Continuation of copper-containing intrauterine devices at 6 months

Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are highly effective at preventing pregnancy and cost-effective. Suboptimal continuation of IUDs places women at risk of unintended pregnancy. Little is known about prevalence or predictors of discontinuation of IUDs within the first 6 months.

A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted among 306 family planning patients who had a CuT380A IUD inserted from November 2008-August 2011. Rates of continuation among 283 users were calculated using survival analyses, and predictors of removal within 6 months of insertion were assessed using logistic regression.

Among 306 IUD insertions, 13 (4.2%) full or partial expulsions occurred within the first 6 months: 9 (10.7%) among nulliparous and 4 (2.0%) among parous women (chi-square, p<.001). In the first 6 months, four (1.3%) pregnancies occurred among women without prior removal or expulsion of the device (unadjusted Pearl Index: 2.61 per 100 woman-years at 6 months), all among parous women. Of 283 women in continuation analyses, 26% were under 20 years old and 29% nulliparous. Most (84%) received health education specific to IUDs before insertion. Overall, 11% had their IUD removed within 6 months of insertion. In an adjusted logistic regression model, women who did not receive health education were significantly more likely (Adjusted Odds Ratio=3.37, 95% confidence interval: 1.35-8.39) to have a removal within 6 months, but no significant association was found for age, race/ethnicity or parity.

Early discontinuation of IUDs was prevalent but lower among women who received method-specific health education.