Doctors – mailbox.
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved its first home-based neck cancer test, allowing you to perform all self-control tests from thyroid function to HIV.
The tests can make people more accessible to healthcare and can be useful for those with extreme anxiety about sensitive or invasive health checkups, but experts warn that most tests cannot replace actual in-person visits.
Here's what doctors say you can test at home:
What kind of home testing is available?
There are two types of “home tests.”
In one type, the patient collects a sample and sends it to the lab. This is what new cervical cancer tests are like.
The other has immediate results – think about Covid-19 and pregnancy tests.
What are the benefits of home testing?
St. Louis infectious disease expert Dr. Joseph Cheraby said HIV home test kits can improve the diagnosis rates of sexually transmitted diseases in rural communities and help people who are nervous about seeking doctor-sensitive tests.
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“You really want people to take care of you as soon as possible, but some people can be very unsure about the outcomes too,” Cheraby said. “And they have a very negative reaction.”
Instead of placing ONUS on patients who have been tested, labs should report positive HIV tests, often in line with HIV support services.
“If you are part of a sexual and gender minority community, going to a doctor's office is full of many historic trauma. You may prefer to test it at home without judging you or asking invasive questions about your sex life,” Cheraby said.
New cervical cancer tests that test human papilloma or HPV strains, including test swabs like tampons, include tests like tampons, include tests like tampons, such as tampons, said Susan Modesitt, a gynecological oncologist at Emory University in Atlanta.
Modesit said it is not an alternative to the PAP smear, a test in which metallic mirrors are inserted into the vagina to scrape cervical cells. A doctor's visit includes pelvic examinations, opportunities to talk about abnormal bleeding (signs of endometrial cancer), and other symptoms and issues such as menopause and STIs.
“There are so many reasons to meet your doctor and take the exam outside of the cervical cancer screening,” she said.
I live in the countryside – can I take a home test?
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Some home tests can replace trips to clinics. This is especially true in rural areas where it is difficult to get colonoscopy.
“Colonoscopy requires prior surgery and you probably need to drive 70 miles,” said Dr. Stephen Far, chairman of the American Academy of Family Physicians, a practice in rural Alabama. “You get anesthesia, and it actually seems like a surgical procedure in many ways.
“So for a lot of people, it's pretty laborious. That's where testing at home can be useful.”
However, Furr said that if the test reveals the issue, he should go to a doctor. Additionally, he said patients should always discuss test results with their doctors instead of interpreting them themselves.
Who shouldn't be doing home testing?
If you are testing and have symptoms, go to your doctor.
Dr. Zakaria Foda, a gastroenterologist at Johns Hopkins, said home-based colon cancer testing is not the right option for people with high-risk symptoms such as colon cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. He added that it is not recommended for those with GI symptoms either.
There are many tests that run between $15 and $400 depending on what is being evaluated, but Furr said the results are better trustworthy as it is essential that the tests make sure they are FDA approved.
“Whenever I try to get people into my healthcare and help them understand what's going on, I get the opportunity to think that's a good thing and talk about it,” he said. “Any type of screening is better than no screening.”
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