Sex+health

There's a new way to screen for cervical cancer with self-collection. People can take a sample of cells from their own vagina to test for HPV. The FDA recently approved this for use in providers offices. There's no pelvic exam stirrups or speculum involved. Research has shown that the results are just as accurate as when samples are collected by a clinician. Self-collection has the potential to expand testing to other healthcare settings and reach underscreened populations. In this episode, we speak to Jennifer S. Smith, PhD, who has been involved in the research around HPV for decades to explain this new method to us, and how it might help us reach the goal of eliminating cervical cancer.