Patients across the U.S. will soon have access to a new cervical cancer test collected from the comfort of their own home—no stirrups, speculum, or in-person doctor’s visit needed.

The life sciences company Waters is partnering with Quest Diagnostics to make Waters’ BD Onclarity HPV assay test available for use at home. The partnership, announced Tuesday, will begin making self-collection kits available in early 2027. The kit was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for at-home use in April 2026.

The test, which needs to be ordered by a clinician, will be delivered to patients. They can then collect a dry swab specimen and ship it back for testing, or drop it off at one of 2,000 Quest service centers.

The companies say the availability will allow cervical cancer screening to reach otherwise unserved or underserved populations.

Infection with HPV—a virus typically transmitted through sexual activity—can be linked to nearly every case of cervical cancer. While most HPV types resolve on their own, certain high-risk genotypes can lead to cervical cancer when the infection persists.

Though it is the the fourth most common cancer in women—the American Cancer Society estimates there will be 13,490 new cases and 4,200 deaths in 2026—cervical cancer is among the most successfully treated forms of cancer, according to the World Health Organization. That makes regular testing crucial for prevention, but there are barriers to access.

Factors like geography, costs, lack of insurance, or lack of time to see a doctor can keep some patients from diagnostics and treatment.

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