Design and Prototyping:

In bold letters in the middle of an article, there were these words: “Not a single IUD design in history has been credited to a woman.” (Vernasco/Millikan, 2015) As you read on, and do more research on a device that saves millions of women every year, it is incredible to think that no woman had a part in the design of this device.

©2012 Laura Erickson

The IUD was developed in the early 1970’s by Dr. Hugh Davis as a form of birth control for “poor women” who needed a method that didn’t require the same effort as the pill. When it was first designed and released, it was called the Dalkon Shield. It had an awkward, rounded, bulky design and the doctors who developed it didn’t give as much though about how the Dalkon Shield would be gotten in and out of a woman’s uterus. It became abundantly clear very quickly that the Dalkon Shield was not designed with a uterus in mind. After it’s release in 1971, at least 18 women were killed and over 200,000 were injured due to the poor design of the Dalkon Shield, prompting the FDA to issue a recall on the devices after it had been on the market for four years.  After this, doctors sat down to try to determine the most practical and efficient design for an IUD, keeping the female anatomy in mind.

The Lippes Loop

The next successful model of IUD was the Lippes Loop, an S shaped device developed by Dr. Jack Lippes and plastics engineer Paul Bronnenkant. Lippes had said that he invented the Lippes Loop with modern plastics technology in mind, as well as wanting to invent an intrauterine device that would fit more comfortably in a uterus. Lippes also added the string to the end of the IUD, so that removal would be easier. The Lippes Loop was made from polyethylene and barium sulfate. (Vernasco/Millikan, 2015)

Later, Dr. Howard Tatum suggested that the T shape would be the most efficient shape for the IUD, as it would reduce rates of expulsion and fit better with the shape of the uterus. Dr. Tatum and another physician named Jaime Zipper also discovered that copper served as an extremely effective spermicide, and together they created the Paragard IUD. (Thiery, 1997)

Manufacturing and Production:

Many years after the success of the Lippes Loop, the son of co founder Paul Bronnekant, founded a company called Finishing Enterprises which would become the first company to manufacture the safest IUD, the Copper T380.

Currently, the T380 IUD aka Paragard is manufactured in the United States by a subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceuticals.

Marketing:

©2012 Skyla

Marketing for IUD promotes freedom and choice above all. Nearly every commercial for an IUD shows a woman discussing what she intends to accomplish in her life, a baby not being part of the current plan. The commercials imply that not everyone is ready to have a baby, so why not use a birth control that doesn’t require excessive maintenance? Advertising for this product show that women have other priorities in life than having children.

Mirena IUD Advertisment
Skyla IUD Advertisment

Sales:

The IUD in it’s few forms can cost anywhere from $500 to $1,000 which is certainly off putting for a low income woman. But since the IUD has an effectiveness that lasts up to 10 years, it becomes the cheapest and most efficient option compared to birth control pills (which cost up to $50 a month). When you compare the costs of the various available forms of birth control, the IUD is easily the most cost effective one.

However, paying for your IUD or other birth control is not always an out of pocket expense. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, more insurance providers cover birth control. Also, Planned Parenthood will help you obtain your birth control at little to no cost, plus they have trained medical professionals who will insert the IUD for you and provide other services necessary for women’s health, reproductive or otherwise.

User Support and Maintenance:

User Support and maintenance for the IUD are nearly the same. Insertion of the IUD must be done by a doctor or nurse practitioner. The insertion consists of forcibly opening the cervix and inserting the device. This will cause severe cramping, which is normal since regular menstrual cramps are caused by the natural opening of the cervix every month. (Rodriguez, 2015)

In the weeks following initial insertion, the user should check the strings attached to the device to ensure they are still in place. If the strings seem out of place, the user should go back to the doctor to check on whether or not the device has shifted around. Perforation of the uterus is possible, although not common. If an IUD recipient suspects any sort of damager or displacement of the IUD, they must see their medical provider in order to be sure of any changes. If all goes normal, the IUD will last anywhere from 3-10 years depending on the brand/type and will be routinely checked during annual doctor’s appointments. Other than checking the IUD strings, users cannot do much for their IUD maintenance at home.

Intrauterine Devices are a medical technology, therefore any questions must be directed to healthcare professionals.

Recycling and Disposal:

Birth control itself is a very eco friendly product as it reduces our carbon footprint (by limiting the number of humans we bring into the world). According to ecori.org, the IUD is one of the greenest forms of birth control because it produces little waste. (DeForbes, 2015) Used IUDs are usually disposed of through high temperature incineration or specific burial in an established land fill. Before destruction or disposal, the IUD is cut into small pieces to minimize complications. (UNFPA, 2013)