The Cervical Cap

Abstract

In the past several years, a new trend has emerged where women in in- creasingly growing numbers are becoming hesitant to accept the risks associated with hormonal and invasive methods of birth control. It is as part of this trend that a revival of sorts is occurring with the cervical cap, a form of birth control with roots which precede recorded history and which, in its modern form, was widely advocated in late 19th and early 20th century Europe. Based on the prin- ciple of occlusion, the cervical cap appears effective and risk-free, both vital concerns to women of all centuries. Women's health activists and organizations have been in the forefront of this revival. Two of the first organizations t o take an active interest in making the cap available were the New Hampshire Feminist Health Center inconcord, New Hampshire, and theEmmaGoldman Women's Health Clinic in Iowa City, Iowa. The National Women's Health Network, a national organization based in Washington, D.C., has also been an active advo- cate on the cervical cap's behalf.