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

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(R) are used to illustrate the boom and bust phenomenon and the effect it has had in shaping the direction of advances in contraceptive technology.

PIP: The ¿boom and bust phenomenon¿ is a pattern that has emerged in the development, introduction, and delivery of many contraceptive products over the last several decades in the US. When a new contraceptive product is introduced with great promise and publicity, it experiences a ¿boom¿ phase during which sales, demand and expectations for the product are high. A ¿bust¿ phase usually follows this boom, during which a product does not appear to live up to expectations, initial excitement falls off, and a drop in sales and use ensues. The boom and bust phenomenon goes through the heart of what some have referred to as the failed promise of the contraception revolution by creating obstacles to significant expansion of contraceptive use in the US. In the paper, a number of forces that have influenced the use trends and public perceptions of 3 modern methods of contraception; namely, oral contraceptives, intrauterine devices, and Norplant are examined to illustrate how the boom and the bust cycle unfolds in the US contraceptive market and what impact this phenomenon has had in shaping the advances in contraceptive technology.