Cervical cancer screenings... without the speculum?
Doctors have long recommended regular cervical cancer screenings. Traditionally doctors perform these exams using a speculum, which often say is uncomfortable and, for many, quite painful.
Some recent developments could make a large number of these screenings easier.
In early January, the Health Resources and Services Administration, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, updated its guidelines to say that self-administered tests are an acceptable way to screen for human papillomavirus. HPV is a sexually-transmitted disease that causes the majority of cervical cancer cases.
OB-GYNs are hopeful that at-home testing will make cervical cancer screenings easier to access…. and significantly more comfortable.
Guests:
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- Dr. Linda Eckert, professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Washington School of Medicine
Related links:
- New Guidelines Endorse Self-Swab Alternative to Pap Smear for Cervical Cancer Testing - The New York Times
- Cervical Cancer Risk Factors | Cervical Cancer | CDC
- The FDA has approved an at-home HPV test. What you need to know : NPR
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Libby Denkmann
Host, Soundside
Libby Denkmann joined KUOW in December 2021 as the host of the midday show Soundside. She’s a native Pacific Northwesterner who grew up in Redmond, graduated from the University of Washington, and covered local news as a producer and reporter with KIRO Radio.
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Maleeha Syed
Producer, Soundside
Maleeha is a producer on Soundside, a show that helps listeners get to know the PNW and each other. Before KUOW, she worked at Cascade PBS, first as a communities reporter and then as a podcast producer on shows like Northwest Reports and Your Last Meal. Before moving to Seattle, she worked as a reporter at the Burlington Free Press in Vermont, but is originally from San Antonio.
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