For Teen Vogue, by Brittney McNamara.
Photo: Juliana Sohn
If you don't want to get pregnant, then birth control is a must. Unfortunately, some people have barriers to access for birth control, whether it's being able to get a certain kind, or being able to afford it, or finding the time to go to a gynecologist who can do a procedure if you're getting an intrauterine device (IUD). That's why a new invention could be game-changer.
Motherboard reports that a group of researchers in India partnered with Stanford University to develop an IUD that you can insert at home -- meaning there wouldn't be a need to make a trip to the gynecologist.
According to Motherboard, the researchers tested their device that is designed to make inserting an IUD easier on postpartum women. Health providers who had no experience inserting IUDs planted them in the women (with some monitoring) to see if the device was easy and intuitive. The researchers then concluded that the method was safe - maybe even safer than the current procedure done by medical doctors. The device essentially has an extra-long "sleeve," which is also flexible, to insert the IUD.
Self-placed IUDs would mean women who don't have access to a doctor who can insert an IUD could take their future into their own hands. While this self-inserted IUD isn't available yet, it's still a promising look at the future of birth control.
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