On this page, you’ll find answers to our most frequently asked questions. If your question isn’t here, feel free to reach out to us at peter@choice.nu. We’ll respond as quickly as possible.
This is often the first question women ask when they hear about Choice, frequently accompanied by the remark that it is time for men to carry part of the contraceptive burden.
We fully agree with that sentiment. Still, we consciously chose to develop Choice for women first. Our reasons are:
* This global figure varies significantly per country. Rates of unintended pregnancy are strongly influenced by access to education, quality of sex education, and cultural norms.
No. Eggs do not accumulate in the body. Like sperm, an egg has a very limited lifespan if it is not fertilized. After ovulation, an unfertilized egg survives for approximately 12 to 24 hours. It then naturally breaks down and is reabsorbed by the body.
Pain is a topic many women have questions about. Understandably so. Research in the Netherlands shows that 52% of women experience severe to unbearable pain during IUD placement. This is especially common in women under 35 years old and in women who have not had a vaginal birth. For 32% of women, this severe pain persists for hours after placement, and for 45% it lasts two days or longer.
Despite these figures, women are often poorly informed about possible pain and pain management. Usually, only paracetamol or ibuprofen is advised beforehand. Local anaesthesia is rarely offered: only 5% of women receiving an IUD from a gynaecologist were offered this option, and only about a quarter of women go to a gynaecologist at all for IUD placement.
What about Choice?
Choice is also placed via the uterus, but the procedure is fundamentally different from an IUD. With an IUD, the cervix is typically grasped with forceps to straighten the uterus. For many women, this is the most painful part of the procedure.
With Choice, the cervix is not grasped. Instead, an ultra-thin, specially developed tube gently passes through the cervical opening. This tube is as small as possible to reduce discomfort and is used to guide the valves into the fallopian tubes.
During placement, we use a warm saline solution, which helps make the experience more comfortable. The fallopian tubes themselves have fewer nerve endings than the uterus, which also contributes to lower pain levels. Local anaesthesia is always offered, so you can choose what feels most comfortable for you.
During placement, and whenever the position of a valve is changed, we use an endoscope: a microscopic camera that allows us to directly see the valve and confirm it is correctly positioned.
The valve itself is bistable. This means it has only two stable states, similar to a light switch: fully open or fully closed. There are no in-between positions.
In addition, we are developing an easy, non-invasive way to check the valve’s position after placement, for anyone who would like extra reassurance about whether the valves are open or closed.
No. The valves are designed to remain securely in their position. Based on calculations and testing, the amount of force required to unintentionally open or close a valve is far beyond what could occur during everyday life or common accidents.
In other words, impacts or movements that a person could realistically experience would not be sufficient to change the valve’s position. The valves will only open or close intentionally.
Our preliminary research in rabbit fallopian tubes shows that the outer surface of the Choice implant gently integrates with the outermost epithelial layer of the fallopian tube. This is exactly what the implant is designed to do: it helps keep the valve securely in place without damaging surrounding tissue.
In this test period of 28 days, we have not observed negative tissue reactions or inflammation in these studies. The valve itself remains functional, and its ability to open and close is not affected by this light anchoring.
As with all medical innovations, further research and clinical studies are ongoing to confirm these findings in humans.
No. Opening or closing the valves requires specialized Choice medical instruments and a clinical procedure performed by trained professionals. It cannot be done remotely or without direct access to your body.
Any attempt to do this without your knowledge or consent would be highly illegal and extremely unlikely.
Choice is designed to stay in your body for life, so there is no medical need to remove the valves, including after menopause. That said, removal is ofcourse possible if someone chooses to do so, or if the body does not tolerate the implants as expected. Choice has been designed with removability in mind.
As states before, the valves integrate only superficially with the inner epithelial lining of the fallopian tubes. If removal is desired, a specialized medical technique allows the implant to be gently retracted into a hollow tube and withdrawn.
This may cause minor, superficial damage to the epithelial lining. The lining of the fallopian tubes naturally renews itself and has a strong capacity for repair, meaning this superficial damage is expected to heal well.
