More women are being tested for HPV after the possibility of self-testing at home

During the coronavirus pandemic, women in four regions have been given the opportunity to self-sample HPV since the National Board of Health and Welfare decided temporary regulations to be able to continue cervical cancer screening. Then, research has shown that self-exams are just as safe as those done by a midwife, so the National Board of Health and Social Care Screening software update He explained that regions could offer self-sampling as an alternative. The authority emphasizes, however, that there is still a lack of knowledge about how self-sampling affects participation in the screening programme. But according to a survey by Swedish broadcaster Ekote radio, the offer now appears to be reaching more people.

Skåne was the first in the country to introduce HPV self-testing. There, six percent more women tested themselves for HPV at home, compared to 2019 when the tests were administered at midwives. Ekot . scan shows. Since last fall, self-examination is also the standard way to prevent cervical cancer in the region.

– We can see when we look at the numbers that more people have given tests with self-sampling, says Jessica Bergander, head of the unit in Skåne, in a radio interview.

In Stockholm-Gotland, an increase of 8 percent was observed, as well as in Västra Götaland and Ostriotland, increased interest in sampling.

About 500 women in Sweden develop cervical cancer each year, the vast majority of women due to HPV.

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