The “boom and bust phenomenon”: the hopes, dreams, and broken promises of the contraceptive revolution

Boonstra, Heather; Duran, Vanessa; Northington Gamble, Vanessa; Blumenthal, Paul; Dominguez, Linda; Pies, Cheri

« PreviousContraception
Volume 61, Issue 1 , Pages 9-25, January 2000

The “boom and bust phenomenon”: the hopes, dreams, and broken promises of the contraceptive revolution

Heather Boonstra
- Reproductive Health Technologies Project, Washington, DC, USA
- Name and address for correspondence: Heather Boonstra, M.A., Senior Public Policy Associate, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1120 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 460, Washington, DC 20036; Tel.: 202-296-4012
Vanessa Duran
- Reproductive Health Technologies Project, Washington, DC, USA
Vanessa Northington Gamble
- Center for Race and Ethnicity in Medicine, University of Wisconsin, School of Medicine, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Paul Blumenthal
- Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University, Department of Ob/Gyn, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Linda Dominguez
- Planned Parenthood of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Cheri Pies
- Family, Maternal, and Child Health Programs, Contra Costa County Health Services, Martinez, California, USA

Received 17 June 1999; received in revised form 29 November 1999; accepted 14 December 1999.

Abstract

The “boom and bust phenomenon” is a pattern that has emerged in the development, introduction, and delivery of a number of significant new contraceptive products in the United States. When a new contraceptive product is introduced with great promise and publicity, it usually experiences a “boom” during which sales, demand, and expectations are high. This boom is often followed by a “bust” phase during which a product does not live up to expectations, initial excitement falls off, and a drop in sales and use ensues.

The boom and bust phenomenon goes to the heart of what some have referred to as the failed promise of the contraception revolution by creating obstacles to significant expansion of contraceptive choice in the United States. Case studies of oral contraceptives, intrauterine devices, and Norplant® are used to illustrate the boom and bust phenomenon and the effect it has had in shaping the direction of advances in contraceptive technology.

Keywords: contraception, oral contraceptives, intrauterine device, Norplant, research and development