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There’s been some bizarres myths about avoiding an unwanted pregnancy through the years. I’ve heard everything from douching with Coca-Cola to jumping up and down to stop sperm from swimming up to baby-making territory, but a new method that involves seaweed in your womb may actually be a legit birth control solution.
Now, it’s not as easy as heading to the beach and stuffing some green stuff into your va-jay-jay. The seaweed is actually in the form of teeny-tiny beads that are implanted in a woman’s womb. “The beads work by mimicking a human egg, a trick that persuades sperm to bind to them,” says NewScientist. The sperm will try (and fail) to impregnate the beads rather than attaching to a real egg, thus preventing pregnancy.
The best part? It’s entirely hormone-free, so it may be a good option for people who don’t do well with the pill or other hormone-altering birth control methods.
Mice have been the only test subjects thus far, but the results are exactly what they’re looking for.
“Researchers found that no mice became pregnant, even though they were mating regularly,” the Telegraph reports.
Is seaweed the answer to our birth control prayers? Possibly, which will definitely make you appreciate the slimy green stuff next time it rubs against your arms in the ocean.
