Testing menstrual blood for HPV could be alternative to smear test, study finds

Researchers tested period blood for HPV and found it could be used as an alternative to cervical screening (stock image) - (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Testing period blood for human papillomavirus (HPV) could be a “robust alternative or replacement” for a smear test, researchers have said.

Using a regular sanitary pad topped with a blood sample strip, researchers were able to detect HPV, which causes 99.7 per cent of cervical cancer cases.