Cervical cap

Cervical cap
Oves brand cervical cap (discontinued)
Background
Type	Barrier
First use	1838
Pregnancy rates (first year)
Perfect use	Prentif, nulliparous: 9% Prentif, parous: 26%
Typical use	Prentif, nulliparous: 16% Prentif, parous: 32% Lea's Shield: 15%
Usage
Reversibility	Immediate
User reminders	Inserted with spermicide and left in place for 6 hours after intercourse
Advantages and disadvantages
Benefits	Femcap may be left in place for 48 hours

The cervical cap is a form of barrier contraception. A cervical cap fits over the cervix and blocks sperm from entering the uterus through the external orifice of the uterus, called the os.

The term cervical cap has been used to refer to a number of barrier contraceptives, including the Prentif, Dumas, Vimule, and Oves devices. In the United States, Prentif was the only brand available for several decades (Prentif was withdrawn from the U.S. market in 2005). During this time, it was common to use the term cervical cap to refer exclusively to the Prentif brand.

The Lea's Shield was a cervical barrier device which was discontinued as of 2008. Some sources use cervical cap to refer to the FemCap and Lea's Shield. Other sources include FemCap in the term cervical cap, but classified the Lea's Shield as a distinct device.

Cervical caps or conception caps have also been designed as a form of assisted reproductive technology, used to help people experiencing infertility.

The idea of blocking the cervix to prevent pregnancy is thousands of years old. Various cultures have used cervix-shaped devices such as oiled paper cones or lemon halves. Others made sticky mixtures that included honey or cedar rosin, to be applied to the os. The modern idea of a cervical cap as a fitted device that seals itself against the vaginal walls is of more recent origin; it emerged within the past century.

In 1838, German gynecologist Friedrich Wilde created the first modern cervical cap by making custom-made rubber molds of the cervix for some of his patients. These caps were probably short-lived, as uncured rubber degrades fairly quickly. An important precursor to the invention of more lasting caps was the rubber vulcanization process, patented by Charles Goodyear in 1844. An occlusive pessary marketed in the United States as the "womb veil" seems to have been an early form of diaphragm or cervical cap.