[Modern intra-uterine contraception: a better option]

Users of oral contraceptives have an increased risk of developing venous thromboembolism as well as mammary cancer. This raises the question as to whether locally applied (intrauterine) contraceptives can offer a valuable alternative with respect to efficiency and safety. During the past decade the use of modern intrauterine devices (IUDs) has made substantial progress in comparison with the use of IUDs during the 1970s and 1980s. Modern IUDs have become more efficient than oral contraception. Arguments against the use of IUDs (problems and complications in IUD insertion, the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility as well as side effects such as menorrhagia, pelvic cramps and IUD expulsion) generally appear to be based on a lack of awareness with respect to recent developments and on misunderstandings derived from bad experiences during the 1980s and earlier.