Contraceptive devices and methods

Claim 1

AN INTRA-UTERINE CONTRACEPTIVE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING AN INTRA-UTERINE CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICE OF BIOLOGICALLY INERT MATERIAL COMPRISING A TRUNK PORTION FROM WHICH A PAIR OF OPPOSITELY DISPOSED LOOPS PROTRUDE, AN ELONGATED TUBULAR MEMBER ADAPTED TO LINEARLY RECEIVE THE DEVICE WITH SAID LOOPS BEING UNLOOPED IN SIDE-BY-SIDE GENERALLY LINEAR RELATION FOR PLACEMENT OF THE DEVICE WITH THE UTERUS, SAID TUBULAR MEMBER BEING OF SUCH SIZE AND SHAPE SO AS TO EXTEND AT ITS DISTAL END THROUGH THE CERVICAL OS INTO THE UTERUS AND AT ITS PROXIMAL END PROJECT ENTIRELY OUTSIDE THE BODY OF THE PATIENT SO AS TO PROVIDE AN EXTERNAL PORTION WHICH CAN BE VISUALIZED AND MANUALLY GRASPED FOR PURPOSES OF MANIPULATION, AND A PLUNGER THE LEADING END OF WHICH IS JOINED THE TRUNK PORTION OF THE DEVICE FOR TO AND FRO JOINT MANIPULATION SO THAT WHEN THE PLUNGER IS SLIDABLY DISPOSED WITHIN THE TUBULAR ELEMENT BUT WITH THE TRAILING END OF THE PLUNGER PROJECTING FROM THE PROXIMAL END THEREOF PULLING OF THE PLUNGER OUTWARD THROUGH THE PROXIMAL END OF THE TUBULAR MEMBER A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE WILL LOAD THE DEVICE INTO THE TUBULAR MEMBER THROUGH THE DISTAL END THEREOF UNTIL THE LOOPS ARE UNLOOPED IN THE MENTIONED SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATION AND, THEREAFTER PUSHING THE PLUNGER INWARDLY THROUGH THE PROXIMAL END OF THE TUBULAR MEMBER A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE WILL ACCOMMODATE EJECTION OF THE DEVICE UTERUS, SUCH THE TUBULAR ELEMENT IS SO PLACED WITHIN THE UTERUS, SUCH THAT THE LOOPS, DUE TO THE SHAPE-RETENTION CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INERT MATERIAL, ARE RESTORED TO THEIR LOOPED POSITIONS WITHIN THE FRONTAL PLANE OF THE UTERINE CAVITY.