You may have seen the recent headlines:

“U.S. Endorses Home Pap-Smear Alternative to Prevent Cervical Cancer” - Wall Street Journal

“Dread Pap Smears? Federal Guidelines Now Allow for a Self-Swab HPV Test” - NBC News

“Health Dept. Endorses Pap Smear Alternative“- New York Times

“A New Endorsement for HPV Self-Tests Marks Another Major Shift in Women’s Health” - Flow Space

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What does this mean?

Cervical cancer screening guidelines, which are written by leading medical institutions, were recently updated. These guidelines inform women and medical providers as to who is recommended to screen and how often.

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Screening guidelines get revised periodically, when research evidence supports an update. You may remember when the guidelines changed from screening every year to every 3-5 years. This was due to the introduction of HPV testing vs Pap smears alone. 

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Below are the recent updates that made headlines:

• December 2025: The American Cancer Society updated their cervical cancer screening guidelines to add self-collection in-clinic and at-home for Primary HPV testing as trusted and accurate alternatives to screening in-clinic with the traditional speculum exam.
• January 2026: The U.S.Department of Health and Human Services followed the American Cancer Society and endorsed self-collection Primary HPV testing in-clinic and at-home. Additionally, they are requiring insurers to cover the cost of self-collection by January 2027.
• January 2026: The ASCCP, which had previously provided follow-up testing guidance for self-collection Primary HPV testing, updated their guidelines to include the Teal Wand.

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Why is this important?

These guideline updates mark the first time in history, since the Pap was introduced in the 1940’s (80+ years ago), that women of average risk for cervical cancer:

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• Have options for how their cervical cancer screening sample is collected. They are no longer required to have a speculum exam for the Primary HPV test, which is the recommended test for cervical cancer screening. 
• Can complete the screening privately from home. 

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Research within the U.S. and globally demonstrates that self-collection has the ability to increase screening rates and decrease cervical cancer cases. It can even be a driver in the efforts to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health concern. This couldn’t have come at a better time as screening rates in the U.S. have been declining for the last decade and more cervical cancer cases are being diagnosed in 30-44 year old women.

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What is self-collection for cervical cancer screening?

First, let's define what cervical cancer screening is. It is a preventive cancer screening, often called the Pap. To screen for cervical cancer, a sample is collected and tested for the presence of HPV (the virus that causes cervical cancer) and/or cervical cell changes (precancer or cancer). Traditionally, this screening has been performed in a clinic with a clinician collecting the sample from the cervix, but now HPV testing can also be accomplished with self-collection. 

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Self-collection means you, the patient, are able to use an FDA-authorized device to collect the sample from your vagina instead of the provider collecting a sample from your cervix using the speculum and brush. It is a much more comfortable and private experience, which can be done at home through Teal Health or in the clinic (if the provider has it available). The self-collected sample is then sent to the lab for HPV testing, just like a clinician-collected sample.

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• Self-collected: Vaginal sample collected by the patient and tested on the same Primary HPV test that the clinic uses. Can be done in-clinic or at-home. An in-clinic speculum exam is not required, unless HPV is detected and follow-up steps are needed, such as a Pap (to look for cell changes on cervix) or a colposcopy.‍
• Clinician-collected: Cervical sample that is collected using the speculum and brush, usually requiring the patient to undress and place feet in stirrups. Must be done in a clinic. This sample can be used for an HPV test and/or a Pap test. If follow-up steps are needed, a colposcopy will be requested.

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What does this mean for Teal Health?

Teal Health, which received the first and only FDA-authorization for their Teal Wand self-collection device for at-home cervical cancer screening is now written into the screening guidelines, giving women more confidence in their decision to complete this critical screening from the comfort and convenience of home. 

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The Teal Wand is a prescription device and therefore a brief 10-minute virtual visit with a Teal provider is required prior to getting the kit shipped to your house. Today, Teal works with most major insurance plans to cover the virtual visit and lab processing fees. There is a cost for the kit today, however Teal is working with insurers to expand coverage.

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Anything else you should know?

Not all of the leading medical institutions have the exact same screening guidance, which can be confusing. They all include self-collection Primary HPV testing as an accurate screening alternative, however the screening ages differ slightly between them:

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• American Cancer Society: Recommends Primary HPV testing for women 25-65 years of age. Last updated December 2025.
• Health Resources and Services Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Recommends Primary HPV testing for women 30-65 years of age. Last updated January 2026.
• U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF): Recommends Pap smears (cytology) for women 21-29 years and Primary HPV testing for 30-65 year olds. Still awaiting a final update from their 2018 guidelines. A draft update is here.

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Ready to screen?

If you are interested in screening at-home, Teal Health follows the American Cancer Society’s screening guidelines, stating 25-65 year olds are eligible. To complete the medical eligibility and order your at-home screening kit, visit this page (takes about 5 minutes).