strip can pick up human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes most cases of cervical cancer, and could be used by women at home, the results of a study indicate.