Menstrual blood test could offer alternative to cervical screening

A BMJ study of 3,068 women in Hubei, China found a sanitary-pad blood strip can detect HPV and showed 94.7% sensitivity for detecting CIN2, comparable to clinician-collected samples; experts say the approach is promising but still at an early research stage.

A study published in the BMJ reports that a menstrual blood sample collected on a sanitary pad with a blood-strip can detect human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes most cervical cancer. Researchers enrolled 3,068 women in Hubei, China, aged 20 to 54, between 2021 and 2025. Each participant provided a menstrual pad strip sample, a clinician-collected cervical sample, and an additional sample for laboratory processing. The study compared the diagnostic accuracy of these samples for detecting cervical cell abnormalities (CIN2 and CIN3). Key findings: - The study included 3,068 women in Hubei, China, enrolled from 2021 to 2025. - Menstrual pad strip samples showed 94.7% sensitivity for detecting CIN2, compared with 92.1% for clinician-collected samples. - The pad method performed less well on specificity, but the probability of a true negative result was reported as identical between the two collection methods, and referrals for further tests were comparable. - The testing method uses a regular sanitary pad with a blood sample strip and could be used at home for HPV detection. - Commentators and charities welcomed the research as a potentially gentler option, while noting it would not suit everyone (for example, menopausal people) and that clinical use remains under study. Summary: The study suggests menstrual blood sampling may provide a non-invasive way to test for HPV with sensitivity similar to clinician-collected samples for CIN2, based on more than 3,000 participants. Experts and charities described the findings as encouraging but early-stage; larger and more diverse trials and further assessment of how the method would fit into screening pathways are undetermined at this time.