New self-swab HPV test is an alternative to Pap smears. Here's how it works.

Female patient is shown sat on a white chair at the doctor's office. She has her hands crossed on top of her lap and is looking at a female doctor who appears to be explaining something to her. .

A new option for cervical cancer screening gives patients a less-invasive alternative to conventional tests.

These new "self-collection tests" are scheduled to arrive in doctor's offices nationwide this month. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved self-collection as a method to detect human papillomavirus (HPV), the leading cause of cervical cancer, in May. Screening tests are intended to flag people at high risk of cancer or precancer, not to diagnose the disease.