In a historic move, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first-ever at-home self-collection device for cervical cancer screening. Called the Teal Wand, this tampon-like tool allows users to collect a vaginal sample in the privacy of their homes—no stirrups, no appointments, and no waiting room anxiety required.
Here’s how it works: users swab themselves with the device and send the sample to Teal Health, the company behind the innovation, for testing. Labs then look for the human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus responsible for nearly all cervical cancer cases. If the virus is detected, the person is guided toward follow-up care via telehealth. The wand will begin its rollout in California this June before expanding nationwide.
“I think it’s very exciting,” says Barbara Goff, a gynecologic oncologist at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle. “It expands cervical cancer screening to more women, which is good. And it makes [screening] more comfortable, which is also good.”
Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers if caught early. Yet in 2025, researchers estimate that over 13,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with it, and more than 4,000 will lose their lives. National screening rates are falling, especially among Black, Hispanic, and rural populations.
That drop in screening has real consequences. Cervical cancer rates are rising in some rural counties, according to cancer epidemiologist Trisha Amboree from the Medical University of South Carolina. In her recent study, women in low-income rural areas saw a rise in cervical cancer diagnoses—and more troublingly, a rise in late-stage diagnoses, when survival becomes far less likely.
“Many people just find going to the gynecologist uncomfortable or embarrassing, so they avoid cervical cancer screening,” says Goff. Others face bigger barriers: no nearby doctors, trouble getting time off work, or no childcare during appointments. “Cervical cancer screening isn’t always at the top of people’s priority list,” Amboree adds.
That’s why a simple, at-home option could be a game changer. The Teal Wand could help close the gap, making regular screening more accessible, especially in underserved communities. And it adds to the cancer-prevention toolkit that already includes the powerful HPV vaccine, Gardasil-9, and Pap smears to catch abnormal cells before they turn dangerous.
Still, experts are waiting to see how the public responds. “Is this something that women are interested in doing?” Amboree asks. The hope is that the convenience and privacy will drive more people to take that first critical step in protecting their health.
Amboree says she wishes she could scream from the mountaintops about the importance of taking steps like these to prevent the disease. “Because, for the most part, cervical cancer is very preventable.”
To read more about the disparities in cervical cancer incidences, refer to this paper published in the JAMA Network Open.
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