I doubt there are any women on this planet that like getting a Cancer Screening Smear Test done. Too many women avoid the PAP Smear Test and are dying because of it. For this reason, New Zealand is now trialing a Do-it-yourself Cancer Screening Smear Test.
Research shows the decline in women not getting tested is a global trend.
This new form of testing is non-intrusive and is aimed at getting more women to have a regular cancer screening smear test. Particularly those that have never had a smear test, or are overdue for a smear test.
The proposed Self-test is relatively simple to do. All you need to do is place the swab sick inside your vagina, swirl it around a couple of times, then place the swab stick back into the sterilized tube it came in, put the tube inside the (provided) plastic bag, and send it off to the lab for testing.
And are twice as likely to develop cervical cancer than Pakeha women.
In January 2019 – The Health Central NZ reported: A study, led by Victoria University of Wellington’s Te Tātai Hauora o Hine Centre for Women’s Health Research, surveyed over 500 Māori women who had not been screened regularly, about whether they would want to do a new Self-test looking for the cancer-causing human papilloma virus (HPV).
‘Three out of four study participants said they would be “likely” or “very likely” to do a Self-test for HPV, with nine out of 10 reporting being “likely” or “very likely” to attend a follow-up if they tested positive’.
The findings from the study have resulted in a randomized funded, controlled trial in Northland, to see whether the offer of the HPV self-test shows an increase of never screened, or under screened women participating in cervical screening.
Anna Adcock from HCNZ has reported the trial has been successful so far, and the offer has been taken up by about 45 percent of eligible women. “This shows women like doing their own test”… Learn more.
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If your HPV test is positive, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have cervical cancer, it just means further testing would need to be done.
The Ministry of Health NZ is funding further research about the acceptability and feasibility of self-sampling in New Zealand and is also investigating the effectiveness of different self-sampling devices and… Learn more.
The Ministry of Health NZ also says a date for a full transition to HPV primary screening is still to be decided. However, they are working towards commencing from 2021.
Trials for Do-it-yourself Cancer Screening Smear Test…
In other Countries
London, Denmark, Hong Kong have also got similar trials underway.
Malaysia is past the trial stage and is already offering Do-it-yourself at home smear testing to women – Learn more.
Australia is also past the trial stage, but only offers the Do-it-yourself smear test to some women – You can see if you fit the criteria here.
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Urine Tests May Soon be Replacing the Embarrassing PAP Smear Test – due to promising data by researchers in the UK.
Article brought to you by Ms Tight (June 2019)
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“(DISCLAIMER: I am not a health care professional, the information in this article is based on my own personal experience of living with vaginismus, vaginal atrophy (including menopause issues), and what I have learned along the way. Some articles on this website will include other womanly issues that I feel women need to know about. If you have any concerns about your health, it is best for you to seek advice from a health care professional – Full disclaimer)“.