There are lots of good reasons for women to space their babies at least two years apart. Studies show higher risks of premature birth, pregnancy complications and delivery problems, as well as higher death rates in the early years when babies are born very close together.

But in countries where there aren't a lot of family planning options, women end up getting pregnant again sooner than they'd like.

One solution might be to provide cheap and easy access to contraception immediately after childbirth, suggests a small study in India. Using a new device, researchers were able to simplify the process of inserting an IUD — a type of long-acting contraceptive device that gets embedded into the top of the uterus, an area called the fundus.