Hi there bestie – Welcome back to my blog! Today’s post is a really important one. A subject people don’t like to talk about but it’s necessary to spread the word and build awareness so we can help each other. Cervical Cancer is more common than we think and today I’m going to tell you about my experience with testing for my risk at the comfort of my home. This will be a learning and taking action post, so take out your notepad and let’s get to it!
First, let’s learn:
Did you know, HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer, and nearly 80 percent of sexually active women carry HPV at some point in their life. By getting tested early, you can significantly decrease your risk of developing cervical cancer, which is one of the most preventable types of cancer. Every year, HPV causes nearly 34,000 new cervical cancer diagnoses.
ok… What the heck is HPV??! (I asked that too!)
- HPV, or Human Papillomavirus, is the most commonly transmitted STI (sexually transmitted infection). Nearly 80 million Americans are currently infected with HPV and 14 million people are newly infected each year.
- Most men and women are infected with HPV at some point in their lives (80 percent of sexually active people) while most are unaware they have the virus.
The good news is, Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable types of cancer:
- You can check your risk for cervical cancer with a pap smear or HPV test. For women 30 and older, you can either 1) have a pap smear every three years or 2) an HPV test every five years or 3) a pap smear and HPV test every five years.
- My only thing with this is… why not every year? I encourage everyone to get tested every year! Routine medical checks. And with with process I used, it will not break the bank.
- The cervical cancer mortality rate among black women is more than twice the rate among white women. The mortality rate is even higher among older black women.
- Insurance plays an important role in access to cervical cancer screening. Nearly 25 percent of women without health insurance and/or without a regular health care clinician have not checked their risk for cervical cancer in the past five years, compared with 11 percent of the general population.
Now that we have learned about cervical cancer and HPV, let’s talk about how I did the HPV test at home. I used a company called Nurx. Here’s a little about them:
- Nurx is healthcare company that provides women all over the US access to convenient, affordable and judgement-free healthcare.
- While Nurx’s services, like the Home HPV Screening Test, are incredibly convenient option for anyone, Nurx is especially focused on reaching women who lack access to traditional healthcare services – whether they don’t live near a medical clinic, can’t afford health care, or don’t have health insurance.
- They are working hard to create a better environment for women in regards to their healthcare. I’M REALLY SUPPORTIVE ABOUT THIS!
Details about the HPV Test for risk of Cervical Cancer
- The Home HPV test is affordable, even for those without insurance. ($15 with insurance, $69 without insurance)
- Nurx’s Home HPV test is the same quality as a pap smear and is a much more affordable and convenient option to check your risk for cervical cancer.
- With just one swab taken in the privacy and convenience of your own home, you will get better insight into your risk for cervical cancer and make better decisions about your health
- The test kit will check for 14 strains of HPV that have a higher risk of leading to cervical cancer
- Nurx offers the Home HPV kit for women 25 and over – for women 25-29, it’s a great option to check your risk in between pap smears, although guidelines still recommend getting a pap smear every three years.
- There we go. The more times we get tested, the better!
Great! Now on to how the kit works. Here’s a little video of me showing you the process but I’ll also detail the step by steps needed.
Here’s how the kit works:
- Download the Nurx app or visit Nurx.com
- Answer a few questions about your health and they’ll ship you a kit straight to your door.
- When you open the kit, you’ll see it includes…
- An extra long q-tip
- A plastic tube
- A plastic bag
- A sticker with a barcode
- And a prepaid return envelope
- Hold the swab with one hand and insert the swab just like you would with a tampon
- Gently turn the swab in a circle against the wall of your vagina for 30 seconds.
- Then drop the swab in the tube, and drop it in the bag.
- Place the bag in the pre-paid envelope, and drop it in the mail!
- Once your sample arrives, you’ll get your results from our medical team in just a few days.
- If your results are negative, this means your risk for cervical cancer is very low and do not need additional testing for another three years. .
- If your results are positive, this does not mean you have cervical cancer. Our medical team will work closely with you to help figure out next steps!
That is it my friend!! I really, really, really, encourage you to take this test! It’s EXTREMELY important you take a look at your risk for cervical cancer so you can take preventative measures and we all be healthy together!
Last thing to reiterate,
- For those without insurance, the kit for only $69, shipping and processing included.
- If you have health insurance, in most cases the cost of the kit is covered. You will only need to pay $15 for shipping and processing.
xo,Belen.
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