A biomedical engineer is tackling the painful reality of gynaecological procedures, with a “phantom uterus” that offers a safe, anatomically accurate platform for designing and testing medical devices, with the potential to transform comfort, safety and innovation in women’s healthcare.

Women-specific medical devices have received little attention in science and medical research, resulting in few advancements for decades. Routine procedures such as the insertion of the contraceptive implant often leave women in severe pain or cause them to avoid it altogether.

Almost 90 per cent of women report moderate to severe pain during a cervical procedure for IUD insertion, with 18 per cent using an alternative to IUD for contraception because of fear of how painful they can be.

Biomedical engineer, Saskia Hale, has designed and manufactured a life-sized phantom of a pre-menopausal non-pregnant uterus for the planning and designing of implants.

Long term, the innovation has the potential to improve the design, functionality and safety of medical devices used in gynaecological procedures, by providing an anatomically and mechanically accurate model.

A recent graduate of Biomedical Engineering from Imperial College London, Hale developed the

device as part of her Master’s Project.

It integrates advanced medical imaging, computational modelling, and materials science, enabling safe and effective gynaecological device development and reducing the need for live patient trials.

Developing the phantom uterus

Hale, who says she is passionate about improving the quality of people’s lives, is currently a biomedical engineer with Arete Medical Technologies.

Her idea for the phantom uterus came about after Charing Cross Hospital’s clinical engineering department began developing a device to test the geometry of a mechanically accurate uterus.

“I had an initial meeting with my supervisor, Dr Warren Macdonald, and the hospital to understand more of the specifics and what they wanted from the project to make it meaningful for them,” Hale tells Femtech World.

“I began to learn more about the materials that could replicate the uterus structures. One of the most interesting ways of doing this was not just by looking at journals, but by visiting the hospital’s Cadaver Lab and speaking to anatomy prosectors.

“I took away some great points, regarding not just the uterus, but considering how it interacts with the surrounding organs.

“Early in the design process, I also realised the importance of making the model adaptable to different uterine positions, not just the anteverted position, the most common type. It was really important to me that everyone was represented to improve the experience women have with intrauterine medical devices.”

How it works

The phantom uterus was developed through extensive research to help Hale understand the anatomy of the uterus – segmenting medical images to create a 3D model and exploring the viability of potential materials before the phantom uterus was manufactured and tested.

“The phantom uterus I developed is a model to allow for deployment planning and geometric designing of an implant,” says Hale.

“It works free-standing at the moment, but in the future, I hope to add a pelvis and the surrounding organs as I look towards improvements and the realism of the phantom uterus.

Hale adds, “Any device that can be inserted vaginally into the uterus can be tested to see how it interacts.”

Two key areas of the uterus needed to be validated for the design.

“After careful material selection, which influenced the manufacturing technique, anatomical validation and medical device validation were needed,” Hale explains.

“The anatomical validation showed that the uterus developed was a little bit smaller than expected, possibly due to the scans used and the shrinkage during moulding, needing to be larger than what was accounted for.

“The medical device validation study looked at a speculum being inserted into the phantom uterus and the key things a physician would do, see and feel, and how closely they were mimicked by the uterus. The results showed an 80 per cent performance score, and with some improvements, that score is expected to only go up.”

Supporting unmet need

Women-specific medical devices, such as contraceptive devices, are underfunded and under-researched, Hale highlights, emphasising that the phantom uterus allows for precise testing and optimisation of devices, ensuring they are safe, effective and comfortable for patients.

“A phantom uterus would also address the underfunding in women’s health that has resulted

in gaps in knowledge and treatment options, as a safer method for pre-clinical trials and the redevelopment of devices that may not work effectively,” says Hale, who shared her research at BioMedEng24.

“I’d love to continue furthering the work on the phantom uterus and to share my research so others can learn and progress in medical device design within women’s health.”

Earlier this year, Hale was selected as the winner of the Judge’s Choice Award at the Femtech Awards 2025 for her work on the phantom uterus project, an achievement she describes as a “complete surprise” and “an absolute privilege”.

“This is my life mission,” says Hale. “Being recognised alongside such influential individuals and organisations in the femtech field is incredibly meaningful, especially since I am so early on in my career.”

She adds: “This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Imperial College London and Charing Cross Hospital, especially my supervisor, Dr. Warren Macdonald, as well as Joelle and Aheed from Charing Cross.”