| Pap smears can be uncomfortable and even deeply upsetting for people who have experienced sexual or medical trauma. The procedure involves doctors collecting a sample of cells from the cervix and is important for detecting early signs of cervical cancer. Now, a new approach is becoming available: You can get tested for HPV, which causes cervical cancer. New American Cancer Society recommendations say patients can safely swab their own vaginas to collect samples for the test, which means they can avoid an invasive pelvic exam. However, the new approach is not yet widely available. Here's what you need to know.
🩺The immune system fights off HPV similarly to how it fights off a cold. But if your body can't do that, your risk of cervical cancer increases. Testing for high-cancer-risk strains of HPV identifies people who could develop cancer.
🩺 HPV testing detects 90% to 95% of pre-cancerous abnormalities, while pap smears only detect about 70% to 80% of pre-cancers, according to Dr. Rebecca Perkins, an OB/GYN at Tufts University.
🩺 In May of 2025, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first at-home HPV testing kit. It can only be used through a telehealth company called Teal Health, and your primary care doctor can't order it for you. | 
