Teal Wand’s launch could provide similar benefits in the United States, where disparities in cervical cancer outcomes persist

Women now have an alternative to the Pap smear as a screening test for cervical cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved an at-home screening test. As Reuters reported, Pap smears have greatly reduced the incidence of cervical cancer in their 80 years of use.

To get screened for cervical cancer, patients in the United States may no longer need to put their feet in those awkward stirrups, brace for the uncomfortable speculum or even take the time off from work for an in-person doctor’s appointment.