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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Self-collected HPV tests are the top pick for cervical cancer screening among transgender and gender-diverse individuals, a new survey finds. Over half of participants ranked self-swabs as their first choice, citing privacy and comfort as key drivers. Researchers stress that trauma-informed, gender-competent care is just as critical as the testing method itself.
A new survey published in O&G Open finds that most transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals assigned female at birth prefer self-collected HPV testing over traditional cervical cancer screening methods. The cross-sectional study, conducted at a single academic Transgender Center, surveyed 50 participants between October and December 2024 — two-thirds of whom were under 25 and 76% of whom identified as transgender men.
Participants ranked self-collected HPV testing as their top screening preference, well ahead of provider-collected HPV tests and Pap smears. Those who had previously undergone Pap testing largely described the experience as neutral to negative, underscoring why less invasive alternatives are appealing. Qualitative responses revealed that while participants valued cancer prevention and privacy, they feared pain, gender dysphoria, and performing the test incorrectly.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: Cervical cancer screening rates remain low among TGD individuals due to dysphoria, prior trauma, and lack of gender-competent care. Expanding access to self-collected HPV testing — paired with trauma-informed, inclusive clinical practices — could meaningfully close this screening gap in a historically underserved population.
