Women across Canada can now test for HPV at home. What to know
Global News
The self-testing kit by Switch Health can be bought online and is available across Canada except for the northern territories and Prince Edward Island.
A new at-home test for the human papillomavirus (HPV) in now available across Canada — at a cost — as doctors urge for better access to cervical cancer screening in the country.
The testing kit by Switch Health can be bought online and is available across the country except for the northern territories and Prince Edward Island.
It costs $99 and screens for high-risk genotypes of HPV, including subtypes HPV 16 and 18 which accounts for 70 per cent of cervical cancer cases, according to company’s website.
“This test taps logistics networks to get to one’s home and back to the lab without someone ever having to leave their home,” said Mary Langley, co-founder of Switch Health, in an interview with Global News.
“I think what sets our kit apart from other tests that are currently used is the technology and the software behind the kit itself and how it’s available across Canada,” she added.
The testing kit includes an instruction manual, specimen label, Rovers Evalyn Brush, alcohol prep pad, biohazard bag and a Purolator return shipping bag.
The test allows anyone who has a cervix to collect a sample of vaginal specimen with a brush before it can be sent for processing by accredited labs.
What’s different about this test is that it does not involve inserting a speculum in the vagina to separate its wall as is done in a doctor’s office — which many women find uncomfortable, said Dr. Nancy Durand, an associate professor in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Toronto.
