Contraceptive jewelry could provide a new form of elegant and discreet birth control

One day, women may be able to put ear curls and avoid unwanted pregnancies. That's right, scientists are taking advantage of existing technology to deliver contraceptive hormones via jewelry.

This is not limited to earrings either. Wristwatches, rings or necklaces are also interesting games.

Contraceptive jewelry may seem far away, but the idea has been preparing for a long time. It is an adaptation of skin patch technology already used to administer drugs to prevent motion sickness, stop smoking and manage the symptoms of menopause. There is even a contraceptive patch that does pretty much the same thing as the back of this earring – the new bit is the technology designed to look like jewelry.

The concept also goes beyond vanity and style. There are times when discretion is important, especially in cultures where birth control is stigmatized or in relationships where a male partner is against contraception.

"Many jewels, such as earrings, rings, necklaces, wristwatches and other objects, come into direct contact with the skin and could thus discreetly house a transdermal patch", said lead author Mark Prausnitz in a statement.

Before sighing on the fact that you must wear the same earrings as long as you want to give up the pregnancy, it's the back ear loop that contains the hormone – not the ear loop itself. This means that you can wear a variety of earrings to the delight of your heart, provided the support that keeps it in contact with the skin.

However, despite the availability of patch technology, the team must always prove that jewelry is safe and effective for humans. They will also have to do further research to see if the female population is receptive to the idea.

Until now, the team has tested jewelry, which contains the hormone levonorgestrel, on pigs' ears and rat skin without hair, by publishing their findings in the Journal of Controlled Release. The ear loop patches consist of three layers: a waterproof adhesive that attaches to the back of the ear loop, another containing the contraceptive medication and a skin adhesive to hold it against the skin so that the hormone can be transferred to the body.

Since women will likely want to remove jewelery while they sleep, the researchers applied the patches for 16 hours and removed them for 8 hours. Meanwhile, levonorgestrel levels have dropped but not below the threshold required for the hormone to remain effective. However, it seems likely that the back of the earrings will have to be changed every week.

Currently, the pill has a failure rate of 0.3% with perfect use, but this rate climbs to 9% with typical use. There is also the option of a transdermal patch of one week or a vaginal ring of one month, both self-administered. With typical imperfect use, these methods have a failure rate of 6 to 9%. Implanted contraceptive methods such as intrauterine devices can last for many years and have the same failure rates in perfect and typical use (0.05 to 0.2%).

Contraceptive jewelry is not meant to replace all birth control methods, but offers women another option. "The acceptability can be improved because the wearing of pharmaceutical jewelry looks less like a medical intervention than an element of daily activity," Prausnitz said.

"The more contraceptive options available, the more likely it is that every woman's needs can be met."