The Food and Drug Administration just approved an at home test that could be an optional alternative to a yearly pap smear. The test looks for human papilloma virus, or HPV, which causes nearly all incidences of cervical cancer.

While it detects for possible cervical cancer like a Pap smear, it does so differently, she tells Parade. A Pap smear takes a spatula and scrapes the cervix for samples. These samples are then placed on a microscope slide and observed for abnormal cells.