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

The Food and Drug Administration approved self-collection as a method to detect human papillomavirus (HPV), the leading cause of cervical cancer, in May .

For now, the samples must still be gathered in health care settings, such as doctor's offices.

HPV is a common sexually transmitted infection that's primarily transferred through sexual intercourse or skin-to-skin contact.

National Cancer Institute estimates that about 11,500 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. every year .

About half of these cases end up being diagnosed in patients who were not adequately screened, per current guidelines.

The new self-collection option has the potential to increase the number of people who get cervical cancer screenings.

She was a former associate editor at AARP where she reported on aging in America . Her work has appeared in AARP the Magazine , AARP.org, and Forbes . She holds a Master of Science degree in Journalism from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and a Bachelor 's degree in psychology from McGill University ..