Every two minutes, a woman dies from cervical cancer.
And yet, this disease is one of the most preventable cancers we have.
So why does it still cost so much—both in lives and in dollars?
The Cost of Today’s System
Right now, cervical cancer screening in the U.S. is expensive and complex.
Most tests require a clinic visit, lab processing, and follow-up appointments. What sounds routine on paper often becomes a multi-step process for patients—and each step adds cost and time.
All together, this adds up to about $2.27 billion every year for screening and immediate follow-up care in the U.S.
That’s a lot of money.
But the bigger problem?
It doesn’t always reach the women who need it most.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many cervical cancer cases happen in women who are not screened regularly.
And globally, the picture is even more stark.
The vast majority of cervical cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income regions, where access to screening and follow-up care is limited. Even in the U.S., women living in rural areas or healthcare deserts face higher rates of missed screening and worse outcomes.
One Simple Change
Now imagine something different.
A fast, simple test. No lab. No long wait. Results in minutes.
In a recent economic model, replacing the first step of screening with a low-cost, point-of-care test could reduce annual U.S. spending from:
$2.27 billion → about $1.02 billion
That’s over $1 billion in savings every year.
Those savings don’t come from doing less—they come from doing things smarter.
Where the Bigger Economic Opportunity Lives
The real opportunity isn’t just saving money.
It’s growing the economy by improving women’s health.
The World Economic Forum calls this the “$1 trillion opportunity.”
Improving women’s health could add at least $1 trillion to global GDP every year by 2040.
Even more simply, for every $1 invested in women’s health, about $3 in economic growth is expected.
That’s not just healthcare impact.
That’s stronger participation in the workforce, more stable families, and broader economic growth.
Why Access Changes Everything
Groups like the National Cervical Cancer Coalition emphasize that women who miss screening are at the highest risk of developing cancer.
And today, too many women still miss it.
Screening can be time-consuming, invasive, and difficult to access—especially for women balancing work, family, and limited time.
When screening becomes faster, easier, and closer to where women live, participation increases. And when more women are screened early, fewer need expensive treatments later, fewer develop advanced cancer, and healthcare systems spend less overall.
The Hidden Costs We Don’t Always See
There are also costs we rarely count.
Time off work. Travel to appointments. Childcare. Waiting weeks for results.
These are not small inconveniences—they are real barriers.
For many women, they are the reason screening doesn’t happen at all.
A simpler test helps remove those barriers.
Why This Is Now Possible
This shift is not just an idea—it’s being built.
At ScreenHER, UriCerve is being developed as a rapid, non-invasive point-of-care solution designed to identify precancer and cancer signals in minutes.
It is built on new scientific breakthroughs in biomarker detection, combined with a simple, pregnancy-test–style format.
The goal is not just innovation—it’s real-world impact. Removing the need for lab infrastructure, delivering faster answers, and enabling same-visit care decisions can fundamentally change how screening works.
And most importantly, it creates a path to reach women who are not being reached today—including those in low-access communities.
UriCerve is currently under development and not yet cleared or approved by the U.S. FDA.
A Smarter Path Forward
This isn’t about replacing what works.
It’s about improving how we deliver care.
A faster, more focused screening approach can lower healthcare costs, expand access, and help identify the women who truly need treatment—all at the same time.
Because the future of healthcare isn’t just about better technology.
It’s about making care easier to access—and smarter to deliver.
Momentum Is Building
And the investment world is starting to notice.
Half of private investments in women’s health companies are now at the pre-seed or seed stage—much higher than the 32% seen across healthcare overall.
This reflects a sector that is still early—but gaining real momentum.
Looking Ahead
ScreenHER is currently raising a round to fund key milestones and accelerate development of UriCerve.
If you’re interested in learning more, please visit our contact page:
https://screen-her.com/contact/
You can also connect directly on LinkedIn:
Jennifer Estep: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferlynestep/
ScreenHER: https://www.linkedin.com/company/screenher/
About the Author
Jennifer Estep is Founder and CEO of ScreenHER, a women’s health diagnostics company advancing early detection through rapid, non-invasive point-of-care solutions. A Purdue-trained mechanical engineer, she is an experienced medtech commercialization leader who has scaled venture-backed medical device platforms from early development through IPO-ready growth. Jennifer founded ScreenHER to bring patient-centered design, operational rigor, and real-world scalability to women’s health—expanding access to early detection and improving care decisions globally.