University of Washington researchers developed a dissolvable fabric that could serve as a method of birth control and also prevent one or more STDs.
The electrically spun cloth with nanometer-sized fibers offers cheap, discrete and reversible protection. It can physically block sperm or release chemical contraceptives and antivirals.
One type of fabric that researchers made dissolves within minutes, which could offer users immediate protection against unwanted pregnancy and STDs. Another dissolves over a few days, providing contraception like the birth-control pill. That same fabric may also guard against HIV.
The electrospun cloth is inserted directly in the body or used as a coating on vaginal rings or other products.
"Our dream is to create a product women can use to protect themselves from HIV infection and unintended pregnancy," says Kim Woodrow, assistant professor of bioengineering at the University of Washington. "We have the drugs to do that. It’s really about delivering them in a way that makes them more potent, and allows a woman to want to use it."