Iuds: A Beneficial Underused Contraceptive Technology (Reproductive Health) (Intrauterine Devices‪)‬

Despite the many benefits of intrauterine contraception, this method is underused in most countries of the world, with the notable exception of China, says eminent obstetrician-gynecologist Daniel R. Mishell Jr. A long-time member of the Population Council's International Committee for Contraception Research, Mishell is also editor-in-chief of the journal Contraception and a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California. He co-authored a January 2008 article contending that intrauterine contraception, commonly called IUDs (for intrauterine devices), should be promoted by doctors as an alternative to tubal ligation. Also known as "tying the tubes," tubal ligation is surgery to close a woman's fallopian tubes, which connect the ovaries to the uterus. Tubal ligation is the second most popular form of contraception in the United States, coming in a close second to the birth control pill. Among women in the United States who practice contraception, 27 percent have had their tubes tied and 30 percent take the Pill. Only 2 percent use an IUD.