Breakage of IUDs in utero. (Letter).

The authors comment on a reply to their earlier article on breakage of IUDs in utero. They specify that all of the IUDs used in their study were made by the Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation of New York. Generalizations in regard to the duration of resilience are warned against. It is confirmed without any substantial doubt that there is a reduction in resilience of the IUD over time which combined with normal uterine contractions is adequate to result in the breakage of the device and possible physical damage. The relative infrequency of this occurrence is recognized but its importance as a hazard is nonetheless not diminished.