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I used a home screening kit for cervical cancer and this was how it went

As a health writer and mother of two children, I am aware of the importance of regular cervical cancer screening even when there are no symptoms. I am above 30 years old, the recommended age for screening, and have had sexual intercourse, which is the most common route of transmission for the human papillomavirus (HPV).

The contents of a HPV screening kit to be used at home. Samples collected at home and analysed in a laboratory are to check for cervical cancer.

The contents of a HPV screening kit to be used at home. Samples collected at home and analysed in a laboratory are to check for cervical cancer.

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As a health writer and mother of two children, I am aware of the importance of regular cervical cancer screening even when there are no symptoms.

I am above 30 years old, the recommended age for screening, and have had sexual intercourse, which is the most common route of transmission for the human papillomavirus (HPV).

More than two-thirds of cervical cancer are caused by high-risk HPV strains, HPV 16 and 18.

Anyone who is sexually active can get HPV, even if you have had sex with only one person, the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated.

Since the birth of my first child, I have been keeping up with my screening schedule, which is usually carried out by my gynaecologist. My last HPV screening test was completed late last year and my next screening test is not due for at least three years.

However, I decided to try a complimentary at-home HPV screening kit provided by Ferne Health so that I can compare it with my in-clinic experience.

Ferne Health is a newly launched online platform that offers home-based screening kits for common sexually transmitted diseases, cervical cancer and other women-related infections.

GETTING STARTED

The HPV kit from Ferne Health costs S$200. It uses an at-home cervical DNA swab sampling method that looks for various high-risk HPV strains.

To order the kit from Ferne Health’s website is simple: You choose what you want, pay for it online and fill in your contact details so that it can be delivered to you.

As I missed the first delivery, done just a day after I made my online order, I received the kit three days later.

It was delivered to my home in a discreet brown box containing a consumer information form, a specimen bag, instructions leaflet and an at-home sampling tool called the Evalyn Brush.

Ferne Health told TODAY that all self-sampling tools used in its kits, including the Evalyn Brush, are registered with the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and imported by HSA-authorised vendors.

Measuring around 20cm in length, the Evalyn Brush is a sterile device that consists of a white fine-bristled brush to be inserted into the vagina to collect a cervical and vaginal cell sample. The idea is to obtain the sample while in a standing position, as if inserting a tampon.

I do not use tampons, and the thought of having to insert the device on my own was daunting. To reduce my anxiety, I booked a teleconsultation session with Ferne Health’s partner clinic, iDoc Clinic (Hong Kah).

The 10-minute virtual consult addressed my main concerns: Will it hurt? What if I botch up or contaminate the sample? What if I can’t successfully insert it deep enough to collect a good cell sample?

Dr Poh Pei Ghim from the clinic patiently addressed all of my questions and said that the size of the home sampling brush is unlikely to cause pain. He informed me that the sampling tools used in clinics for cervical cancer screening are bigger than that of the Evalyn Brush.

He also told me that the brush is also used for home sampling in other countries.

HOW IT WENT

Following the step-by-step instructions, the process turned out to be surprisingly quick and was completed within one to two minutes.

The brush also has built-in features such as insertion indicator wings and feedback click sounds to signal that the sample is taken correctly. 

It was also painless although there was some initial discomfort, probably due to my anxiety.

After retrieving the vaginal cell sample, I sealed it in the specimen bag provided and placed it together with the consumer information form before arranging for my sample to be picked up within 24 hours to get better quality results.

It was essential to complete the consumer information form for the sample to be processed in a professional laboratory.

Ms Xi Liu, founder of Ferne Health, said that the personal information will only be passed and shared with the company’s partner doctors in order for them to process the orders. Ferne Health does not store any patient data on its end.

Three days after I sent in my sample, I received an email from the clinic with the results report.

This is around the same time it took for the results to be known when I did my HPV test at my gynaecologist’s clinic.

Even though my results are in the low-risk category, I still scheduled a follow-up teleconsultation with Dr Poh, who explained the results and advised me on when to schedule my next HPV test (around three to five years later).

WHICH IS BETTER?

Other than my initial anxiety and uncertainty, my home-sampling experience turned out to be fast, painless and the instructions were easy to follow.

I can understand why at-home test kits are popular in some countries such as the United States. The idea of not having to step into a clinic to get tested can be a major draw for some people, although those who test positive for STIs will still probably require follow-ups in person.

Personally, I do not find home-sampling more convenient than doing the screening test at a clinic. It took me around five working days, from making the online purchase, doing the online registration and completing the follow-up teleconsultation after getting the results.

In between, I had to schedule, reschedule and wait for the delivery person to drop off and pick up the sample, which was rather disruptive to my hectic daily schedule.

For my regular screening at the gynaecologist’s clinic, all I did was to make an appointment, take two hours off from work, turn up at the clinic and have the gynaecologist do her job without over-thinking the self-sampling process.

At the same time, the gynaecologist would also conduct a physical examination and an ultrasound scan to check for other gynaecological concerns, which would not have been possible through teleconsultation.

Having said that, my views might be entirely different if I wanted to screen for other STIs and do not want to go to my usual doctor’s clinic.

Related topics

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