US women prefer clinic to at-home screening for cervical cancer

At-home cervical cancer screening kits were FDA-approved in May of 2025. – Image credit Teal Health

CANCER DIGEST – Feb. 7, 2026 – Most American women prefer to have their cervical cancer screening done by a professional in a doctor’s office despite the availability of newly FDA-approved at-home screening kits, a new study shows.

The FDA approved at-home cervical cancer screening kits in May 2025. To do the at-home screening, women order a kit online. The kit provides a wand and swab with instructions for collecting the vaginal sample. The sample is then mailed back to a lab, with results typically available in 4-6 weeks.

The study used a survey from the 2024 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) to obtain a cross-sectional representation of US adults in the general population. The study included all women aged 21-65 who completed the survey and were eligible for cervical cancer screening in line with US Preventive Services Task Force guidelines.

Conducted by researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center, led by Sanjay Shete, PhD, deputy division head of the Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences, the results were published in the Feb. 6, 2026 JAMA Network Open journal.

“Home-based self-sampling has the potential to remove many of the barriers women face when it comes to cervical cancer screening,” lead author Shete said in a press release. “By expanding screening options and pairing them with targeted education, we can empower more women to participate in screening in a way that fits their lives.”

At least that was the hope when the self-screening kits became available, however the survey revealed that of the 2,300 women surveyed, just 20.4 percent said they prefer to screen for cervical cancer at home, and 18.8 percent were unsure about their choice.

Black women were less likely to prefer at-home screening versus clinic-based screening compared to white women. On the other hand, among women who were overdue for such screening, or had experienced prejudice or discrimination when getting medical care, or were concerned about privacy, 54 percent preferred at-home self-sampling. 

Among women with scheduling or other time constraints 35.1 percent preferred home screening, and 33.4 percent of women who wanted to avoid embarrassment preferred the self-sampling at-home kit.

Both the Health Resources and Services Administration and the American Cancer Society have adopted the home-based self-collection for cervical cancer screening, but awareness of the kits, which have only been available a little less than a year, and acceptance of the test may take more time.

"By expanding screening options and pairing them with targeted education, we can empower more women to participate in screening in a way that fits their lives," Shete said.

Sources: MD Anderson Cancer Center press release