Period Blood Shows Promise for At-Home Cervical Cancer Screening
A new study indicates that period blood could provide a convenient, non-invasive, and accurate method for cervical cancer screening. Researchers suggest that a standard sanitary pad fitted with a blood sample strip can effectively detect human papillomavirus (HPV), which is responsible for most cases of cervical cancer. This technique holds the potential for at-home use.
Researchers suggest that a standard sanitary pad fitted with a blood sample strip can effectively detect human papillomavirus (HPV), which is responsible for most cases of cervical cancer.
Current Screening Challenges
Current cervical screening typically involves a clinician collecting a sample via a brush inserted into the vagina. However, millions of women who are invited for this screening do not participate, highlighting a need for more accessible options.
A Pioneering Study from China
A study conducted in China compared the diagnostic accuracy of menstrual blood samples against clinician-collected samples for identifying cervical cell abnormalities (CIN2 and CIN3) that may require medical intervention. The findings were published in the BMJ medical journal.
The research included 3,068 women, aged 20 to 54, with regular menstrual cycles, who were enrolled in Hubei, China, between 2021 and 2025. Each participant provided three types of samples: a menstrual blood sample collected using a sanitary pad and strip, a cervical sample collected by a clinician, and an additional sample collected by a health worker for laboratory processing.
Researchers assessed the test's sensitivity, which indicates its ability to correctly identify individuals with the disease, and its specificity, which indicates its ability to correctly identify individuals without the disease. Samples obtained from sanitary pads showed a sensitivity of 94.7% for detecting CIN2, a result comparable to the 92.1% sensitivity of clinician-collected samples. Although the pad-collected samples demonstrated lower specificity, the likelihood that an individual with a negative test result truly did not have the disease was identical for both collection methods. Referral rates for further diagnostic tests were also comparable between the two methods.
The study authors concluded that the results from this large-scale, community-based study demonstrate the utility of using minipad-collected menstrual blood for HPV testing as a standardized, non-invasive alternative or replacement for current cervical cancer screening methods.
Expert Reactions and Future Outlook
Expert opinions on the findings were cautiously optimistic.
Sophie Brooks, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, stated that the research is encouraging for making cervical screening more accessible, describing menstrual blood HPV testing as an "interesting, non-invasive approach" with potential future applications. She emphasized that the research is in its early stages and requires larger, more diverse trials to fully understand its effectiveness across various populations and how it might integrate into existing screening pathways.
Xavier Bosch, an emeritus researcher at the Catalan Institute of Oncology who was not involved in the study, characterized the work as "very pioneering" but confirmed it remains in the research phase, with current clinical applications being unclear.
Athena Lamnisos, chief executive of the Eve Appeal, a gynaecological cancer charity, welcomed the potential for "new, more acceptable and potentially gentler ways" to offer life-saving tests for preventing cervical cancer. She also noted that this method would not be suitable for all individuals, such as menopausal women. Lamnisos suggested that offering a choice of screening methods could significantly benefit eligible individuals who currently do not attend screening.