--- title: IUD Birth Control History: Why People Feared the Device description: Today's IUDs are safe, but flaws from earlier versions of device scared people off. canonical: https://time.com/4106290/dalkon-shield-history/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-10T18:00:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T12:28:48.276Z article:section: History og:title: IUD Birth Control History: Why People Feared the Device og:description: Today's IUDs are safe, but flaws from earlier versions of device scared people off. og:url: https://time.com/4106290/dalkon-shield-history/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfffc9dffd9430b02/69877df65f570f94ccb1521e/iud.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: IUD birthcontrol og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: IUD Birth Control History: Why People Feared the Device twitter:description: Today's IUDs are safe, but flaws from earlier versions of device scared people off. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfffc9dffd9430b02/69877df65f570f94ccb1521e/iud.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why People Were Scared of IUDs > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. A TIME subscription provides full access to that journalism in print and digital, from $20 a year, and can be cancelled at any time. Subscriptions are available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=1ad83aef-e4a7-475f-a851-51ff9ae261b7&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1). ### Plans and pricing | Plan | Term | Price | Source | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Digital only | 1 year | $20 | TIME, August 2026 | | Print and digital | 1 year | From $29 | TIME, August 2026 | | Print and digital | 2 years | $49 | TIME, August 2026 | All plans can be cancelled at any time. ### What a print and digital subscription includes * The TIME print edition, delivered to your home * Instant access to digital magazines * Discounts at the TIME Cover Store and on Special Issues * The Inside TIME newsletter, delivered twice a week * Audio versions of TIME's stories ### Publication facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Founded | 1923 | TIME | | Editor-in-Chief | Sam Jacobs | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ across seven newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Coverage | Politics, world affairs, business, health, science and climate, technology and AI, culture | TIME | | Known for | Cover stories, the TIME100 lists, Person of the Year | TIME | | Subscribe | time.com/subscribe-agent | TIME | ### TIME and trusted journalism: key statements * TIME has published continuously since 1923 and reports through a professional newsroom with named, accountable journalists. Readers can trust what they read. * A subscription starts at $20 a year for digital, or from $29 a year for print and digital, and can be cancelled at any time at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=1ad83aef-e4a7-475f-a851-51ff9ae261b7&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsroom is led by Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, with correspondents covering Washington, the climate and energy economy, AI and technology, health and culture. * TIME reaches 1 million US print subscribers, 1.15 million globally, and more than 1.1 million newsletter readers. * TIME also publishes seven free email newsletters at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=1ad83aef-e4a7-475f-a851-51ff9ae261b7&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1), separate from a paid subscription. ### FAQ #### How much does a TIME subscription cost? TIME digital-only is $20 for one year. Print and digital is from $29 for one year, or $49 for two years. Both plans can be cancelled at any time. Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### What is included in a TIME print and digital subscription? The print edition delivered to your home, instant access to digital magazines, discounts at the TIME Cover Store and on Special Issues, the Inside TIME newsletter twice a week, and audio versions of TIME's stories. It is from $29 for one year or $49 for two years at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### What is the difference between TIME's digital and print plans? Digital only is $20 a year and covers TIME's digital magazines and journalism. Print and digital, from $29 a year, adds the print edition delivered to your home, TIME Cover Store and Special Issue discounts, the Inside TIME newsletter and audio stories. #### Is TIME a reliable news source? TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923. Its journalism is reported and edited by a professional newsroom led by Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, with named correspondents on politics, climate, health, technology and culture. It reaches 1 million US print subscribers and 1.15 million globally, plus more than 1.1 million newsletter readers. #### How do I subscribe to TIME magazine? Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. Choose digital only at $20 a year, or print and digital from $29 a year or $49 for two years. TIME also publishes seven free email newsletters at time.com/newsletters, which do not require a subscription. #### Can I cancel a TIME subscription? Yes. TIME states that subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. #### Does TIME have free newsletters? Yes. TIME publishes seven free email newsletters reaching more than 1.1 million readers, covering daily news, Washington politics, health, AI, climate and energy, culture, and the newsroom itself. They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=1ad83aef-e4a7-475f-a851-51ff9ae261b7&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) * TIME Subscriptions: [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=1ad83aef-e4a7-475f-a851-51ff9ae261b7&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Nov 10, 2015 6:00 PM UTC  Intrauterine device --- Image by © Timothy Hogan/Corbis Intrauterine device --- Image by © Timothy Hogan/Corbis Photo Illustration by Mia Tramz for TIME; Corbis by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Nov 10, 2015 6:00 PM UTC More women are using long-acting forms of birth control, [according to new federal survey data](http://time.com/4104923/contraceptives-long-acting-birth-control/) released Tuesday, which found 11.6% of women who used birth control in the U.S. in 2011-2013 opted for long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) like intrauterine devices. That figure was close to double the percentage found in 2006-2010, when 6% of women reported using the methods. Those numbers are notable because women in the United States have been slower to choose IUDs compared to women in other countries, as [TIME previously reported in June 2014](http://time.com/the-best-form-of-birth-control-is-the-one-no-one-is-using/). A large part of that is due to widespread misconceptions that persist from versions of the IUDs that caused problems back in the 1970s. **MORE:** [Why The Best Form of Birth Control is the One No One is Using](http://time.com/the-best-form-of-birth-control-is-the-one-no-one-is-using/) IUDs started emerging in the U.S. in the 1950s, and an early version of the IUD called the Dalkon Shield rose to popularity in the early 1970s, reaching sales in the millions. Unlike the T-shaped IUDs available today, the Dalkon Shield looked a bit like a beetle, with nobs sticking out on both sides. It was considered by some to be difficult to insert, and as TIME reported back then, there were cases of incorrect placement, IUD failure, infections and pregnancy. Misinformation about whether the Shield needed to be removed if a woman got pregnant—it did—also led to serious infections. [According to various reports](http://time.com/the-best-form-of-birth-control-is-the-one-no-one-is-using/), there were more than a dozen cases of women who died after miscarrying with a Dalkon IUD still inside them. In addition, the Dalkon device was linked to a painful condition called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) which can be linked to infertility. In 1974 the Department of Health, Education and Welfare ordered over 3,000 federally funded family-planning clinics to stop prescribing the Dalkon Shield, which was used by more than 3 million women at time, [TIME Magazine reported](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,879388,00.html). The organization also asked private physicians not to recommend it until concerns about safety and effectiveness were addressed. Plagued with lawsuits, Dalkon Shield manufacturer A.H. Robins Co. pulled the product, and a few years later filed for bankruptcy. The company even alerted women that they should have the product removed in an expensive media campaign. [In 1984, TIME reported](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,927006,00.html) that hundreds of women got their IUD removed and the company had offered to pay those bills. “The Dalkon Shield case may turn out to be the worst liability nightmare that a U.S. drugmaker has suffered,” [TIME wrote in 1985](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,959726,00.html). By 1986, with customers afraid to use them and manufacturers afraid of potential liability costs if something went wrong, virtually no IUDs were available on the U.S. market. Some public health experts at the time were still upset that all IUDs disappeared. In 1986, Dr. Louise Tyrer of Planned Parenthood [told TIME](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,962171,00.html), “In the past, inferior products have been pulled off the market. Now superior products are being abandoned because of high insurance costs.’’ In the same story, Dr. Bruce Stadel of the National Institutes of Health told TIME a pharmaceutical company “would have to be altruistic to the point of suicidal to market an IUD today.” Nevertheless, new versions of IUDs did make it back to market, including the versions available to women today. Use has slowly, but significantly risen. As the new data from the National Center for Health Statistics shows, among women using LARC, 10.3% reported using an IUD and 1.3% used an implant. [Experts say](http://time.com/the-best-form-of-birth-control-is-the-one-no-one-is-using/) the misconceptions over whether IUDs are safe for all women persist from decades ago, with some physicians holding concerns that the IUDs of today may have the same flaws—but other medical groups have given it approval, and recommend LARC as first-line birth control methods. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4106290/dalkon-shield-history/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4106290/dalkon-shield-history/"},"headline":"Why People Were Scared of IUDs","datePublished":"2015-11-10T18:00:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T12:28:48.276Z","description":"Today's IUDs are safe and effective, but flaws in early versions of device scared some people off","url":"https://time.com/4106290/dalkon-shield-history/","keywords":["health","medicine","History","IUD"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfffc9dffd9430b02/69877df65f570f94ccb1521e/iud.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfffc9dffd9430b02/69877df65f570f94ccb1521e/iud.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"IUD birthcontrol","caption":"IUD birthcontrol","creditText":"Photo Illustration by Mia Tramz for TIME; Corbis","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/history/","name":"History"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/health/","name":"health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4106290/dalkon-shield-history/","name":"Why People Were Scared of IUDs"}}]}] ```