Because January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, this post is covering a slightly sensitive topic – home screening for HPV. So, if you aren’t interested in reading about women’s health matters this isn’t the place for you. Go check out some of my light-hearted topics like fashion or travel. 🙂
This post is sponsored by Nurx, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
Raising girls is a huge responsibility. My daughters are still very young but there will come a day when I have to explain things to them like periods, sex, and everything that goes along with being a woman. I’m not exactly looking forward to that day. Stay little girls!
I’ll teach my daughters to stay proactive about their health and to take advantage of preventative care. Things as simple as going to the dentist to get your teeth cleaned every 6 months t0 things a little more challenging like pap smears and HPV screening. Things that can change and potentially save your life.
So you may be wondering, what is HPV and why is it important to be tested?
Of course, I’m not a doctor, here are some facts Nurx provided me with:
- HPV, or Human Papillomavirus, is the most commonly transmitted STI. 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
- Every year, HPV causes nearly 34,000 new cervical cancer diagnoses
- 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:
- have a pap smear every three years
- an HPV test every five years
- a pap smear and HPV test every five years
- 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.
- 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. In the comfort of your own home!
Nurix Home HPV Screening Test is an easy way to get tested for HPV that in the comfort of your own home.
Here’s how it 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.
The Nurix Home HPV Screening kit includes the following items:
- An extra long q-tip
- A plastic tube
- A plastic bag
- A sticker with a barcode
- And a prepaid return envelope
To use the kit follow these simple instructions:
- 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 the Nurx medical team after a few days.
If your results are negative, this means your risk for cervical cancer is very low and you do not need additional testing for three years.
If your results are positive, this does not mean you have cervical cancer. The Nurx medical team will work closely with you to help figure out the next steps.
Our family is very fortunate to have the ability to see great doctors regularly but not every woman has the luxury. Nurx is a healthcare company making it easier and more affordable for every woman in the US to get screened for HPV. They are 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. This is a cause I stand behind 100%.
