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.
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.
After securing more than €200,00 in crowdfunding efforts, the duo are continuing their research into the device.
