Great News for People Who Hate Getting Pap Smears
Ever since I started going to the OB/GYN regularly in my early 20s, getting a pap smear has been a uniquely miserable part of the experience. I stare at the ceiling, my legs up in stirrups, while my kind doctor attempts to insert the speculum as gently as possible and I try not to squirm. Once the speculum is in, I take deep breaths as she scrapes my cervix, my eyes inevitably welling up with tears. I know testing for cervical cancer this way can be life-saving, and yet I hate the process.
But now there is an alternative: On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first-ever at-home cervical-cancer screening tool. (Last year, the agency approved similar tests for use in medical offices.) The new device, called the Teal Wand, allows patients to swab their vagina to collect a sample, which they then mail to a lab to be tested for human papillomavirus (HPV). After the sample is processed, patients can schedule a follow-up telehealth visit with one of manufacturer Teal Health’s providers to discuss their results. If the results are abnormal, patients will be referred to a local health provider.
Regular screenings and the HPV vaccine have made cervical cancer a highly preventable disease. However, research has found that the number of people getting screened has dropped in the past two decades, and nearly half of cervical-cancer patients in the U.S. weren’t screened in the five years prior to receiving the diagnosis, according to the American Cancer Society.
Experts say that self-testing at home is just as accurate as getting a pap smear. And Teal Health’s at-home device could help not only people who struggle with pap smears, but also patients living in reproductive-health-care deserts — women in rural areas are 42 percent more likely to die from cervical cancer than those living in cities — or those who have trouble finding time for an in-person doctor’s appointment.
“As a mom and a woman, I get how easy it is to put your own health last,” Kara Egan, Teal Health’s CEO, said in a statement to the Cut. “That’s why this FDA approval means so much; it’s not just about an innovative new product, it’s about finally giving women an option that makes sense for their lives — something that can be done quickly and comfortably at home. Because when we make care easier to get, we help women stay healthy, for themselves and for the people who rely on them every day.”
Teal Health says it will begin shipping the device in June to California residents before expanding nationwide. Though the exact cost of the test has yet to be announced, the Teal Wand will be covered by Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, and United Healthcare in California. The company is currently working with other insurance companies to cover the cost of the device and telehealth services in other states as well.