Future of Sex
tagline
  • Remote Sex
  • Virtual Sex & Entertainment
  • Robots
  • Human Augmentation
  • Sex Tech
  • Dating & Relationships
  • Bizarre Bazaar 18+
  • Future of Sex Community
  • Remote Sex
  • Virtual Sex & Entertainment
  • Robots
  • Human Augmentation
  • Sex Tech
  • Dating & Relationships
  • Bizarre Bazaar 18+
  • Future of Sex Community
  • CES Sex Toy News and Sex Tech Brands

  • Policing Intimacy: AI Companion Apps Are Removing NSFW Features, and People Are Not Happy

  • The Future of Sex Is Non-binary Genital Surgery That Advances Bodily Agency

  • Is Equity Crowdfunding the Future of Sex Tech Investment?

  • Sex Tech News: New VR Sex Game, a User-Generated Erotica App and ‘Porn for TV’ Streaming Relaunches

  • Blyynd Brings on Investors to Build Anonymous Sexting App

  • A Fitbit for the Penis? The FirmTech Tech Ring Product Review

  • Sex Tech at CES 2023: 6 Brands Exhibited, Including an Anonymous Sexting App

Future of Sex is supported by our readers. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Home > Sex Tech > HerSwab Lets Women Test Themselves for Cervical Cancer and HPV

Sex Tech
Home›Sex Tech›HerSwab Lets Women Test Themselves for Cervical Cancer and HPV

HerSwab Lets Women Test Themselves for Cervical Cancer and HPV

By Kezia Lubanszky
April 8, 2016
3222
1

Detect sexually transmitted infections from the comfort of your own home.

A photo of a typical glandular cells

Cervical cancer is the 14th most prevalent cancer in the world. According to the World Health Organization, the disease affects 530,000 women each year and takes 275,000 lives.

However, it is the easiest cancer to prevent among women when proper screening and follow-up take place. Lesions found via pap smears can be treated before they become cancerous, and early stage cervical cancer can be managed relatively well. The crucial factor in stopping the disease is to find it before it reaches an advanced stage.

Many women affected don’t have access to sexual health care. Without being regularly tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), they are at risk of becoming infertile or developing cervical cancer.

Even those of us with access to sexual health care often aren’t tested as regularly as we should be. Pap smears and STI tests aren’t fun. They can be embarrassing and uncomfortable. Many women are reluctant to be tested for fear of judgement and discrimination from their doctors.

That’s why Jessica Ching, co-founder of Toronto-based sexual health startup Eve Medical, created HerSwab. While speaking with women about an upcoming appointment, she was prompted to find an alternative way to manage sexual health.

What is HerSwab?

HerSwab is a device that allows women to collect their own gynecological samples at home and then send them to a lab for screening. By making the experience accessible and less invasive, it’s hoped that women who are reluctant or unable to go to a clinic can take more control of their sexual well-being.

Eve Medical’s website says HerSwab is easy, intuitive, and painless to use. The device, which looks similar to a tampon with a handle on top, is inserted into the vagina and rotated to collect dry samples from the cervix.

HerSwab tests for HPV and prevents cervical cancer

Although self-testing STI kits like MyLAB Box are already available in certain areas, HerSwab takes things further by allowing home testing for human papillomavirus (HPV). Previous at-home kits have tested mainly for STIs like syphilis and chlamydia. By identifying HPV, HerSwab can detect early signs of cervical cancer and help to prevent it altogether.

There are over 100 different types of HPV. Forty of these can be sexually transmitted, and 15 are known to cause cervical cancer if left untreated. The highest risk strands–HPV-16 and HPV-18–cause 70% of all cervical cancer diagnoses worldwide.

Where is HerSwab at now?

Eve Medical hopes to break down the barriers stopping women from being tested and drastically lower the amount of cervical cancer diagnoses being made. The at-home method is new, but is being rigorously trialled and is believed to be just as accurate as clinical testing. Many women who took part in self-testing trials said it was an easy and comfortable experience they would consider doing again.

Ching hopes her product will be taken onboard by organizations in countries with universal healthcare systems. Testing kits would be mailed to women known to be high risk or irregularly screened, and they would mail them back to a lab. Ideally, an over-the-counter sales system would be put in place in the U.S., Ching told MedCity News.

An estimated 40% of women are not being tested as regularly as practitioners advise. If successful, self-sampling via products like HerSwab could help to drastically improve the numbers of women accessing sexual health services. Eve Medical, and other organizations like it, may have a good chance at lowering cervical cancer death rates while empowering women at the same time.

Women residing in Canada can request a HerSwab sample here.

Image source: Manuel Medina

Kezia Lubanszky

Kezia Lubanszky is a digital journalist from Melbourne, Australia. She is currently working as a freelancer while completing her Master of Journalism at the University of Melbourne. She is passionate about exploring issues that define modernity. Her favorite topics include online culture, new technologies, and how these are changing our lives.

Her works have been published in Lip Magazine, Unsustainable, The Morning Bell, and Weekend Notes.

Kezia wrote articles on topics including VR sex and entertainment, sex tech, and human augmentation for Future of Sex from 2015 to 2016.
Previous Article

Scientists Create Artificial Sperm That Produce Healthy ...

Next Article

A Guide to Viewing Virtual Reality Sex ...

Related articles More from author

  • Lovehoney and WOW Tech Group sex toy companies announced a merger into Lovehoney Group on August 12, 2021..
    Sex Tech

    Sex Tech News: $1.2Bn Lovehoney Group Merger, China’s AI Chatbot Market, YNOT Cam Noms & Apple Privacy

    August 14, 2021
    By Jenna Owsianik
  • Sex Tech

    PayPal Stops All Payments from Pornhub and We Shouldn’t Be Surprised

    November 27, 2019
    By Libby
  • Sex Tech 2023 Predictions
    Sex Tech

    Sex Tech Predictions in 2023: Challenging Mainstream Supply and Demand

    January 10, 2023
    By Natasha Marie Narkiewicz
  • Tissue Engineering
    AugmentationSex Tech

    Artificial Genitals Are Now a Reality

    December 19, 2014
    By Peter Matthews
  • AugmentationRemote SexRobotsSex Tech

    Fascinating Sex Tech Unveiled at Sex Robot Conference

    August 21, 2019
    By Miss Doll
  • A purpe satin sheet encircles disassembled electronic parts.
    Remote SexSex Tech

    Sex Tech Hackers Will Get ‘Touchy-Feely’ at Virtual Event This Weekend

    January 20, 2021
    By Carolyn Stransky

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

  • Sx Tech logo
    Sex Tech

    Play Vulva Bingo and Meet AI Robots at Sx Tech’s Virtual Event This Friday

  • Image of Neuralink, headed by Elon Musk
    Augmentation

    Elon Musk’s ‘Brain Chip’ Will Make You Hot By Tapping Sexual Pleasure Centers

  • BaDoinkVR offers some of the best virtual reality porn videos on the web.
    VR PornVirtual Sex & EntertainmentImmersive Entertainment

    BaDoinkVR Review: A First-timer’s Dive into Virtual Reality Porn

Virtual Lust is a 3D interactive sex game.
3DXChat
Discover the best virtual sex parties and 3D sex worlds.
  • TOP REVIEWS

  • “Bright Lights, Loving City”—An Erotic Speculative Fiction Story

  • Woman in blue lighting with yellow binary code projected across her face.

    Policing Intimacy: AI Companion Apps Are Removing NSFW Features, and People Are Not Happy

  • Porn for TV logo (computer screen graphic with pink u shapes and a mouse cursor).

    Sex Tech News: New VR Sex Game, a User-Generated Erotica App and ‘Porn for TV’ ...

  • The Blyynd logo with two screens. One has a chat screen and one has the sexual desire options listed.

    Blyynd Brings on Investors to Build Anonymous Sexting App

  • FirmTech Tech Ring

    A Fitbit for the Penis? The FirmTech Tech Ring Product Review

  • Sex Tech at CES 2023: 6 Brands Exhibited, Including an Anonymous Sexting App

  • What Vibrating Buttplug Support in a Video Game Taught Us About the Future of Webcam ...

  • Is Virtual Reality Dating Going Mainstream?

  • Sex Doll Brothels: Reality vs. Expectation

  • Replika AI Chatbot saved human marriage

    How Replika’s AI Chatbot Saved One Man’s Human Marriage

  • Meet the Humans Forming Romantic Relationships With AI

    Replika Romance: Meet the Humans Forming Romantic Relationships With AI

  • The future of sex is mind-reading AI that reveals your deepest, most unconscious fantasies

    The Future of Sex Is Mind-Reading AI That Reveals Your Deepest, Most Unconscious Fantasies

  • Sex Robots Are Getting Closer to Feeling Human-Like With Second Skin Materials

    Sex Robots Are Getting Closer to Feeling Human-Like With Second Skin Materials

  • R/gonewildaudio's gender inclusive audio erotica

    /R/gonewildaudio: An Array of Free, Inclusive and Categorized Audio Erotica

  • Fantasy Inspired Sex Toy by Tentickle Toys

    Out of This World: How Fantasy-Inspired Sex Toys Could Be the Next Big Trend

  • Virtual Sex in the Metaverse

    Virtual Sex Will Soon Become a Reality in the Metaverse

  • OnlyBans Game Play As A Sex Worker

    Play as a Sex Worker in New Onlybans Game

  • Black chess pieces laying across an orange background.

    Teledildonics and Chess: The Unexpected Possibilities That Could Enhance Sex

  • A couple with a woman sitting on a man's lap. They each are holding the Tenuto 2 with one hand.

    Tenuto 2 Erection-Enhancing Vibrator Rises To The Occasion

  • Woman looking at a laptop in a bed. You can see a blurry European city outside of the window.

    Here’s How Often Each European Country Is Searching For Sex Toys Online

  • A Woman Showing Her Smartphone.

    Disclosing Trans-ness on Dating Apps

  • Image of Emma the AI bot.

    Will Young Women of the Future Feel Pressure to Perform Like Robots?

  • Realistic Sex Games

    Review of the Best Sex Games and Most Realistic Sex Simulators of 2021 [UPDATED]

    0
  • Multiplayer Online Sex Games

    Review of the Best Massively Multiplayer Online Sex Games

    0
  • Sex Games for Mac

    The Best Sex Games for Mac

    0
  • foot-fetish-sex-games-girlvania

    Foot Fetish Games That Will Knock Your Socks Off

    0
  • The Best RPG Sex Games of 2021

    0
Fantasy sex game Dream Sex World lets you explore your wildest desires.
Multiplayer sex world Red Light Center continues to impress with its massive userbase and incredible sex graphics.
A blonde and light-skinned love doll face sppears next to the text Go now realdollxthe future is real.
  • 27KFollowers

Like Us on Facebook

Newsletter Subscription

Sign up for our monthly newsletter sharing the very best of the future of sex from our publication and others across the web.

DreamSexWorld offers a stunning XXX 3D world filled with incredibly interactive erotic experiences.

Like Us On Facebook

Facebook Pagelike Widget

RLC_ad_v2

Tweets by @FutureofSex
Future of Sex Report

Follow us

  • Home
  • About
  • ADVERTISE
  • Contribute
  • Story Ideas
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
© 2011 - 2022 Future Exploration Network
This website or its third-party tools use cookies to improve user experience and track affiliate sales. To learn more about why we need to use cookies, please refer to the Privacy Policy.

By clicking the agree button or continuing to browse through the website, you agree to the use of cookies. Accept Privacy Policy
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT