Intra-uterine contraception in general practice

The experience of two general practitioners with 1,041 women attending clinics for intra-uterine contraception is analysed retrospectively. Patients were mainly Health Service patients of the doctors, but some were referred by other general practitioners, by the local authority, and a consultant. Some patients travelled considerable distances. Age varied from 15 to 52 and parity from 0 to 11. The fitting of various devices was usually easy, but patients often complained of symptoms, mostly bleeding, pain, or discharge, the majority of which were amenable to treatment and often were not due to the intra-uterine contraceptive device itself. There was evidence of lowered haemoglobin levels in women using this method for some years.The retrospective analysis shows follow up, always difficult in contraceptive clinics, to be less than desirable. In planning contraceptive programmes more attention should be given to this subject. Pregnancy occurred in 51 cases and there were four cases of cancer of which one died. There was a further unrelated death from subarachnoid haemorrhage.