Unchanged for 150 years, duck-bill speculum is reimagined
You've got an upcoming gynaecological visit. You care about your health and want to take proactive steps to maintain it. But there's one thing that's giving you some intense anxiety: the pelvic exam. Cold, hard and invasive, the duck-bill speculum makes you want to reconsider the whole thing.
Tamara Hoveling and Ariadna Izcara Gual presenting their redesigned speculum. Image source: TU Delft.
According to research, up to 64% of women experience anxiety or fear with pelvic examinations. During one of her graduation projects at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands, Ariadna Izcara Gual discovered that one of the reasons was the speculum.
“Some of the women I interviewed indicate that they feel pain at the insertion and even removal of the device. And it is more than that. It is about the ‘gun’ shape, the cold and uneasy feel, and the emotions," says Gual.
So to encourage more gynecologic visits, she set out to redesign the device alongside TU Delft researcher Tamara Hoveling.
The designers want people to feel comfortable when receiving a pelvic examination, so it's shaped like a flower. Image: TU Delft.
Gual and Hoveling want people to feel comfortable when receiving a pelvic examination, so instead of a 'gun' design, it's shaped like a flower. “This is to promote patients' psychological comfort, as it is a familiar shape,” explains Gual.
Called ‘Lilium’, the device comprises semi-flexible, medical-grade TPV rubber, which gives it the mechanical strength to withstand the pressure of vaginal walls and the flexibility to open its blades, or ‘petals’.
Lilium has two components: the first contains three 'petals', the second part is at tube, which is used to gently push open the petals.
The researchers want their design to benefit patients, health professionals, and the environment.
- Patients: Eight participants have confirmed that the design is well on its way to improving pelvic exams for patients. The availability of choice may be the reason. The device has two ways of insertion: by yourself, like a tampon, or through a health professional.
- Health professionals: Based on feedback from five nurses and two doctors, it improves cervix visualisation and eases usability.
- The environment: The device may be easily reused, and it is easy to clean. Lilium is compatible with both high-level disinfection and autoclaving.
After securing more than €200,00 in crowdfunding efforts, the duo are continuing their research into the device.
Source: TU Delft