Hydrogels have a variety of use cases, including contact lenses, delivering doses of medication within the body, moisturisers, water storage in soil, cleaning polluted water and as gelling and thickening agents.
ETH ZurichJul 17 2024 A hydrogel is a gel made of a type of plastic that can bind water. Research ers at ETH Zurich and Empa have now developed the first hydrogel implant designed for use in fallopian tubes. This innovation performs two functions: one is to act as a contraceptive, the other is to prevent the recipient from developing endometriosis in the first place or to halt the spread if they do.
Preventing endometriosis by occluding the fallopian tubes Around 10 percent of women suffer from endometriosis. However, it is still unclear exactly what causes this condition. The assumption is that during menstruation, blood flows back along the fallopian tubes and into the abdominal cavity. This blood contains cells from the uterine lining , which settle in the abdominal cavity and as a result can cause inflammation, pain and the formation of scar tissue.
An advantage of hydrogels is that they swell when brought into contact with liquid. As a result, this new implant starts off at approximately two millimetres in length. But once implanted in the fallopian tubes as part of a non-surgical procedure using a hysteroscope – an instrument for inspecting the uterine cavity – the implant swells to more than double its original size. The hydrogel then acts as a barrier to both sperm and blood.
Hydrogel Blood Contact Lenses Contraceptive Gynaecology Menstruation Research
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