Netherlands researchers redesign vaginal speculum to ease discomfort

Cold, rigid, and metallic – it’s not a medieval torture device, but the vaginal speculum, a tool used daily in gynecological exams worldwide and often linked to discomfort and fear. Two engineers at Delft University in the Netherlands are now reimagining this decades-old device, aiming to make it less intimidating for patients.

Jul 15, 2025 - 01:04
Netherlands researchers redesign vaginal speculum to ease discomfort
Cold, rigid, and metallic – it’s not a medieval torture device, but the vaginal speculum, a tool used daily in gynecological exams worldwide and often linked to discomfort and fear. Two engineers at Delft University in the Netherlands are now reimagining this decades-old device, aiming to make it less intimidating for patients.