Debt Instrument Maturity Period. This is the year that all of the Convertible Notes are due.

No definition available.

Name:	holx_DebtInstrumentMaturityPeriod
Namespace Prefix:	holx_
Data Type:	invest:dateStringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount represents the difference between the fair value of the payments made and the carrying amount of the debt at the time of extinguishment. For debt instruments within the scope of the Cash Conversion Subsections of ASC 470, this element represents the difference between the fair value of the liability component of the debt instrument immediately before extinguishment and the sum of the net carrying amount of the liability component and any unamortized debt issuance costs at the time of extinguishment.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	holx_LossOnExtinguishmentOfDebt
Namespace Prefix:	holx_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The net proceeds to the company from the convertible notes offering after direct transaction costs.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	holx_NetProceedsFromConvertibleNotesOffering
Namespace Prefix:	holx_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The principle amount of the original notes that remain outstanding of $1.275 billion immediately after the exchange of the convertible notes in the principal amount of $450.0 million.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	holx_PrincipalAmountOfOriginalNotesRemainedOutstandingAfterConversion
Namespace Prefix:	holx_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The stated principal amount of the debt instrument at time of issuance, which may vary from the carrying amount because of unamortized premium or discount.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher AICPA

-Name Accounting Principles Board Opinion (APB)

-Number 21

-Paragraph 16, 20

-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 835

-SubTopic 30

-Section 45

-Paragraph 2

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6451184&loc=d3e28551-108399

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 835

-SubTopic 30

-Section 55

-Paragraph 8

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6584090&loc=d3e28878-108400

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Interest rate stated in the contractual debt agreement.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Regulation S-X (SX)

-Number 210

-Section 02

-Paragraph 22

-Article 5

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 210

-SubTopic 10

-Section S99

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.22(a)(1))

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateStatedPercentage
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

Convertible Notes (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended			0 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
Convertible Notes (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 25, 2010	Dec. 24, 2011	Sep. 24, 2011	Dec. 10, 2007 Original Convertible Notes [Member]	Dec. 25, 2010 Original Convertible Notes [Member]	Dec. 24, 2011 Original Convertible Notes [Member]	Nov. 18, 2010 Original Convertible Notes [Member]	Nov. 18, 2010 Exchange Convertible Notes [Member]	Nov. 18, 2010 2.00% Convertible Exchange Senior Notes Due 2037 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
The aggregate principal amount of the Convertible Notes		$ 1,725,000,000	$ 1,725,000,000	$ 1,725,000,000			$ 450,000,000	$ 450,000,000
Debt interest rate		2.00%		2.00%				2.00%	2.00%
Debt instrument maturity period				2037					2037
Net proceeds of offering convertible notes				1,690,000,000
Principal amount of the original notes outstanding						1,275,000,000
Loss on extinguishment of debt	$ 29,891,000				$ 29,900,000