Diaphragm (contraceptive)

The diaphragm is a barrier method of contraception. It is a small soft rubber dome with a flexible rubber 'O'-ring moulded into the edge which the user fills with a spermicidal (sperm killing) cream, foam or gel before placing it in the vagina to wall off the cervix (the opening to the uterus), thus preventing sperm from entering. A diaphragm is very soft and flexible, and can be gently squeezed from its normal circular shape into a thin 'melon-slice' shape for easy insertion.

Further reading

• Halberstam, David. "The Fifties." New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1994.
• McCann, Carole R. "Birth Control Politics in the United States, 1916-1945. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1994.
• Tobin, Kathleen. "The American Religious Debate Over Birth Control, 1907-1937. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, 2001.