A new self-made test for HPV — the virus that causes most cases of cervical cancer — is moving into doctor’s offices, and in the future could be available for home use.
In the test, which The New York Times Expected to be available this fall, a patient can swab her own vagina to obtain a tissue sample while in her gynecologist’s office.
The swab is similar to those used for nasal testing for COVID 19, the media said.
The New York Times he pointed out that the new procedure is just as effective as the current standard, the Pap test, which is performed by a gynecologist – and which many women struggle with, either physically or emotionally.
Picture of a gynecological office.
Getty
PA apologizes for calling IUD insertion “spasmodic” after having her own procedure “turn away from the table” in pain (Exclusive)
In a Pap test, the 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, this “can be uncomfortable. You may experience slight bleeding afterwards, but you should not experience any pain or cramping.”
However, this is not the case for everyone: “I almost passed out from the pain,” writer Emma Szewczak wrote in Vogue UK.
And “when asked to rate the discomfort, distress, or anxiety they might feel about having a pelvic exam on a scale of 0 to 10, women with a history of sexual assault were almost twice as likely to report high (22% vs. 11.4%) or moderate (22.4% vs. 13.7%) levels of distress, compared to women with no history of sexual assault,” noted one study, published in the National Library of Medicine.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/self-administered-pap-smear-2-082224-dfd645b24e244884aeb63df73bd28ec6.jpg)
Picture of a woman talking to her doctor.
Getty
LeAnn Rimes reveals that she had surgery to remove precancerous cells
Until now, the Pap test was the only way to effectively test for HPV—and as the Mayo Clinic noted, “Most cervical cancers are caused by HPV.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
It is a “common sexually transmitted virus” and while “for most people the virus never causes problems,” for some “the virus can cause changes in cells that can lead to cancer,” according to the organization.
It can also cause cancer of the anus, e.g Desperate Housewives alum Marcia Cross shared in an effort to raise awareness about the virus.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education