Review of The Index Project Winner: OUI

OUI is a new form of birth control. It is a capsule that is inserted into the vagina that becomes effective one minute after insertion and lasts for five hours. It mimics the body's natural form of birth control in the form of mucus. The capsule creates a gel barrier that is primarily composed of water and biopolymers, which allows for full sexual stimulation. The gel substance along with semen will naturally be flushed out of the body, leaving no trace of it. However, the most revolutionary aspect of this new birth control is that is hormonal free, which allows women to enjoy sex without all the side effects, hassles, and painful procedures that accompany the pill, Nexplanon, or an IUD. 

OUI is still undergoing trials before it is put on the market. But the hope is that it will be readily available at a reasonable price in three to four years. I like this new form of birth control because of the discreet aspect of it as well as the fact that it is easy to use. However, my favorite aspect for this new project is that it is non hormonal. Women undergo heinous side effects when taking birth control such as weight loss/gain, acne, depression, headaches, nausea, and in more rare cases blood clotting to possible development of cancer. It is long past time for a birth control that does not sit in your system and effect your body to be developed. My one qualm with this product was that the website failed to mention the idea of STD prevention. Even though this is a revolutionary idea to prevent pregnancy, having sex without a condom, even when using OUI, can result in STD transmission. If this product does go on the market, I would encourage them to provide a disclaimer and educate users on ways to minimize STD transmission while using their product.