The Department of Health and Human Services announced updated cervical cancer screening guidelines on Monday, allowing American women to perform tests for human papillomavirus at home for the first time.
The recommendations allow women between the ages of 30 and 65 with an average risk for cervical cancer to test themselves for the virus, also known as HPV, which is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S. and causes deadly cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer kills more than 4,000 women each year and was expected to result in 4,320 deaths in 2025, according to the American Cancer Society.
“These updates represent a significant step forward in cervical cancer screening and will improve screening rates and save lives,” Health Resources and Services Administration Administrator Tom Engels said in a Monday statement announcing the update.
“By expanding screening options and removing cost barriers, we’re helping more women take an active role in protecting their health and their future.”
The prescribed at-home test is conducted using a vaginal swab and mailed to a company that processes the results. Traditional Pap smear tests conducted by doctors will still be available.
The guidelines recommend that women between the ages of 30 and 65 screen for HPV every five years, either at home or with a clinician. Women between the ages of 21 and 29 years old are still recommended to get a Pap smear every three years.
The guidelines also include new language that requires most insurance plans to cover any additional testing to complete the screening process. Insurers are required to begin coverage starting January 1, 2027.
“These additional steps demonstrate the Trump administration’s strong commitment to advancing women’s health and preventing chronic illnesses, including cancer,” department leaders wrote in a JAMA article.
The at-home tests are not yet available, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved two self-swab tests from the med-tech company Becton, Dickinson and Company and the pharmaceutical company Roche Holding AG for use within a clinical setting earlier in the week.
Last year, the agency approved the first at-home screening tool to detect cervical cancer.
The guidance builds on previous research showing that HPV tests can increase the detection of abnormal cells in the cervix compared to Pap smears.
It follows updated guidelines from the American Cancer Society released in December, which differ slightly on screening ages and endorsed taking at-home HPV tests every three years for women between the ages of 25 and 65 years old.
The American Cancer Society’s chief screening expert, Dr. Robert Smith, said in statements shared with The Independent that he considered attention to cervical cancer guidelines a step forward for women.
The aim is to address falling screening rates and rising rates of cervical cancer and cervical cancer deaths, he said.
“Cervical cancer is a highly preventable disease,” said Smith. “Yet, despite all the progress we’ve made in the U.S. reducing the incidence and mortality from cervical cancer mainly through screening, recent reports indicate that up‐to‐date cervical cancer screening rates have declined since 2021 and, notably, have not rebounded in the post pandemic period.”
Cervical cancer, which is one of the most preventable cancers and largely caused by HPV infection, often has no symptoms, making regular and early screening critical.
About 13,000 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. each year and some one in four American women are not up to date on their screening, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Rates of cervical cancer have been rising among women in their 30s and 40s: many of whom weren’t eligible for HPV vaccines when they were first released in 2006.
While there’s no cure for HPV, there are surgical options and medication available to treat infection. Only about one percent of people with HPV develop long-term infection and even fewer develop cervical cancer.
