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.

Women in their 20s should still get a Pap test every three years. But after that — from age 30 to 65 — women can get an HPV test every five years, the panel said.

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 update to the recommendation is not because Pap tests are harmful but because HPV tests are considered more effective in screening for cervical cancer in women aged 30 to 65. The draft also continues to recommend cervical cytology alone every three years for women in their 20s.

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.

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.