New Birth Control Shot Transforms Into a Long-Lasting Implant--No Clinic Required - Gizmodo

[justaprogressive]

A contraceptive implant is a thin and flexible rod that sits under the skin and releases contraceptive drugs into the body for years. While it’s one of the most effective forms of contraceptives and avoids the inconvenience of having to take a pill every day, the implant requires minor surgery, which can limit accessibility. To make life a bit easier, researchers are creating a self-assembling contraceptive implant the components of which women could self-administer with a single injection.

A team of researchers has developed the technology for self-injectable contraceptive shots that work similarly to contraceptive implants. As detailed in a study published Monday in the journal Nature Chemical Engineering, the shots would result in a highly effective and long-term contraceptive method more accessible to women who lack easy access to medical infrastructure. Additionally, the design could be used to administer other long-term medications, such as those for HIV.

The new approach delivers the contraceptive hormonal medication levonorgestrel via what the researchers call “Self-assembling Long-acting Injectable Microcrystals” (SLIM). Once injected into the body, the tiny crystals assemble into an implant, or a drug “depot,” that releases levonorgestrel as it erodes over months or years.

“The overarching goal is to give women access to a lot of different formats for contraception that are easy to administer, compatible with being used in the developing world, and have a range of different timeframes of durations of action,” Vivian Feig, a mechanical engineer at Stanford University and co-author on the study, said in a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) statement.

https://gizmodo.com/new-birth-control-shot-transforms-into-a-long-lasting-implant-no-clinic-required-2000580306