The HPV test. Why test now?
The test for HPV was approved by the FDA in 2003. Many gynecologists just started utilizing the test in 2005, as a primary screening tool for detecting high-risk HPV types, that can lead to cervical abnormalities. The test now serves as an adjunct to the papanicolaou test or Pap smear.

HPV testing should continue into your later years. A recent study showed that women over 40 years of age who tested positive for high risk type HPV one or more times, have an absolute risk of developing cervical cancer at the rate of 20% within a ten year period. This gives even more evidence that HPV testing should be used in conjunction with Pap smear.

If you have had sexual contact of any kind at any time in your life, it would be advisable to have the HPV test.