A Three-Dimensional Way to Prevent Pregnancy: The IUB Intra Uterine Ball-A Newly Introduced IUD in Clinical Trials.

The intrauterine device (IUD) is the most frequently used reversible family planning method in the world. The earlier IUDs made of inert plastic materials have largely been superseded in modern medical practice by improved designs which release copper or levonorgestrel (LNG-IUS). These modifications considerably enhanced the efficacy of the IUD. However, the modern copper IUDs in their different shapes exist already over 40 years in clinical use and the levonorgestrel IUDs for more than 20. While highly effective, IUDs are associated with complications, including fundal perforation, malposition, and expulsion. Aggregated prevalence of these issues is estimated at 7–12 %. Most innovations in this field in the last years were mostly in trying to improve insertion safety by minor changes in IUD shapes (most of them T-shaped or a copper-coated thread known as ‘‘frameless’’) and remodeling of the insertion kits. These innovations, however, have not changed the complication rates. We report on a newly developed IUD with a threedimensional structure—the IUB—the intra uterine ball.