Contraceptive Effectiveness of Levonorgestrel Releasing Intrauterine System

This study evaluated the contraceptive effectiveness of progesterone releasing intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUCD) and compared it with the Copper T device.

Seventy patients were selected in each group. Menstrual charts were maintained and data recorded at one, three, six months and one year after insertion of the device.

One year follow up was completed by 66 patients in the Levonorgestrel Releasing Intrauterine System (LNG-IUS) group and 62 in the Cu T group. They were age, parity and education level matched. The mean duration of menstrual flow for the LNG-IUS group was 3.6 days and that for CuT group was 5.1 days (p>0.05). Insertion of LNG-IUS was found to be significantly difficult than the Cu T 380, with increased pain at insertion (p<0.05). There was no pregnancy in the LNG-IUS group and expulsion rates were low. The most significant difference was scanty periods and at times amenorrhoea in the LNG-IUS group. Termination rates for various reasons were almost equal in both groups.

Both devices were effective, safe, well accepted and tolerated. LNG-IUS scores high in patients with preexisting menorrhagia or dysmenorrhoea while Cu T 380 has advantages of lower cost, ease of insertion and comparable efficacy.