Researchers redesign vaginal speculum to ease fear and pain
Two engineers at Delft University in the Netherlands are now rethinking the decades-old design of the speculum -- long dreaded by many patients -- to make it less intimidating and less painful.
"I have a lot of experience with the vaginal speculum, unfortunately," Tamara Hoveling, one of the researchers behind the project, told AFP.
"I've never seen it as a pleasurable experience and I've always wondered why it looks like this."
- Sombre history -
The PhD candidate in medical industrial design then delved into the dark history behind the creation of the speculum, one version of which was developed by United States doctor James Marion Sims 180 years ago.
It was "tested on enslaved women without permission", said the 29-year-old.
"So that motivated me even more to take on this project."
Hoveling teamed up with Ariadna Izcara Gual, who was then working on her master's in industrial design engineering at Delft.
"As I was doing a lot of interviews, I was doing those sort of sketches with the same sort of shape but people were still scared of the device", said the 28-year-old Spanish researcher.
The Cusco speculum, the most commonly used model, is a metal device with a handle, beak and screw to adjust how wide it opens once inside the vagina.
For many, its insertion is uncomfortable or even painful and causes anxiety.
"When you get scared, your muscles clamp together and that makes it even harder to relax.
"Then the speculum is opened, pushing against these tense muscles and making it even more painful," Hoveling said.
"So I tried to look for shapes that might be related to the reproductive organs, like for example the flower, that also opens."
- Patient-friendly design -
The result was a prototype called the Lilium -- named after the lily flower.
Like the more familiar tampon, it has soft plastic and an applicator.
"It's designed with the patient in mind rather than the doctor.
"And we're really trying to improve the comfort aspect in a sensitive spot."
The Lilium also meets doctors' needs. Its three-sided opening keeps the vaginal walls from collapsing, allowing better visibility during examinations.
The Lilium remains at an early stage, with further ergonomic testing and material research needed to refine the prototype.
The researchers must still secure safety certifications, run human trials and obtain regulatory approval before it can reach clinics.
- Dazzling success -
To fund the next phase, they launched a crowdfunding campaign that quickly drew media attention in the Netherlands.
Within just two days, the campaign raised 100,000 euros ($117,000) -- far surpassing expectations.
"It's also a sign. It's proof there are people who really want change, that there is a real problem here and that the current market solutions are not the best," Hoveling said.
"I've received a lot of emails from women who told me they actually don't go to the gynaecologist because of this device, because they're scared, because they have a traumatic experience."
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women, according to the World Health Organization.
It can be detected via a smear test or HPV screening -- both performed using a speculum.
With funding to allow this new gynaecological tool to be developed properly, the Lilium could be saving lives within five years.
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Moving the understanding of the last kingdom mentioned in Daniel away from the Seleucid Greek one has also had the effect of opening up the identity of the last king to new interpretations. A particularly popular interpretation, especially in the Western Christian tradition, is to understand Daniel to be talking about an Antichrist figure — a final evil king whose reign ushers in the Last Days before the final judgement. By combining statements about the final king in the book of Daniel with statements made elsewhere in the Bible, especially in the New Testament apocalypse, the Book of Revelation, a profile has been and continues to be constructed of what this last king will look like. Preoccupation with the Antichrist has often been associated with literalistic interpretations that see the book of Daniel as providing a map of what will happen (shortly) in the Last Days. This is the view generally held by conservative evangelical Christians, whose support of Donald Trump has often been paired with the claim that his political opponents are the Antichrist, but this has not prevented some literalistic readers of Daniel from coming to the conclusion that Trump himself is the Antichrist. Trump thereby joins a long list of candidates throughout history, which testifies to the enduring ability of Daniel's visions to speak to new historical situations of crisis. Ian Young is Professor of Biblical Studies and Ancient Languages at the Australian Catholic University. His research focuses on the Books of Daniel and 1 Enoch. Gareth Wearne is Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies and the history and archaeology of ancient Israel at the Australian Catholic University. His research focuses on the Dead Sea Scrolls. Evan Caddy is a PhD student at the Australian Catholic University. His research focuses on ancient copies and translations of the Book of Daniel.
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