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The Food and Drug administration has approved the U.S.'s first at-home alternative to the Pap smear, a procedure generations of women have dreaded and often found painful.

 will offer a "much preferred experience," the company said in its announcement, and also aims to increase screening rates by making the procedure more convenient.

Traditionally, gynecologists have inserted a cold metal speculum deep into a woman's vagina to scrape cells from the cervix. 

The Teal Wand — "built with empathy," the company said — uses a swab to collect a vaginal sample. Women will then mail the sample to a lab that will screen for HPV (human papillomavirus), the virus that causes nearly all cervical cancers. A growing body of research has found 

 that found at-home screening was just as effective as that done in a doctor's office. The study also found women overwhelmingly preferred self–screening at home, and said they'd be more likely to stay up to date with cervical cancer screenings that way.

 of cervical cancer are diagnosed, and more than 4,000 women die from the disease. Rates are down dramatically since 

 published a 1943 paper on how to use the Pap smear for screening, and it then became common.

 in the U.S. are behind on such screenings, and medical experts say reducing that is key to the ultimate goal of eliminating cervical cancer. There's also a 

, with Black and Native American women far more likely to die from cervical cancer than white women. The 

 for teen and preteen girls, introduced in 2007, has also led to a global push to tackle the disease that way.

At-home cervical cancer screenings are already available in several other countries, including 

Teal Health says its self-testing device will be available starting next month, in California first and then expanding. It will be by prescription, through a telehealth service, for women 25-65 years old who are "at average risk." The company says it's working with insurance companies to provide coverage.

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Jennifer Ludden

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Women can use a wand to collect a vaginal sample, then mail it to a lab that will screen for cervical cancer. The device will be available by prescription through a telehealth service.

The FDA approves first U.S. at-home tool as a Pap-smear alternative

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