Time to conception after IUD removal: importance of duration of use, IUD type, pelvic inflammatory disease and age

Some investigations of IUD use have demonstrated impaired ability to become pregnant after removal, while others have not. None of these studies, however, have adequately considered such potentially influencing variables as age and a history of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). To study the effect of length of IUD use, IUD type and the modifying influences of age and PID history on time required to conceive, we followed women trying to become pregnant after removal of their IUD. Five hundred forty women in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia who were first fitted with an IUD between 1964 and 1972 and had their IUD removed in order to become pregnant were followed through 1980. We found no relationship between the duration of IUD use or type of IUD used, but increasing age and a history of PID each decreased the monthly probability of conception. These findings, along with other recent work, indicate that IUDs are a safe and efficacious contraceptive for women at low risk for sexually transmitted diseases.