The FDA recently approved a tool for at-home HPV tests that could help some patients who can’t get to a clinician or struggle with Pap smears.
Many women dread getting their regular Pap smears. The procedure, which involves scraping cells from the cervix to check for HPV and cancer, is often uncomfortable for patients.
But a new at-home exam may offer another option for cervical cancer screening for patients who struggle getting Pap tests. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a vaginal test made by Teal Health that allows patients to collect samples at home that can then be tested for human papillomavirus, which causes most cases of cervical cancer.
“It’s the kind of thing…