Comment & Controversy

Intrauterine contraception
has a long track record

“AS USES WIDEN FOR INTRAUTERINE CONTRACEPTION, WHY HAVEN’T OBGYNS BECOME ADVOCATES?” ROBERT L. BARBIERI, MD (EDITORIAL; NOVEMBER 2009)

I was very happy to see Dr. Barbieri’s editorial about intrauterine contraception and to read of his advocacy for it. I was stationed in Germany 30 years ago during my military service and learned from observation that IUDs are a safe and effective means of contraception in teenagers and nulliparas—contrary to what I was taught during training. I have been encouraging the use of intrauterine contraception for the past 30 years, and I place two to three IUDs per week.

Doug Tolley, MD
Yuba City, Calif

Dr. Barbieri responds: Practice patterns are not always conducive to IUD advocacy

In the United States, we are fortunate to have a cadre of highly trained and deeply committed ObGyns, as evidenced by the thoughtful and concise letters from Dr. Schleifer and Dr. Tolley. Their experiences demonstrate how the unique situations of each physician (and patient) influence practice patterns. As we evolve our health system, I hope that financial barriers to patient care will be identified and resolved.

OBG Management ©2010 Quadrant HealthCom Inc.