HPV test for men: is there one, and what are the options?

There's no routine HPV test for men. CDC says HPV tests are not recommended to screen men, and the HPV tests doctors use are FDA-cleared only for samples from the cervix. Most men who get HPV never know it, and CDC says 9 out of 10 infections go away on their own within two years. Some men are advised to get anal cancer screening, and a few companies sell HPV tests that men can use at home. This is general information, not medical advice.

Key points

• CDC says HPV tests are not recommended to screen men, and there is no test for a person's overall "HPV status."
• CDC's treatment guidelines say HPV tests shouldn't be used for male partners of women with HPV, to diagnose genital warts or as a general STI test.
• A clinician can usually diagnose genital warts by looking at them. See one if you notice warts, unusual growths, lumps or sores.
• Federal guidelines for people with HIV recommend anal cancer screening from 35 for men who have sex with men and transgender women, and from 45 for everyone else with HIV.
• CDC recommends the HPV vaccine through age 26. Some adults 27 to 45 get it after talking with a doctor.
• The at-home HPV tests for men that we found don't say they're FDA-cleared.

What CDC says about HPV tests for men

HPV is the most common STI. CDC says most types cause no health problems, but some cause genital warts and others can cause cancer, including cancer of the penis, the anus and the back of the throat. The types that cause warts don't cause cancer.

CDC's HPV fact sheet says there is no test to find out a person's "HPV status," and no approved test for HPV in the mouth or throat. The HPV tests that exist screen for cervical cancer, and "HPV tests are not recommended to screen men, adolescents, or women under the age of 30 years."

CDC's STI treatment guidelines explain why. HPV tests are FDA-cleared for cervical samples only, not oral or anal ones. No HPV test can tell which infection will clear and which will last, and the guidelines say the tests aren't useful for men of any age. There's also no treatment for the virus itself, only for the problems it can cause, such as warts and precancer.

How men find out they have HPV

Most people with HPV never have symptoms or health problems from it. CDC says some find out when they get genital warts. Others find out only after HPV has caused something more serious, such as cancer, which often takes years or decades to develop.

Genital warts. CDC describes them as a small bump or a group of bumps in the genital area. They can be small or large, raised or flat, or shaped like a cauliflower. A clinician can usually diagnose them by looking. CDC's guidelines call for a biopsy if a lesion looks unusual, and say HPV testing isn't recommended for diagnosing warts because the result doesn't confirm them or change treatment.

Bumps that aren't warts. Some lesions look like warts but don't respond to wart treatment. One that CDC names is condyloma lata, a sign of secondary syphilis, which a blood test can diagnose. Our syphilis test page compares prices for that test.

When to see someone. CDC says to talk to a healthcare provider if you notice warts, unusual growths, lumps or sores in the genital area, mouth or throat.

Anal cancer screening for some men

CDC's 2021 STI guidelines say anal cancer is rare in the general population but much more common in some groups, including men who have sex with men and men with HIV. They found too little evidence to recommend routine screening with anal cytology, a Pap test of the anus. They do say a digital anorectal exam, where a clinician feels for lumps, should be done for people with HIV, and for men without HIV who have sex with men and have had receptive anal sex.

The federal guidelines on infections in people with HIV were updated in July 2024 and reviewed in March 2026. They now recommend starting anal cancer screening:

• at 35 for men who have sex with men and transgender women with HIV
• at 45 for everyone else with HIV

Screening uses anal cytology, alone or together with an HPV test. The guidelines say it should be done only where high-resolution anoscopy is available. That's a magnified exam that finds precancer so it can be treated. They also note that no anal HPV test is FDA-cleared, though many clinical labs offer one. CDC's guidelines add that an HPV test alone isn't useful for anal cancer screening in these groups, because anal HPV is so common in them.

If you have HIV, ask your HIV clinician about anal cancer screening. If you don't have HIV and have receptive anal sex, ask about a digital anorectal exam.

HPV tests sold online for men

We found two US companies whose product pages say men can use their HPV tests. We don't list these tests in our price tables. This is what their own pages say:

• Better Life Science, which sells kits under the STD Hero name, has an HPV test that checks a vaginal or rectal swab for 14 high-risk HPV types and reports types 16 and 18 separately. The page says, "Yes, this HPV test is available for men and women." An oral version uses a mouth rinse. Both pages say the tests aren't permitted for use in New York.
• MicroGenDX sells a Rapid Oral HPV test, a mouth swab checked for HPV types 16, 18 and 52. Asked whether men can use it, the page says it's "gender neutral." It isn't available in New York.

Neither company's product pages say the tests are FDA-cleared. Before you buy one, think about what a result can tell you. CDC says no HPV test can predict which infection will clear, most do clear on their own, and there's no approved test for HPV in the mouth or throat. If you test anyway and the result worries you, a clinician can examine you.

What to do instead

Get vaccinated if you're eligible. CDC recommends the HPV vaccine at 11 or 12, starting as early as 9, and catch-up vaccination through age 26 for anyone not vaccinated. It isn't recommended for everyone older than 26, but some adults 27 to 45 decide to get it after talking with their doctor. CDC says the benefit is smaller at those ages, because more people have already been exposed to HPV. The vaccine won't treat HPV or warts you already have.

Use condoms, and know their limits. CDC says condoms lower the chance of getting HPV, but HPV can infect areas a condom doesn't cover.

If a partner has HPV. Partners tend to share HPV, and CDC's guidelines say it isn't possible to tell who passed it to whom. Having HPV doesn't mean a partner had sex with someone else. If your partner has genital warts, CDC says you don't need an HPV test, but an exam for warts and tests for other STIs might help.

Test for the infections that have recommended tests. Our male STD check-up guide explains which tests CDC recommends for men. These are the cheapest current options we track for a basic panel and a full panel:

How HPV testing differs for women

For people with a cervix, HPV testing is part of cervical cancer screening. CDC says Pap tests start at 21. From 30 to 65, the options are an HPV test alone, an HPV test with a Pap test, or a Pap test alone. After a normal HPV result, a doctor may say the next screening can wait five years.

CDC's guidelines say Pap and HPV tests shouldn't be treated as STI screening tests. The HPV tests on our HPV test page are all sold for women, and our guide to STD testing for women explains how cervical screening fits with STD tests.