Why is it SO BIG? The Béa Applicator explained

This week we're talking about the size of the Béa Applicator. It’s long, it’s hard, it’s intimidatingly large. It could double as the dark and brooding protagonist of ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ (IYKYK).

But why? Why is the Béa Applicator the size and shape that it is? Let us take you on a journey.

Why is it so long?

When we designed the Béa Applicator, we needed to make it a length that could reach everybody’s cervix. The length of a human vagina ranges from 4.1 - 9.5 cm, with one study of 656 women reporting lengths of up to 13 cm. So, we needed it to be at least 13 cm long. Then, we needed some spare room so that the person doing the inserting (whether that’s yourself or a partner or helper) could hold on to the base of the stem once inserted, and hold it steady whilst turning the handle full 360 degrees. Et voila, the Béa Applicator is 17.5 glorious centimetres long.

Why is it gently curved?

The top half of the Béa Applicator is very gently curved upwards. We believed when designing the applicator that this would ensure more precise placement of the cervical cap onto the cervix. The data from my tests with the OBGYN suggests that this design feature does work as intended (we had test photographs taken of the cap covering my cervix, while satisfying that they were a great fit, they were definitely not flattering - we won’t add them here), but we do need more data to say for sure if this curve is needed or just aesthetically pleasing (still important).

Why is it so wide?

At the opening (the introitus, if you will) the vagina is 2.6 cm wide. The Béa Applicator is 2.5cm wide (with a slight 1mm flare at the top to round the edge for comfortable insertion). So it’s a shoe-in (not literally), but we needed to make the applicator as wide as the body would allow to fit the cervical cap inside of it. The cervical cap needed to have a reservoir on it that allowed for the average semen volume, which meant it needed to be a certain size.

Why is it so hard and smooth?

The material of the Béa Applicator is medical-grade and safe for use inside the body. It’s smooth because that makes it easier to insert into the vaginal canal (take that, Amazon), and it’s hard because it needs to be strong enough to withstand transportation and use.

Every part of the Béa Applicator was carefully thought through and designed with every body in mind – we really did leave no stone unturned in our quest for the perfect… tool.