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The intra-uterine device in Soweto and other townships


M. Spilhaus

Abstract

The complex of townships of Soweto (South-Western Townships), a few miles from Johannesburg, is inhabited solely by Blacks belonging to virtually all the tribes found in South Africa, though Zulus and Sothos predominate, The variation of adaptation to modern Western life ranges from close to tribal background, to completely Westernised and highly educated. About a quarter of a million people inhabit Soweto illegally. There are no slums, but Soweto is far from ideal. Nevertheless there is steady, rapid advancement, responsibilities are being accepted, attitudes are changing and the blessings of family spacing and limitation are generally understood. The family planning service is a great success. The performance of the intra-uterine device (IUD) is discussed against a background of well over 25000 insertions, A Lippes loop series and a Dalkon Shield evaluation are presented. Insertions into nulliparous young women, and post-Caesarean cases are discussed, and the importance of the IUD in a mass family planning programme emphasised.

S. Afr. Med. J., 48, 1302 (1974).

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eISSN: 2078-5135
print ISSN: 0256-9574