Starting at age 30, women can collect their own vaginal samples at a doctor's office instead of undergoing a pelvic exam for cervical cancer risk.

In guidelines that may encourage more women to get screened for cervical cancer, a leading health task force has backed giving women over 30 the option to collect their own vaginal samples for testing.

Testing for high-risk human papillomaviruses every five years – even with a self-collected sample – is the “preferred screening strategy” for cervical cancer starting at age 30, according to a new draft recommendation from the US Preventive Services Task Force.

HPV, or human papillomavirus, is very common and is spread through sex. Most HPV infections clear up on their own, but persistent infection can lead to cancer of the cervix. Most cervical cancers occur in women who are inadequately screened, diagnosed or treated.

Women should have the option of taking their own test samples for cervical cancer screening, an influential health panel said Tuesday. Draft recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force are aimed at getting more people screened and spreading the word that women can take their own vaginal samples to check for cancer-causing HPV.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said the draft recommendations aim to avoid unnecessary follow-up tests and procedures.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening for cervical cancer, with different approaches recommended for those aged 21 to 29 years and 30 to 65 years. These recommendations form the basis of a draft recommendation statement published online Dec.

Women and people with cervixes should have the option to use a self-swab human papillomavirus (HPV) test as part of a cervical cancer screen, the United States Preventative Services Task Force said in a draft recommendation Tuesday.