| December 2009 · Vol. 21, No. 12 Comment & Controversy
Aren’t intrauterine contraceptives abortifacients?
“INTRAUTERINE CONTRACEPTION: PATIENT AND CLINICIAN CONSIDERATIONS” LEE SHULMAN, MD, HENRY M. HESS, MD, PHD, RAQUEL ARIAS, MD, ANDREW LONDON, MD, MBA, AND SUSAN WYSOCKI, RN (SUPPLEMENT; JULY)
I question the statement, in this supplement to OBG Management, that the mechanism of action of intrauterine contraceptives is spermicidal. This implies that an intrauterine device (IUD) is not an abortifacient. Yet, the 2009 edition of The Physicians’ Desk Reference describes the “possible mechanism(s) by which copper enhances contraception efficacy, [which] include interference with sperm transport or fertilization, and prevention of implantation.”
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