HPV Testing (No Blood Draw) | No Doctor's Referral | Epicentre
PCR test · No blood draw

HPV testing. Two ways to know

A quick presence-or-not screen, or a comprehensive 28-strain panel that identifies exactly which HPV types you have. No doctor's referral. Results in 5 to 7 working days.

No doctor's referral 100% confidential LGBTQIA+ inclusive Student discount
See packages ↓ How it works
Free delivery within 10km of branches · R300 nationwide · Visa, Mastercard, Instant EFT, Payflex
The two Epicentre home sampling kits: a brown box with a pink label for vaginal sampling, and one with a blue label for penile sampling
From
R890 to R1,925
payflex Comprehensive from R481 × 4 interest-free
2 options
Screen or full panel
28 strains
In Comprehensive
For anyone with cervical, anal, penile, oral or throat tissue. HPV affects everyone regardless of gender. The test uses anatomy-appropriate sampling and we don't ask intrusive questions about identity or practices.
Pick your test

A quick screen, or a full strain map

Both tests use the same home kit, a swab and a urine sample you collect yourself, and the same PCR lab test. The difference is how much information you get back.

HPV Screening

A quick yes-or-no answer: do you currently have HPV?

R890

Presence detection
  • Detects whether HPV is present
  • Does not identify which strains
  • Suitable for routine screening
  • Same 5 to 7 working day turnaround
Recommended

Comprehensive HPV

Identifies exactly which of 28 high and low-risk strains you have.

R1,925

or R481 × 4 with Payflex

28 strains identified
  • 19 high-risk strains identified individually
  • 9 low-risk (genital wart) strains
  • Best choice after an abnormal smear
  • Informs follow-up monitoring decisions
Inside the Comprehensive panel

28 strains in two clinical groups

Not all HPV strains carry the same risk. The Comprehensive panel sorts your result into actionable categories.

High-risk strains 19

Linked to cervical, anal, penile, oral and throat cancers. Persistent infection significantly raises cancer risk, but most clear on their own within two years. A positive result means closer monitoring, not a cancer diagnosis.

HPV-16 HPV-18 HPV-26 HPV-31 HPV-33 HPV-35 HPV-39 HPV-45 HPV-51 HPV-52 HPV-53 HPV-56 HPV-58 HPV-59 HPV-66 HPV-68 HPV-69 HPV-73 HPV-82

Low-risk strains 9

Cause genital warts and mild cell changes. Not cancer-causing in most cases, but identification helps target treatment for visible warts and clarifies what you're dealing with.

HPV-6 HPV-11 HPV-40 HPV-42 HPV-43 HPV-44 HPV-54 HPV-61 HPV-70

What arrives at your door

Your HPV test comes in our home sampling kit, with the return courier included. The kit comes in two versions: a pink label for vaginal sampling and a blue label for penile sampling. After you order, we call to check which one to send.

The two Epicentre home sampling kits side by side: a brown box with a pink label and one with a blue label
Same test, same price, whichever kit you get. We confirm the right one with you by phone.
  • A sterile swab, a urine container and seal strips from the Epicentre home sampling kitSwab, urine pot and seal stripsThe seal strips wrap the lid so nothing leaks on the way back.
  • The sealed specimen bag and instruction card inside an Epicentre home sampling kitSpecimen bag and instructionsStep-by-step instructions with pictures, and a sealed bag for the return trip.
  • An opened Epicentre home sampling kit with everything packed insideEverything in one boxCollect your sample at home, in private. No blood draw.
  • Opening the lid of an Epicentre home sampling kit, with the results timeline printed insideResults in 5 to 7 working daysEmailed to you privately once the lab has tested your sample.
  • Delivered to your doorFree delivery and return courier within 10km of our branches in Observatory (Cape Town), Hillcrest (Durban) and Parktown North (Johannesburg), in 1 to 2 business days. R300 anywhere else in South Africa, return pickup included, in 2 to 4 business days.
  • Collect from a pickup pointPick up your kit at a partner practice or pharmacy in Cape Town, Stellenbosch or Durban, then take your sample at home. See all collection points.
  • Collect from a branchPick up your kit at our Observatory, Hillcrest or Parktown North branch, then take your sample at home.

Private from start to finish. The kit arrives in a plain Courier Guy bag. Want a plain box with no label as well? Tick “Plain box, no label” at checkout. Your bank statement shows only “Epicentre”.

How it works

Three steps. No GP needed.

Order online, take your sample at home, and we collect it from you.

1

Choose screening or comprehensive

Add the option you want to your basket above. Pay by card, Instant EFT or Payflex.

2

Self-collect your sample

A swab and a urine sample, collected at home in about five minutes. No blood draw. See how

3

Get results in 5 to 7 working days

Emailed to you privately, encrypted, as a plain-language report you can share with your doctor.

How to take your sample

It takes about five minutes. Do the swab in your kit, then the urine sample. The instruction sheet in your box shows every step with pictures.

Before you start: don’t pee for at least 1 hour before you collect, and wash your hands before and after.

Pink kit

The vaginal swab

  1. Take the swab out of its tube. Don’t touch the soft tip.
  2. Insert the swab into your vagina.
  3. Gently rotate it clockwise for 10 to 30 seconds.
  4. Put it back in the tube and close the lid firmly. Wash your hands.
Blue kit

The urethral swab

  1. Take the swab out of its tube. Don’t touch the soft tip.
  2. Insert the swab 2 to 4 cm into the urethra, the opening at the tip of the penis.
  3. Gently rotate it clockwise for 2 to 3 seconds.
  4. Put it back in the tube and close the lid firmly. Wash your hands.
Both kits

The urine sample

  1. Wash your hands and open the jar, ideally next to the toilet.
  2. Clean yourself with toilet paper. If you have a vulva, wipe from front to back.
  3. Start peeing into the toilet, then fill the jar halfway from the middle of the stream.
  4. Close the lid firmly, then stretch the seal strip tightly around the lid so it can’t leak.

Sending it back

  1. Sign the formRead the information sheet, sign the consent form and put it back in the box.
  2. Pack your samplePut the swab and the jar in the zip-lock bag, and the bag in the box.
  3. Send us a photoWhatsApp a photo of the open box to 072 843 7564. We’ll check everything is there.
  4. Seal it and we’ll collectSeal the box with the sticker. We book The Courier Guy to collect it from you, and you can track it online.

HPV testing for everyone, not just cervical screening

Anatomy-based, gender-affirming, judgement-free. Built that way from day one.

For LGBTQIA+ patients

Who HPV testing is actually for

  • Men who have sex with men (MSM), especially anyone with HIV. Anal HPV rates are significantly higher in MSM populations and the SA public health system doesn't routinely screen for it. This panel does.
  • Trans men with a cervix, who often fall through cervical screening cracks because programmes are gendered "women's health". HPV doesn't care what gender marker is on your ID.
  • Trans women with a penis, particularly relevant given rising penile HPV awareness and the link to throat and anal cancers.
  • Anonymous testing is always an option. Walk in, no name, no ID. Particularly relevant if you don't want a paper trail tied to your identity.
  • Pronouns respected, no intrusive questions. Tell us once and that's how we'll address you, in person, in results, in follow-up. We ask only what's clinically relevant.
  • Onward referrals go to clinicians in our LGBTQIA+ friendly network. If a positive result needs colposcopy or anal screening follow-up, we won't send you to someone who'll make you uncomfortable.

Where to collect your kit

Prefer not to have it delivered? Choose Pick up at checkout and pick a location. Take your sample at home, then we collect it from you, just as with a delivered kit.

  • All kits Epicentre branches, including gut health kits
  • Sexual health kits Partner practices and pharmacies: sexual health, HPV, UTI and BV kits

Cape Town

Stellenbosch

Durban

Johannesburg

Partner practices and pharmacies keep their own opening hours, so check with them before you go. Gut health kits are only at our branches or by courier.

25
Years serving
South Africans
100k+
Confidential tests
completed
4.5★
3 branches
Google rating
SANAS
Accredited lab,
GCP & GCLP certified
Common questions

Quick answers

Tap a question to expand.

If you want a quick yes-or-no answer about whether HPV is present, the Screening Package is enough. If you've had an abnormal smear, are over 30, or want to know specifically which high-risk strains are present so you can plan follow-up monitoring, the Comprehensive Package gives you that detail.
Yes. HPV affects anyone with cervical, anal, penile, oral or throat tissue. While cervical cancer screening is the most established clinical use, HPV is also linked to anal, penile and oropharyngeal cancers. Anyone with a relevant exposure site can benefit from testing, particularly MSM populations where anal HPV rates are significantly higher.
The vaccine protects against the most common high-risk strains but not all of them. If you were vaccinated after sexual debut, were exposed before vaccination, or want to confirm your strain status, testing is still useful. The Comprehensive panel will identify exactly which strains you have, including any not covered by your vaccine.
We refer you to a clinician in our network for follow-up. For high-risk strain positives this typically means cervical screening or colposcopy, or anal screening if relevant. For low-risk strain positives causing warts, treatment is usually straightforward. Most HPV infections clear on their own within two years, so a positive result is rarely an emergency.
Yes. We post the kit to you, you collect a swab and a urine sample at home, then WhatsApp us a photo of the packed box and we book the courier to collect it. Delivery and the return courier are free within 10km of our Observatory, Hillcrest and Parktown North branches, and R300 anywhere else in South Africa.
The kit comes in two versions: a pink label with a vaginal swab, and a blue label with a urethral swab. After you order, we call to check which one suits your body. The test and the price are the same either way.
No. The kit arrives in a plain Courier Guy bag, and you can tick “Plain box, no label” at checkout for an unmarked box as well. Your bank statement shows only “Epicentre”. Your results are emailed to you, encrypted.
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Reviewed by the Epicentre clinical team. SANAS-accredited lab, GCP and GCLP certified. Founded 2001.
Last reviewed: October 2026

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R1,925 Comprehensive · 28 strains