The Shanghai ring: Two case reports and review of literature

Abstract

The intrauterine device (IUD) is the worlds most widely used method of reversible contraception used by nearly 160 million women over 2/3 of them being in China. The IUD has evolved a long way from the stem pessaries described in 1902 the Grafenburg ring in 1929 the plastic IUDs in 1960s (Lippes Loop Margulies Spiral Saf-T-Coil) the copper devices in the 1970s to the latest era of hormone impregnated IUDs like Mirena. With increasing immigration into the UK from all over the world we need to familiarize ourselves with various unusual IUDs used in other countries. This report includes two such cases from China.