The at-home testing option is being trialled as part of a study by the University of Otago, which aims to identify the impact of the new cervical cancer screening test.
The $53 million development of a new HPV (human papillomavirus) self-testing kit as the primary way to identify cervical cancer is set to be available to the public in July.
University of Otago trial principal investigator, Associate Prof Peter Sykes, said more than 1500 people were already signed on to participate in the trial, which would finish recruiting in January.
Eligible people would be offered a place in the trial by their regular GP clinic if they were enrolled at one of the 17 clinics from across the country.
The pilot of the new self-test sought to identify any issues with the system, including at-home versus in-clinic testing.
"The HPV self-test is much less invasive than the traditional smear test, the person simply collects a sample from the vagina using a swab," Prof Sykes said.
He said 95% of those already enrolled in the study were choosing to take the test themselves.
"I think women really appreciate being able to do the test themselves
"They’ll be able to pop to the loos at the clinic and do the test privately if they don’t want to do it at home," he said.
At present, women between the ages of 25-69 who are sexually active are recommended to take a "smear test" every three years.
To get tested, a person would make an appointment with a sexual health clinician where during the test, a speculum — a medical tool used to open the vaginal wall — is inserted into the vagina, and a sample of cells is taken from the cervix with a small brush.
"While most people do have regular smears, some are put off by the invasiveness and discomfort of the current test," Prof Sykes said.
"Carrying out the HPV test on oneself will be empowering, plus [it] takes away some of this embarrassment, anxiety and inconvenience."
The clinician-taken and self-taken HPV test were equally accurate, and the advanced sensitivity of HPV tested would mean women would only need to test once every five years instead of every three years if their results were normal, he said.
National Cervical Screening Programme clinical director Jane O’Hallahan said the pilot would help inform the successful rollout of HPV screening.
"HPV testing is a better test for primary cervical screening, it will find more pre-cancers and prevent more cases of cervical cancer developing," she said.
