Study of side-effects of Cu-T as intra-uterine contraceptive device in post medical termination of pregnancy and interval cases
Das, C.R.; Pradhan, G.
Journal of the Indian Medical Association 93(10): 375-376
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-5847 PMID: 9053409 Document Number: 305129
A 12-month comparative study conducted at a medical center in Burla, India, failed to detect significant differences in side effects between 60 women who had a Copper-T 200 IUD inserted after induced abortion and 100 women with interval IUD insertion. Most insertions involved women in the 21-30 year age group. Menorrhagia was reported by 8% of women in the postabortion insertion group and 8.5% of those in the interval insertion group after 1 month and by 5% and 10%, respectively, after 3 months; its incidence was negligible thereafter. Dysmenorrhea was experienced by 20% of postabortion insertion cases and 7% of interval cases at 1 month and by 15% and 7%, respectively, at 3 months, at which point it, too, decreased. Women with postabortion IUD insertion reported more lower abdominal pain and back ache in the first 3 months, presumably because of the operative trauma and chance of pelvic inflammation. Expulsion occurred in 2 women in the postabortion insertion group and in 1 woman in the interval group. The single pregnancy reported during the study period involved a woman from the postabortion insertion group (1.6%). The removal rate was 8.3% in the postabortion group and 11% in the interval group; requests were due to a desire for pregnancy or discomfort with menstruation disturbances. These findings refute the commonly held belief that postabortal IUD insertion is associated with an increased risk of infection, spontaneous expulsion, and unacceptable menstrual disturbances.