The Quick Read
- Self-collect refers to the ability to collect one’s own sample to be tested for HPV as a cervical cancer screening.
- Self-collection is endorsed by leading US medical organizations including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP), and the American Cancer Society (ACS).
- Self-collection for cervical cancer is a critical strategy to increase screening as part of the World Health Organization’s global initiative to eliminate cervical cancer and significantly reduces barriers to screening such as access to care and fear or discomfort of the speculum exam.
At Teal Health, we’ve developed an at-home self-collection option – using the Teal WandTM – for cervical cancer screening. While at-home self-collection for cervical cancer has been practiced around the world for decades, the Teal Wand was the first to present an FDA-authorized option in the United States as of 2025. Let’s take a look at exactly what self-collect means, and how it is being used worldwide.
In short, self-collect refers to the ability to collect one’s own sample to be analyzed for certain diseases and infections. To put that into context for cervical cancer screening, consider the in-clinic process. Getting screened for cervical cancer includes going to your medical provider for a pelvic exam. You first undress, put a robe on, and lie with your feet in stirrups. Your provider then accesses your cervix by using a speculum to hold the vaginal walls open. Next, they insert a brush and collect a sample from your cervix. With self-collection, the most uncomfortable aspects of the test — going to a doctor’s office and use of the speculum — are no longer needed.
Here’s how that same exam looks with the Teal Wand: If you are eligible to self-collect at home, your doctor or a Teal provider will prescribe your test (based on the most up-to-date cervical cancer screening guidelines), and everything you need to collect and mail your sample will arrive in the mail. Using the Wand you will self-collect a sample for primary HPV testing. Primary HPV testing is the recommended test for cervical cancer screening and the most sensitive test for HPV, the virus that causes almost all cervical cancer cases. To screen, you’ll insert the Teal Wand, which resembles a tampon, into your vagina and collect your sample within a few minutes. There is a soft sponge on the tip of the Teal Wand that collects your sample. Once you’ve collected, you’ll follow instructions to prepare the sample for mailing (remove and seal the sponge into the provided vial and mailer packages), and drop the package into a USPS mailbox to be sent to the lab for testing. You’ll then be notified once your results are available to view in your Teal account. The test takes less than five minutes and can be done in your own home — no stirrups, no speculum in sight.
Self-collect isn’t as uncommon as you may think
If you’re wondering if self-collect is currently available in healthcare, look no further than the pandemic. We became all too familiar with swabbing our noses and throats to test for the COVID-19 virus. Other self-collection devices may use a lancet and finger prick to obtain a small blood sample. Still others may require patients to send in a stool sample (like the Cologuard). Any kit you obtain to test at home - your hormones, ancestry, food sensitivities, allergies, STIs, or fertility, is a form of self-collect. It’s important to note, however, that not all of these self-collect devices are rigorously tested and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and therefore not used for medical decision-making, so be sure to check before you rely on one for important test results.
Self-collect as part of the global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer
In some countries, self-collection for cervical cancer has long been a reality, not to mention a critical strategy toward the World Health Organization’s global initiative to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health threat. This initiative was the first time all Member States adopted a resolution to eliminate a disease with long term health consequences (like cancer), and demonstrates the global community’s acknowledgment that with the right strategies — like self-collect — we can eliminate cervical cancer as a public health concern. Australia has vowed to become the first country in the world to eliminate cervical cancer, by 2035. Canada and England have pledged to do the same by 2040. Self-collection is a critical component of cervical cancer elimination worldwide, especially because it reduces barriers to screening, such as access to care and fear or discomfort of the speculum exam. We are proud to be leading the efforts toward elimination here in the United States.
