Source: Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa
Coming soon to a mailbox near you! Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa has tested mailing out at-home HPV test kits over recent months and is now ready to make it more widely available.
Chief executive Jackie Edmond says we have been trialling an at-home HPV test for some months with people who are eligible for free cervical screening. From today (Monday 21 September), we’re expanding the service, including for people who will need to pay for the service.
“We’ve been working with an Auckland laboratory to offer a new at-home HPV test where people can ask to have the HPV test delivered to their home, or wherever else they get their mail. Since launch in March this year and with no promotion, we’ve mailed out more than 590 at-home HPV tests,” Ms Edmond says.
Initially the at-home HPV test was available only to people who met certain criteria. However, Ms Edmond says Sexual Wellbeing is excited to expand access to the service.
“As the country’s largest single cervical screening organisation, we’re delighted to promote this service more broadly, bringing the opportunity to test close to home for so many people.”
The at-home HPV test is available for most people with a cervix who are eligible for publicly funded healthcare in Aotearoa. The test will be free for people who are eligible for free cervical screening. Otherwise, it will cost $35.
The at-home HPV test is available to people who:
- Are having their first cervical screen, or
- Have had cervical screening before, with normal results, or
- Have tested positive for HPV or abnormal cells before, and have been told they can return to normal screening
For people who have tested positive for HPV or abnormal cells before, and haven’t had a negative test since, it’s best to get a cervical sample instead.
“People now are really confident and competent with these kinds of self-tests – you could think of this as a COVID test for your cervix. The time is right to make it even easier for people to get the test that could save their lives,” Ms Edmond says.