The dalkon shield in four Latin American countries

Abstract

In a series of retrospective studies on the use-effectiveness of the Dalkon Shield in four developing countries in the Western Hemisphere, the device, when used for interval insertions, was found to have pregnancy and continuation rates similar to those reported by Tietze for the Lippes Loop D. Expulsion rates were quite low, even for low parity women. Pregnancy rates with the Dalkon Shield were high in a multi-clinic setting in Costa Rica where the device had been used for early postpartum insertions. These four studies taken together constitute the largest study of the Dalkon Shield in developing countries hitherto published in the Western Hemisphere.