She handed me a sample of her newest product: a vaginal suppository, which treats pain from menstrual cramps or endometriosis.

I still haven’t had an abortion unless you count my last miscarriage, which stubbornly refused to go on its own and thus at 10 weeks the heartless lump of cells had to be evicted by my OB-GYN with some sort of vaginal suppository that acted by mechanisms I don’t understand.

The company Ford and Riley founded, Biofem, sought to develop and market a vaginal suppository, Inner Confidence, to protect women against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, but had yet to win FDA approval.

But Japanese researchers believe they have developed the next-best thing, a vaginal suppository.

Vaginal Suppository Acid citric, 6 grainsAcid boracic, 1 dramCocoa butter, 90 grains Make into 12 suppositories.