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The G Ring: How the IUD Escaped the Nazis
An epic untold true story at the intersection of WWII and the history of reproductive freedom—as the inventor of a controversial form of contraception struggles to escape Nazi Germany.
Dr. Ernst Gräfenberg was among the most sought-after gynecologists in pre–World War II Germany. The creator of the first IUD, known as the Gräfenberg ring, he was posthumously credited with identifying the eponymous “Gräfenberg spot” or G-spot. He was also a Jew in Nazi Germany, and by 1938 he had been stripped of his practice, his possessions, and his freedom and was languishing in a Nazi prison. After being allegedly ransomed from confinement by Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger, Gräfenberg fled to America, where he eventually became the only male doctor at Sanger’s birth control clinic.
In this bracing essay, Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow rescues from near obscurity the pioneering inventor of a contraceptive device that unleashed decades of controversy. And as we see efforts to roll back reproductive rights, it is also a cautionary tale as relevant today as it was nearly a century ago.
Dr. Ernst Gräfenberg was among the most sought-after gynecologists in pre–World War II Germany. The creator of the first IUD, known as the Gräfenberg ring, he was posthumously credited with identifying the eponymous “Gräfenberg spot” or G-spot. He was also a Jew in Nazi Germany, and by 1938 he had been stripped of his practice, his possessions, and his freedom and was languishing in a Nazi prison. After being allegedly ransomed from confinement by Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger, Gräfenberg fled to America, where he eventually became the only male doctor at Sanger’s birth control clinic.
In this bracing essay, Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow rescues from near obscurity the pioneering inventor of a contraceptive device that unleashed decades of controversy. And as we see efforts to roll back reproductive rights, it is also a cautionary tale as relevant today as it was nearly a century ago.
48 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 27, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
December 30, 2022
This short story details the invention of the IUD by German gynecologist Dr. Ernst Gräfenberg and his imprisonment as a Jew in pre-WWII Germany. After two years in prison, he was released and emigrated to the United States, where he continued his practice with support from Margaret Sanger, who was a pioneer in birth control in the US.
May 5, 2023
*read for free with Kindle Unlimited *
3 stars 🌟 Interesting history, writing was a little dry at times but not boring.
Would recommend for history and non history buffs
3 stars 🌟 Interesting history, writing was a little dry at times but not boring.
Would recommend for history and non history buffs
August 28, 2020
3.5 Interesting history, and a pick read at under 50 pages.
April 30, 2021
Worth a reread.
The blurb tells all is necessary to know.
Read for Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon April 2021
The blurb tells all is necessary to know.
Read for Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon April 2021
March 25, 2020
I listened to this on Audible during my solo runs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Listening to how Dr. Ernst Gräfenberg faced first the uncertainty and hyperinflation of the libertine Weimar Republic, then imprisonment an co-option by the Nazis, and finally readjustment in America gave me some perspective while I was jogging through the pandemic-emptied roads. The shifting medical opinions on both the IUD and the G-spot also was good food to thought during a time when public health doesn't seem to leave much room for nuanced conversation.
The extended essay left me with a better view of a complex time, a dedicated physician, and a huge -- and still debated -- legacy.
The Audible narrator for the book was solid, which is always a bonus.
The extended essay left me with a better view of a complex time, a dedicated physician, and a huge -- and still debated -- legacy.
The Audible narrator for the book was solid, which is always a bonus.
March 6, 2020
Very informative and interesting. Not the best book ever, but it’s a good quick read.
July 11, 2020
I received this book as a free eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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I found this text enjoyable and engaging, but I struggled to take seriously the casual tone it took when discussing both the legacy of both World Wars in Germany, as well as the Nazi imprisonment and eugenics of minority groups. Further, I found it irresponsible of the author to not discuss the harmful and violent history of gynecology as a practice while heralding the positive achievement of IUDs.
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I found this text enjoyable and engaging, but I struggled to take seriously the casual tone it took when discussing both the legacy of both World Wars in Germany, as well as the Nazi imprisonment and eugenics of minority groups. Further, I found it irresponsible of the author to not discuss the harmful and violent history of gynecology as a practice while heralding the positive achievement of IUDs.
January 8, 2025
Nonfiction essays are not my favorite genre, but this freebie medical short kept me entertained while making dinner. It takes a straightforward approach and stays surface level. Despite the content touching upon human sexuality, family planning, disease prevention, forced sterilization, and eugenics, the tone stays light. It introduces rather than explores the shifting gynecological practices and how they were affected by things like hyperinflation, war, classism, and liberation movements.
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Summary: Dr. Ernst Gräfenberg was a sought-after gynecologist in Germany until anti-Jewish sentiment crested pre-World War II. He published several papers and engineered an intrauterine device for contraception before being stripped of his practice, possessions, and freedoms in 1938. After two years in a Nazi Prison he was ransomed and emigrated to America with the assistance of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger. He resumed offering the Grafenberg ring now made of rounded metal, but the IUD remained controversial. Posthumously he was credited with identifying the eponymous “Gräfenberg spot” or G-spot.
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Summary: Dr. Ernst Gräfenberg was a sought-after gynecologist in Germany until anti-Jewish sentiment crested pre-World War II. He published several papers and engineered an intrauterine device for contraception before being stripped of his practice, possessions, and freedoms in 1938. After two years in a Nazi Prison he was ransomed and emigrated to America with the assistance of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger. He resumed offering the Grafenberg ring now made of rounded metal, but the IUD remained controversial. Posthumously he was credited with identifying the eponymous “Gräfenberg spot” or G-spot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2020
Well written and well researched
Dr. Ernst Gräfenberg, currently best known for his work on researching what we now call "The G-Spot", was the most well regarded gynecologist in Germany between the wars. In most of Europe, unlike in the U.S., human sexuality was not a verboten topic. Doctors all over Europe specialized in helping women with family planning and disease prevention. This well written and well narrated lengthy essay tells the story of one of the preeminent physicians working in this field. The essay also touches on the 1920s Berliner views toward sex positive culture, eugenics, and a host of other topics related to human sexuality and women's reproductive health and sexuality satisfaction.
Fascinating and highly recommended.
Dr. Ernst Gräfenberg, currently best known for his work on researching what we now call "The G-Spot", was the most well regarded gynecologist in Germany between the wars. In most of Europe, unlike in the U.S., human sexuality was not a verboten topic. Doctors all over Europe specialized in helping women with family planning and disease prevention. This well written and well narrated lengthy essay tells the story of one of the preeminent physicians working in this field. The essay also touches on the 1920s Berliner views toward sex positive culture, eugenics, and a host of other topics related to human sexuality and women's reproductive health and sexuality satisfaction.
Fascinating and highly recommended.
August 15, 2020
As a gynecologist, albeit, retired, Intra uterine contraceptive devices were a favorite tool of mine for planning pregnancies in Indian women, particularly those from the lower socioeconomic strata.
In my life time of practice, I only came across one patient who had had the Gräfenberg ring. She had come to me from the mMiddle East. Her husband wanted to undergo a vasectomy and thus the ring has to be removed. I had never done such a procedure before, but it turned out to be quite easy.
It was interesting to learn about the history of the ring and also about it's inventor and his trials and tribulations.
A good short read.
In my life time of practice, I only came across one patient who had had the Gräfenberg ring. She had come to me from the mMiddle East. Her husband wanted to undergo a vasectomy and thus the ring has to be removed. I had never done such a procedure before, but it turned out to be quite easy.
It was interesting to learn about the history of the ring and also about it's inventor and his trials and tribulations.
A good short read.
December 8, 2020
Dr. Ernst Grafenberg was a German Jewish gynecologist who specialized in contraception and studied female sexuality. He invented one of the first IUDs (the G ring) and identified the G spot. He was imprisoned by the Nazis in the late 1930s for such work. Grafenberg supported eugenics and considered some women “lazy and stupid” for failing to take an interest in protecting themselves from pregnancy. The author could have explored these views further but didn’t. Margaret Sanger, early birth control advocate, assisted Dr. Grafenberg’s immigration to the U.S. after he was released from prison.
3.5 stars, rounding up.
3.5 stars, rounding up.
February 16, 2023
A very quick read
I also borrowed this short novella from Prime Reads. It was very easy-to-read, but rich in details. There are some photos, as well as a complete bibliography. I found it interesting, and I was chagrined to realize that the current GOP is setting this country back 80-90 years to Hitler's Germany as far as a woman's sexual autonomy is concerned. Also the antisemitism of the far-right can be compared as well. In addition, this little book details the major impact Jewish ob-gyns have had on the IUD...and when speaking about Dr. Grafenberg very specifically, female sexual enjoyment in regard to the discovery of the "G-spot." I recommend this book.
I also borrowed this short novella from Prime Reads. It was very easy-to-read, but rich in details. There are some photos, as well as a complete bibliography. I found it interesting, and I was chagrined to realize that the current GOP is setting this country back 80-90 years to Hitler's Germany as far as a woman's sexual autonomy is concerned. Also the antisemitism of the far-right can be compared as well. In addition, this little book details the major impact Jewish ob-gyns have had on the IUD...and when speaking about Dr. Grafenberg very specifically, female sexual enjoyment in regard to the discovery of the "G-spot." I recommend this book.
July 25, 2021
Short history for all women
A quick read on Ernst Grafenberg and his invention of the ring IUD. Historically important for women to provide background on the subject of birth control. Easy to read but hard to reflect upon the treatment of Grafenberg by a nascent Nazi Germany. Also a short history of the resulting intrauterine devices since Grafenberg's ring. Short aside; I had an IUD in the late 70's (thank God not a Dalkon shield) and never had a moment of trouble. And it worked!
A quick read on Ernst Grafenberg and his invention of the ring IUD. Historically important for women to provide background on the subject of birth control. Easy to read but hard to reflect upon the treatment of Grafenberg by a nascent Nazi Germany. Also a short history of the resulting intrauterine devices since Grafenberg's ring. Short aside; I had an IUD in the late 70's (thank God not a Dalkon shield) and never had a moment of trouble. And it worked!
March 22, 2021
This was an enjoyable short audiobook that looked at the history of Dr. Grafenberg, and his research into the IUD and related topics around the time of WWII. It is a limited topic, and mostly a biography that focuses on some of the resistance to it at the time. This only goes into fairly light detail, but it's also brief, so it's more of a bite-size history than a deep dive into the topic, but not everything needs that level of detail, and this works well.
August 27, 2021
Interesting, quick read. The author seemed to lose focus in the second half of the book going from specific details to wide, generalized, loosely connected information. And the Nazis, which they were a part of the book, their role was much different than what I expected from the title. Nonetheless, if you are interested in women's rights, birth control, and how people like Margaret Sanger were involved at an international level, this book is an interesting, quick read.
September 6, 2020
Unbelievable--yet totally believable--that women had access to reliable birth control free of health effects and inconvenience as early as the first half of the 20th century but it wasn't until 2003 that IUDs began to be promoted as such. The creation of the IUD was an incredible service to women and it seems in the right doctor's hands it was also the best option for decades.
March 21, 2021
This was not a bad book, but the best part of it is the title. I expected something very different than a biography of Graefenberg - or at least a very focused, very short biography of one aspect and period of his life.
On the other hand, it did a good job of reminding me just how different 1920s and 1930s Berlin were.
A quick read, and possibly worth the time.
On the other hand, it did a good job of reminding me just how different 1920s and 1930s Berlin were.
A quick read, and possibly worth the time.
Read
June 13, 2021It’s both fascinating and horrifying to me that we not only continue in our pursuit of sin, but we use the same tired excuses for justifying it. Nothing new under the sun.
As a story of what happened with the invention of the IUD, it was good, and not something I was familiar with. It led me to a number of other primary sources that I’ve now looked up and read or watched, so that was good.
As a story of what happened with the invention of the IUD, it was good, and not something I was familiar with. It led me to a number of other primary sources that I’ve now looked up and read or watched, so that was good.
March 30, 2023
Short read of Dr. Grafenberg, his research and push towards IUD’s that led to modern day brands you may know, like Mirena. Posthumously credited with the discovery of the G-Spot! “Grafenberg Spot”.
(Of course, a woman’s body spot is named after a man-most women would’ve been too timid to admit discovering her own body part)
(Of course, a woman’s body spot is named after a man-most women would’ve been too timid to admit discovering her own body part)
July 19, 2020
Reading The G Ring was an absolutely surreal experience. All I can say is if you decide to read this book, prepare yourself for an interesting read, as in, "Hm, that's interesting," and as in, "Hmmmmmm, that's...interesting..."
The history of the IUD itself is fascinating. Like many women's health technologies, its existence has been constantly threatened, even by the very establishment that created it. That information to me is interesting. Tuhus-Dubrow, in utilizing her journalistic traditions, provided a well-researched history of this technology.
But she also presented to us, Dr. Grafenburg, the eugenicist, without a whisper of the moral quagmire that represents. It may be the journalistic tradition to remain unbiased, but when one writes a book, one is not acting as a journalist. And Tuhus-Dubrow was not, at least not in regards to any other aspect of her subject.
I expect her to at least invite the reader to consider the implications of a doctor who invented birth-control holding the belief that some people shouldn't be born. Did she not have the courage to present that question? Or did she not think that question deserved to be asked? Either way, the absence is glaring. As Gary Provost says, "Don't hide behind your words...[Climb] onto the page when your presence will strengthen what you have written" (143), such as explaining or at least questioning how Dr. Grafenburg could be a women's hero when he was, the whole time, a eugenicist.
I still give this book three stars because of the excellent research. I'm honestly not sure who I recommend this book for, except people like me who really like nonfiction.
Stay safe out there bookish people, wear your masks and protect your hands! <3
Provost, Gary, 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing. Berkley, NY, 2019.
The history of the IUD itself is fascinating. Like many women's health technologies, its existence has been constantly threatened, even by the very establishment that created it. That information to me is interesting. Tuhus-Dubrow, in utilizing her journalistic traditions, provided a well-researched history of this technology.
But she also presented to us, Dr. Grafenburg, the eugenicist, without a whisper of the moral quagmire that represents. It may be the journalistic tradition to remain unbiased, but when one writes a book, one is not acting as a journalist. And Tuhus-Dubrow was not, at least not in regards to any other aspect of her subject.
I expect her to at least invite the reader to consider the implications of a doctor who invented birth-control holding the belief that some people shouldn't be born. Did she not have the courage to present that question? Or did she not think that question deserved to be asked? Either way, the absence is glaring. As Gary Provost says, "Don't hide behind your words...[Climb] onto the page when your presence will strengthen what you have written" (143), such as explaining or at least questioning how Dr. Grafenburg could be a women's hero when he was, the whole time, a eugenicist.
I still give this book three stars because of the excellent research. I'm honestly not sure who I recommend this book for, except people like me who really like nonfiction.
Stay safe out there bookish people, wear your masks and protect your hands! <3
Provost, Gary, 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing. Berkley, NY, 2019.
March 15, 2020
interesting, but not critical reading
March 15, 2020
Didn't know Graffenberg did the IUD or that he escaped the Nazis.
April 2, 2020
A controversial topic, but a good short biography of Dr. Ernst Gräfenberg.
June 9, 2020
Very interesting
It was a very brief essay but extremely informative story about the founder of the IUD and how early it had been used.
It was a very brief essay but extremely informative story about the founder of the IUD and how early it had been used.
June 26, 2020
Interesting piece of history
Interesting piece about the German doctor who escaped from the Nazis to become a part of the early days of Planned Parenthood.
Interesting piece about the German doctor who escaped from the Nazis to become a part of the early days of Planned Parenthood.
January 10, 2021
While it was an interesting little read into the history of the creation of the IUD and the 'discovery' of the G-spot, something left me a little unsettled.
How the hell did this male gynaecologist notice the 'triggering' of the G-spot in the first place? What type of internal exams was he doing to woman? Kinda creepy if you ask me... yet I still gave it 3 stars... maybe I need to reassess my rating system :|
How the hell did this male gynaecologist notice the 'triggering' of the G-spot in the first place? What type of internal exams was he doing to woman? Kinda creepy if you ask me... yet I still gave it 3 stars... maybe I need to reassess my rating system :|
June 25, 2021
Very informative
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2022
This was a totally engrossing and thoroughly informative story. The perfect length, perfect performance as well.
December 8, 2022
Fascinating, timely, and quick read about the inventor of the IUD and discoverer of the G Spot. Also a great reminder that while history doesn’t repeat, it does rhyme.
February 1, 2023
Based on material for the subject, this was well put together. Nice touch on Margaret Sanger, but I think she might have underutilized the poor doctor.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews