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For the first time ever, the Food and Drug Administration has approved an at-home cervical cancer screening tool
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The device gives women an alternative to pap smears, which are invasive and often painful or traumatic
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Teal Health's wand is a sponge-like tool that can be used to swab the vagina to collect a sample
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instead of inserting a speculum and scraping cells from the cervix, the technique used in traditional pap smears
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Experts say the self-administered test is about as accurate as a pap smear
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Similar vaginal tests were approved last year, but for use only in medical offices
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This new at-home version can be ordered online through the maker, Teal Health
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Patients will then speak with a telehealth provider, collect their sample, and mail it to be tested for HPV, the virus known to cause cervical cancer
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If the test comes back positive for HPV, the patient will then be referred to an in-person doctor
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The first round of tests will be mailed out to patients in California next month before expanding to other states
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There currently is not a set price for the tests listed on the company's website
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but its CEO told the New York Times the company is working with insurers to secure coverage
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and with donors to subsidize costs for uninsured patients. To stay up to date with all the latest health headlines
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