Cervical screening for Mob

If you’re aged 25-74 you can check if you’re due or overdue for a Cervical Screening Test by:

• yarning with your Aboriginal Medical Service or other Aboriginal health services
• calling the National Cancer Screening Register (1800 627 701)
• accessing the National Cancer Screening Register's online participant portal

For more information please visit: Where can I get a Cervical Screening Test?

Yes the Cervical Screening Test is free. If your doctor or nurse does not bulk bill, they may charge a consultation fee. Ask about the cost of your Cervical Screening Test when booking your appointment.

For more information please visit: How much does the Cervical Screening Test cost?

The Cervical Screening Test is done in private. You can choose:

• where to do the test—at a GP or women’s health centre, Family Planning Australia clinic, Aboriginal Medical Service, or other Aboriginal health services
• how to do the test—a nurse or doctor can do it, or you can do it yourself
• to ask for a female doctor or nurse
• to ask for someone who isn’t your usual doctor if that makes you more comfortable
• to take a support person along, such as a family member or friend.

The test only takes a few minutes and is completely safe even when pregnant. 

For more information please visit:

• What happens at a cervical screening appointment 
• Eight tips to make cervical screening more comfortable
• Cervical screening for people with specific needs

Doing your own test involves taking a quick swab from the vagina - to check for HPV.

You can do your own test at your local health service, in a private space such as a bathroom.

Once your take your sample, you return your swab back to the doctor or nurse who will send it to the lab for processing.

A self-collected sample is just as safe, effective and accurate as a sample collected by a doctor or nurse.

For more information please visit:

• Cervical screening self-collection
• How to collect your own sample (for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women)

The sample from your Cervical Screening Test is sent to a lab to check for HPV. The time it takes to get your results will vary and can take a couple of weeks. Your doctor or nurse will explain to you how you will get your results.

For more information please visit: Understanding your Cervical Screening Test results

If HPV isn’t found, your next Cervical Screening Test will be due in 5 years. 

If HPV is found, it doesn’t mean you have cervical cancer. Your doctor or nurse will let you know if you need to:

• have another test in 12 months to check that the HPV infection has cleared 
• be referred to a specialist straight away for further tests or treatment such as a colposcopy.

It’s important to follow your doctor’s or nurse’s instructions for any further test or treatment.

If you have any symptoms, such as unusual vaginal bleeding, you should see a doctor straight away rather than waiting for your next Cervical Screening Test. 

HPV is a very common virus that most people will get at some point.

It is transmitted through sexual contact.

HPV usually clears up on its own within 1 to 2 years.

In rare cases, if HPV doesn’t clear up it can cause cells to change.

If left untreated, these cell changes can lead to cervical cancer but this process takes around 10 to 15 years.

For more information please visit: HPV and cervical cancer

Having the HPV vaccine before becoming sexually active protects against the main types of HPV that cause most cervical cancers.

Regular Cervical Screening Tests are still important for people who have had the vaccine. That’s because the vaccine doesn’t protect against all types of HPV.

The HPV vaccine is available for girls and boys aged 12–to 13 through a free school-based program. If you missed getting the HPV vaccine in school, you can catch up for free until you turn 26 by seeing your local doctor, immunisation provider or at some pharmacies.

Find out more about the free HPV vaccination program through the schools-based National HPV Vaccination Program.