In response to urgent calls for more non-hormonal contraceptive options our team has tested a zinc-containing intrauterine hydrogel, to address the need for long-acting reversible protection from pregnancy. Our preliminary work has shown that zinc alone provides 100% contraceptive efficacy and reversibility in rats by causing zygote arrest. To determine the effective dose, mouse embryos were exposed to zinc and copper across a range of concentrations in vitro from embryonic day 1. Only the highest concentration of copper significantly decreased blastocyst development (69%), whilst zinc significantly inhibited embryo development in a dose dependant manner for all treatments. The highest concentration of zinc resulted in a 97% decrease in embryo development. However, mid to late 2-cell embryos treated with the same high concentration showed no significant difference in blastocyst development compared to the control. This further defines the window of effectiveness to between the zygote and the very early 2-cell stage. Unlike copper treated embryos, embryos treated with low concentrations of zinc also exhibited a significantly decreased rate of attachment to cultured human endometrial cells compared to controls. This finding suggests the possibility that a zinc contraceptive acts via a dual MOA, impacting the adhesive capacity of the embryo before implantation. Further we have demonstrated that zinc can be loaded into a hydrogel-type matrix, then gradually released into artificial uterine fluid (AUF) over an extended period. We loaded the matrix with zinc and submerged it in AUF at 37°C for 19 days. Zinc was successfully integrated into the matrix with no compromise to stability and released zinc into AUF without matrix degradation. This establishes the potential of a new delivery system, greatly improving the insertion procedure of an IUD and minimising pain. Our non-hormonal contraceptive device has the potential to transform family planning, addressing the key limitations of current methods.