The Food and Drug Administration approved the Teal Wand, the first at-home cervical cancer screening test, allowing women to collect samples with a vaginal swab and mail them to a lab for testing. Cervical cancer is highly preventable, but the American Cancer Society states that nearly half of patients were not up-to-date on screenings before diagnosis.
Teal Health plans to start shipping the Teal Wand to California residents aged 25 to 65 in June 2025, aiming for nationwide availability soon after.
The at-home test could improve screening access, especially for women in rural areas, where cervical cancer diagnosis and mortality rates are higher, according to recent research from JAMA Network Open.