Specifications for new technologies for female sterilization for use in developing countries.

The difficulties in providing readily accessible sterilization services for women in rural settings in developing countries are described; they include: problems with personnel; problems with training; anesthesia difficulties; and cost. For a new method of sterilization to be useful in such situations several criteria concerned with overcoming the perceived problems must be met. Any new procedure should be simple, easily learned, capable of being completed with a single visit, and should require only local anesthesia.