This is an I-Heart podcast.

Guaranteed Human.

Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production of IHeart Radio.

Hello and welcome to the podcast. I'm Tracy V. Wilson, and I'm Holly Fry.

This is one of a number of episodes that I've done on the show that was inspired by

Internet behavior that I've been witnessing.

Today, it is a history of the interuterine device.

Intrauterine device is how it's technically pronounced,

but always is going to come out of my mouth, interuterine, sort of slurred together, probably.

We will be getting into the internet behavior inspiration at the end of the episode.

IUDs are under the umbrella of long, long-acting reversible contraceptives.

They are the oldest one of those that is in use today.

And an estimated 160 million people around the world use them, but their popularity really varies from place to place.

Some of that is connected directly to its history.

This whole episode of our podcast is about inserting devices into the uterus to prevent pregnancy.

I'm a person who feels pretty comfortable with my body.

I have watched my share of gory medical dramas on TV.

Sometimes Patrick will walk in the room and he will watch sort of the, you know, the talking

scene of doctors happening and then there will be blood on screen and he goes,

nobody leaves.

I keep watching.

But some of the history that we are going to talk about is like right on the edge of body horror to me, even with all that context.

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