Keep on Keeping on - Mirena IUD for 8 Years

Area of Science:

• Reproductive health
• Contraception
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine systems (LNG-IUS) are widely used for long-term contraception.
• Mirena (levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system) has been approved for up to 6 years of use.
• Extended use data is crucial for patient counseling and clinical practice guidelines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the contraceptive effectiveness of the Mirena IUD during extended use up to 8 years.
• To compare the failure rates during years 6-8 with those of the initial 5 years of use.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of cumulative failure rates from clinical trials and post-marketing surveillance data.
• Inclusion of data for users extending IUD use beyond the initially approved 6-year period.

Main Results:

• The cumulative failure rate for the Mirena IUD from year 6 through year 8 was 0.68%.
• This failure rate is comparable to the reported cumulative failure rates during the first 5 years of use.
• No significant increase in failure rates was observed during extended use.

Conclusions:

• Mirena IUD maintains its contraceptive effectiveness for extended use up to 8 years.
• Patients can be counseled on the continued reliability of the Mirena IUD for an 8-year duration.
• The findings support the safety and efficacy of extended use of Mirena for contraception.