Suction Retractor Eases Access to the Cervix

A new suction cervical retractor provides an intuitive and reliable tool for diagnostic and therapeutic gynecological procedures.

The Bioceptive suction cervical retractor is a non-traumatic device that uses gentle suction to engage at 360 degrees around the cervix, creating a functional portal through which a variety of instruments can be passed into the cervical canal and uterus. The retractor can be used in a wide range of gynecological procedures, including endometrial biopsies, intrauterine device (IUD) insertion, fertility procedures, and others. It is suitable for use with numerous instruments and from various manufacturers.


The suction cervical retractor replaces standard cervical tenaculum forceps, which are used to pierce and clamp cervical tissue to stabilize the cervix and uterus. The retractor, a product of Bioceptive (New Orleans, LA, USA), will also serve as a future platform for a pipeline of other products currently under development, some of them in preclinical testing. One such device is a comprehensive insertion system for IUDs that is intended to replace the four to five instruments currently used in such procedures.

“Bioceptive’s suction tenaculum is a truly novel gynecologic instrument that permits cervical traction without tissue penetration,” said David Turok, MD, MPH, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Utah (Salt Lake City, USA). “This device coupled with Bioceptive’s IUD inserter has the potential to revolutionize IUD insertion by dramatically simplifying the process.”

An IUD is a small, long-acting reversible contraception device, often 'T'-shaped, which is inserted into the uterus; it usually contains either copper or levonorgestrel. The IUD works primarily by preventing fertilization, as the progestogen released thickens the cervical mucus so that sperm cannot reach the fallopian tubes. Copper IUDs contain no hormones, but the copper ions in the cervical mucus are toxic to sperm. They also cause the uterus and fallopian tubes to produce a fluid that contains white blood cells, copper ions, enzymes, and prostaglandins, a combination that is also toxic to sperm. The IUD is one of the more effective types of reversible birth control, with failure rates of copper IUDs at about 0.8%, while the levonorgestrel IUD has a failure rate of 0.2% in the first year of use.

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