Birth Control by Intrauterine Devices

The recent warning concerning oral contraceptive drugs sent by direct mail from the Food and Drug Administration to all physicians in the nation pointed to the small but definite risk of thromboembolism. This has caused many to reconsider the merits of alternative contraceptive measures. An excellent source of information about one of these can be found in the Report on Intrauterine Contraceptive Devices^* prepared by the Advisory Committee on Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Food and Drug Administration earlier this year. The report presents a concise but comprehensive review and also an excellent bibliography listing several hundred references.

History  Intrauterine devices (IUD) to prevent pregnancy were known to the ancients. In the past century they have been employed widely in various parts of the world. In this country, however, relatively little attention was given to the method until the present decade. Now the IUD is being used on a large