That is, until scientists developed amphibian-free tests which detected the presence of the so-called pregnancy hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin, or hGC. It was a game-changing discovery that ultimately reshaped the experience of finding out you were expecting. In-office chemical tests became the new standard: A woman would give a urine sample to her doctor, who would send it off to the lab and then inform his patient of her results when they arrived back.

Predictably, the male-dominated medical establishment had plenty of reasons why women couldn’t be trusted to administer pregnancy tests on their own — how could an emotional woman be trusted to follow even the simplest of instructions?! at least one doc asked — which meant that confirming you were pregnant almost always happened in the presence of a professional.

Though Lia follows the same pee-on-the-thing principles, there’s no telltale plastic applicator left behind.

Then, in 1967, a 26-year-old product designer named Margaret Crane helped usher in a new era of women’s health by developing an at-home test that brought the science lab into our bathroom. Though the test Crane created (not coincidentally, against the backdrop of the women’s liberation movement) had the look of a DIY science kit, it would ultimately pave the way for the Wand Era: the simple pee-on-a-stick tests we’re familiar with today. Unilever launched its ClearBlue Easy test, the first of its kind, in 1988, and the first digital test was released in the early aughts. And, like Edwards said, the design of at-home tests hasn’t changed much in the intervening years.

But, with Lia, women could have a potential new option. In research conducted, one of the things that kept coming up from women was the fact that they wanted a more private test, Edwards explained to Glamour.com over the phone. Pregnancy, and pregnancy testing, is a highly unique and personal experience for every individual; for women in particularly vulnerable situations, the need for privacy can even be a matter of life and death.

“We’ve heard stories from people [about] wrapping [their pregnancy test] in tin foil and putting them in dumpsters or garbage cans across the street,” says Edwards. “It can also be as simple as not wanting your housecleaner or your mother-in-law to be snooping through your trash.” Though Lia follows the same pee-on-the-thing principles — take it into the bathroom, aim, and wait for pink lines to appear (two for positive, one for negative) — there’s no telltale plastic applicator left behind, and it flushes like 2-ply toilet paper.

Used pregnancy tests add up to around 2 million pounds of waste every year.

Which brings us to the next point: the sustainability factor. Data from 2017 shows that 10.95 million American women used an at-home pregnancy test. And, if any of these women followed in the footsteps of Kim Kardashian — who once documented the fact that she used six tests in a row, on an airplane — the number of plastic test applicators starts to get a little mind-boggling: used pregnancy tests add up to around two million pounds of waste every year.