Experts Say IUD Reputation Set for a Rebound. (Study says Device not linked to Infertility).

The intrauterine device may be poised for a comeback, some experts predict.

Two events have occurred in the past year that could cause physicians in this country to reappraise the device: A recent large, case-control study suggesting that IUD use is not associated with an increased risk of tubal occlusion or infertility and the approval of Mirena, a levonorgestrel-releasing IUD.

Publicity about the new study, which was published in August, and continued marketing efforts for Mirena should help educate physicians and allay women's fears about IUDs, experts said.

The Dalkon Shield IUD was removed from the market in the 1970s amid concerns that it could increase the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease resulting in infertility Because of this, physicians have been reluctant to prescribe other IUDs, fearing that if the women became infertile the physicians would be open to lawsuits.

Most U.S. women seeking birth control choose other options. Among women using birth control in the United States, the IUD is used by only 1%. In contrast, the IUD is used 10% of the time in Europe.

Some young women in the United States have never even heard of the IUD, said Dr. Felicia Stewart, co-director of the Center for Reproductive Health Research & Policy and at the University of California, San Francisco.

Publicity surrounding the new study may help change that. Although previous investigations have tended to exonerate the IUD, this one is the first to tie