A new self-administered test for HPV — the virus that causes most cases of cervical cancer — is rolling out to doctor’s offices, and may be available for at-home use in the future.
In the test, which The New York Times said is expected to be available this fall, a patient can swab the inside of their vagina themselves to collect a tissue sample while at their gynecologist’s office.
The swab, the outlet said, is similar to those used to nasally test for COVID 19.
The New York Times noted that the new procedure is as effective as the current standard, a pap smear, which is done by a gynecologist — and which many women struggle with, either physically or emotionally.
Stock image of a gynecological office.
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In a pap smear, a gynecologist uses a speculum to open the walls of the vagina, and then uses an instrument to collect cells from the cervix.
As the Mayo Clinic notes, it “may feel uncomfortable. You could experience light bleeding afterward, but you shouldn’t feel pain or cramping.”
However, that’s not the case for everyone: “I nearly passed out from the pain,” writer Emma Szewczak shared in Vogue UK.
And “when asked to rate the discomfort, distress or anxiety they might feel about having a pelvic examination on a 0–10 scale, women with a history of sexual assault were nearly twice as likely to report high (22% vs. 11.4%) or moderate (22.4% vs. 13.7%) levels of distress, compared to women without a history of sexual assault,” one study, published in the National Library of Medicine, highlighted.
Stock image of a woman talking to her doctor.
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Until now, the pap smear was the only way to effectively test for HPV — and as the Mayo Clinic noted, “Most cervical cancers are caused by HPV.”
It’s “a common virus that’s passed through sexual contact,” and although for “most people, the virus never causes problems,” for some, “the virus can cause changes in the cells that may lead to cancer,” according to the organization.
It can also cause anal cancer, as Desperate Housewives alum Marcia Cross shared in an effort to raise awareness about the virus.
