What is a speculum?
Current medical guidance says women should see an OB/GYN for an annual exam, primarily focused on the reproductive system. In addition to checking the breasts, external genitalia, and uterus, the doctor often conducts a pelvic exam. That exam typically uses a device called a speculum (usually metal or rigid plastic) which is inserted into the vagina and then opened so the clinician can see the vaginal walls and cervix (the opening to the uterus).
Women delay or skip annual exams
A recent Harris Poll found that 72% of women have delayed a gynecology visit, and 54% cited fear or discomfort as the reason. It has been roughly 181 years since the speculum was invented, and it’s outrageous that basic preventive care still causes so much pain and distress that women avoid it altogether.
Why do exams matter
One of the most important reasons for pelvic exams is to screen for cervical cancer. Regular testing (Pap smears and HPV tests) can detect abnormal cells long before cancer develops, when treatment is straightforward and survival rates are high. When the screening experience is painful or frightening, women understandably skip visits, and that puts them at higher risk of missing conditions that are treatable when caught early.
Innovations coming to market
As women’s health finally gets more attention and investment, several promising solutions are emerging:
- Lilium, developed at TU Delft in the Netherlands, is a soft, semi‑flexible speculum that unfolds gently to create space for the exam. It enables self‑insertion, putting a difficult part of the procedure in the patient’s hands, with the goal of less pain and better visibility of the cervix. The team is now pursuing clinical studies, regulatory approval, and health‑system partners.
- Nina, from Wingwomen Technologies in the US, is an AI‑enabled speculum redesigned with comfort and data in mind. It incorporates sensors and analytics to collect biophysical data while aiming to reduce discomfort during exams, and is already in market.
- Rosa Spec by My Village Innovations in the US is a new, single-use speculum re-imagined by an obgyn to reduce discomfort and improve visibility. It is made from a flexible material, and can also be inserted by the patient. The company is preparing to scale, with market entry on the horizon.
- Teal Wand by Teal Health in the US allows at‑home self‑collection of vaginal samples for HPV testing, using the same highly accurate lab test used in clinics. HPV is the virus that causes nearly all cervical cancers, and Teal Wand (FDA‑approved in 2025) has already launched in California and is now expanding across the US.
While each of these solutions offers a slightly different approach to the problem, because they are all designed by women they share the common goal of improving patient experience and outcomes.
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For me, the real outrage is not just that the speculum is 181 years old; it’s that for most of that time, the industry treated women’s pain, fear, and avoidance as acceptable collateral damage in the name of “standard care.” When 72% of women delay visits and more than half say they do it because of fear or discomfort, it’s clear that standard is no longer acceptable. Hopefully the cold metal speculum will soon be a relic of the past, and – thanks to these innovations – more women will feel confident and safe in seeking the routine care they need.
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