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IUD Stephanie Snopek A keyword central to the study of adolescence and health is IUD. An IUD, which stands for “intrauterine device,” is a “T” shaped device, about the size of a quarter, that is placed inside a woman’s uterus to prevent pregnancy. Two types of IUDs exist; one periodically releases progestin, a synthetic chemical that mimics the effects of the hormone progesterone, while the other is copper-coated. Both IUDs prevent pregnancy by inhibiting the sperm from fertilizing the egg and implanting. The hormonal IUD works by releasing (daily) a small amount of a progestin called levonorgestrel into the reproductive system (Toler, 2022). The copper IUD, by comparison, alters the fluids in both the uterus and fallopian tubes using the properties of copper, making them inhospitable to sperm (2022). While both types are very effective at preventing pregnancy, neither protect against sexually transmitted infections.
The first
documentation on the
IUD was published in 1909 by Dr. Richard Richter of Germany (Margulies, 1975). Before the 20th century, there is no evidence of his idea to insert foreign objects, specifically a ring made of silkworm gut, into the human uterus to act as contraception. In the mid-1920’s, Ernest Graefenberg introduced a similar version which had the addition of a silver wire wrapped around it. For several years after that, different doctors around the world wrote about their successes and failures using various variations of intrauterine devices. It was not until 1969 that their effectiveness was revolutionized by Dr. Howard Tatum who (essentially) devised a simple
