These ‘Contraceptive Earrings’ Could Be Used to Prevent Unwanted Pregnancy

In Upcoming days, family planning for women might be easy as wearing on a pair of earrings.
A report, which was published in the Journal of Controlled Release, details an advanced technique for advanced technique for administering contraceptive hormones through special backing on various types of jewelry, including earring,necklaces, rings, and wristwatches, Georgia Institute of Technology said in a press release. The hormones are contained in tiny patches that could be put on parts of jewelry that contact the skin, enabling the drugs to be absorbed into the body.
Even though no human testing has been conducted yet,  initial testing suggests that the contraceptive jewelry might deliver the right amounts of hormone to provide contraception to women. Plus, the researches hope that pairing contraceptive patches with jewelry could provide a more discreet way for delivering the drugs.
"The more contraceptive options that are available,the more likely it is that the needs of individual women can be met. Because putting on jewelry may already be part of a woman's daily routine, this technique may facilitate compliance with the drug regimen," Mark Prausnitz from Georgia Institute of  Technology said in a press release. "This technique could more effectively empowered women to prevent unintended pregnancies.

The earring patch tested by the team had three layers. An impermeable  layer included an adhesive to hold it onto an earring back, the underside of wristwatch, or the inside area of a necklace or ring. The middle layer of the patch had the contraceptive drug in solid form. The outer layer was a skin adhesive, which would help stick to skin so the contraceptive hormone can be transferred. Once in the skin's layer, the contraceptive drug can move into the bloodstream and circulate through a woman's body.
The team tested the concept on animal models, first on pigs' ears and then the hairless rats; skin. to mimic the removal of earrings during sleep, the researchers put the patches on the animals for 16 hours, then took them off for eight hours. With testing, the team found that even though levels decreased when the earring were off, the patch could generate necessary amounts of the hormone in bloodstream.

More testing will be required for the contraceptive jewelry will be required for the contraceptive jewelry, however, it could give women another contraceptive option in coming years.
"pharmaceutical jewelry introduces a novel delivery method that may make |taking contraceptives more appealing," Prausnitz added. "Making it more appealing should make it easier to remember to use it."