You’re ready to have a baby, but your birth control may be telling your body otherwise, especially if you have an IUD that needs removing. Soon, switching it off could be as simple as the click of a button.
The Massachusetts biotech company MicroCHIPS, backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is developing an implantable contraceptive that can be activated and deactivated by the user via remote control. What?!
The wireless device is 20 x 20 x 7 millimeters in size, and designed to be implanted in your buttocks, upper arm, or abdomen. Here’s how it works: a tiny microchip stores levonorgestrel , a hormone found in contraceptives like some versions of the Pill, IUDs, and Plan B. A titanium and platinum seal keeps the levonorgestrel in place, and is melted temporarily each day by an electric current. The result? You are administered 30 micrograms of the hormone each day — until you don’t want to be anymore.
Did we mention that it lasts for 16 years?
If it passes safety tests, it could be on the market by 2018. This is especially great news for women unable to conveniently access a doctor.
Would you try this long-lasting form of birth control?
Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.
