When should I collect my sample?

You can collect your sample whenever it is most convenient for you. It takes most people about 5 minutes to collect their sample with the Teal Wand, but you may want to plan for a little extra time to read the instructions and get comfortable.

Please use the Teal Wand to collect a sample as soon as possible after your Teal screening box arrives. Like many single-use medical devices, the Teal Wand does have an expiration date. We track all expiration dates and will not send you a Wand that is close to expiration.

There are a few things you should keep in mind when deciding when to collect:

• You need to drop your sample in the United States Postal Service (USPS) mail within 24 hours of collecting it, so it is best to avoid collecting on days the USPS is closed, such as Sundays and holidays. You can drop it into a standard USPS outgoing mailbox (if it fits), bring it to the USPS post office, or schedule a USPS pickup for the day you plan to self-collect.
• Do not remove the Wand from its packaging until you are ready to collect. This packaging keeps the Wand protected from exposure or contaminants.
• Please wait to collect if you: are pregnant, on your period or bleeding, have used vaginal products in the past 48 hours (or 1 week, if you have used Metronidazole Vaginal Gel), or have a vaginal infection.