FDA approves at-home HPV test to screen for cervical cancer

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the first at-home test to screen for cervical cancer, Teal Health, which makes the test kit, said.

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the first at-home test to screen for cervical cancer, Teal Health, which makes the test kit, said.

Currently, cervical cancer screening is done in a doctor’s office during a pelvic exam, a process some women find uncomfortable and even painful.

Some patients don’t get screened for cervical cancer because they don’t want a pelvic exam, said Dr. Emeline Aviki, a gynecologic-oncologist at NYU Langone Health.

“It’s not a fun exam and it’s the easiest thing to cancel,” said Aviki, who worked on some of the early studies to validate the new test.

The Teal Wand from Teal Health.Nicole Morrison / Teal HealthCervical cancer is considered highly preventable, thanks to screenings and the HPV vaccine. Rates of the disease have plummeted since the 1970s, according to a 2025 report from the American Cancer Society, though they have begun to level off in recent years. The report estimated that this year, 13,360 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer and about 4,320 women will die.