![]() Patients with a history of breast or uterine cancer may be told to avoid some IUDs. People with high blood pressure and cigarette smokers are warned against using birth control pills that contain both estrogen and progestin, for example, because of the increased risk of blood clots. Much of this innovation in contraceptives ignores people who either shouldn’t or choose not to use hormonal methods. Those that contain hormones thicken cervical mucus, thin the uterine lining, and may prevent ovulation. With the exception of Paragard (also called the Copper-T), all of them contain hormones and prevent pregnancy by inhibiting the movement of sperm toward the egg. There are now five designs on the market. market.Ī modern era of IUDs began with the approval of Paragard in 1988 and Mirena in 2000. After that, usage rates plummeted and IUDs nearly disappeared from the U.S. One model, the Dalkon Shield, had serious design flaws that resulted in a higher failure rate, infections, and at least 18 deaths. In the 1970s, there were 17 models of IUDs under development by 15 different pharmaceutical companies. Around since the early 1900s, IUDs were once among the most popular methods of contraception. Intrauterine devices (IUDs) were used by 12 percent of contraceptive users. Newer hormonal methods were chosen by a small percentage of users: the shot (3.9 percent), the implant (2.6 percent), the ring (2.4 percent), and the patch (0.2 percent). ![]() In 2014, 25 percent of contraceptive users depended on the pill, followed by 22 percent who relied on female sterilization, 14 percent who used the male condom, and 6 percent who relied on male sterilization. The pill remains the most popular method of contraception. Since then, updated formulations of the pill have been released, as well as new methods to ingest the hormones-including the shot, the patch, the ring, and the implant. All of these methods rely on synthetic hormones, which control the menstrual cycle to prevent ovulation and thicken cervical mucus (to make it harder for sperm to get to the fallopian tubes where fertilization would take place). Hormonal methods have dominated the contraceptive landscape since the pill was invented in the 1960s. In 2014, Guttmacher Institute found that only 0.6 percent of contraceptive users relied on “other methods” of contraception, which includes the diaphragm, internal condom, foam, cervical cap, sponge, suppository, jelly or cream, and other unnamed methods. While traditional male condoms remain popular for both pregnancy and STI prevention, other barrier methods are rarely used these days. (The original version debuted in 1993.) Other barrier methods include “male” condoms, diaphragms, cervical caps, and the sponge. The last barrier method to come on the market was the redesigned “female” condom, now called the internal condom, in 2006. The company concluded that Ovaprene blocked “essentially all sperm.” Daré Bioscience, the company behind Ovaprene, tested the device in 23 women by comparing the number of sperm found in their cervical mucus two to three hours after intercourse with and without the device (with the same partner each time). Initial test results released at the end of 2019 found that the device successfully blocked sperm. ![]() (Most barrier methods are single-use only and need to be put in place directly before intercourse.) If approved by the FDA, Ovaprene would also be the first barrier method capable of working for an entire month. The device is made out of a tightly knit polymer that also physically blocks sperm from getting into the cervix when used correctly. It releases a chemical that works locally to immobilize sperm. ![]() Still in its early stages of testing, Ovaprene is a small device that is inserted inside the vagina. But a new form of contraception called Ovaprene could become the first new barrier method in nearly 15 years. Most of them, however, rely on hormones in one way or another people who can’t or prefer not to use hormonal methods still have limited options. In the past few decades, a number of new, innovative birth control methods have hit the market. ![]()
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