Medicine: Another Barrier to Pregnancy

Hey, Casanova, the cervical cap is no lemon

Though the Pill and intrauterine device are among the most effective ways of preventing pregnancy, increased concern over their side effects has led many women and their partners to switch to the less hazardous "barrier" contraceptives, the condom and diaphragm. Now interest is reviving in yet another barrier device, the centuries-old cervical cap.

Like the diaphragm, the cap works by preventing sperm from migrating from the vagina to the uterus and then to the fallopian tubes, where conception occurs. The diaphragm is a thin rubber shield held in place against the vaginal wall by the...

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