The Dalkon Shield controversy. Structural and bacteriological studies of IUD tails
H. J. Tatum, F. H. Schmidt, D. Phillips, M. McCarty and W. M. O'Leary
The recent report of 209 cases of septic spontaneous abortion and 11
maternal deaths in the United States in women using the Dalkon Shield
intrauterine device (IUD) raised the question about a possible causal
relationship between the IUD and pelvic sepsis. It is essential to
determine whether or not this sipsis is unique to the Dalkon Shield or
generic to all types of IUDs. Our studies permit the conclusion that the
tail of the Dalkon Shield is structurally and functionally different from
the tails of the four other IUDs tested. The unique characteristics of the
Dalkon tail theoretically could provide a mechanism whereby pathogenic
bacteria from the vagina enter the uterine cavity and cause sepsis.
