Failure of a synthetic, anti-inflammatory compound to alter the efficiency of the IUD

Holtzman, female rats with a plastic or copper IUD were maintained on either a dexamethasone solution (9.4 or 28 micrograms/rat/day) in the drinking water or on water alone. Animals were caged with males of proven fertility and subsequently killed at day 14 of pregnancy and the number of implantation sites counted. Both types of IUDs were effective in preventing implantation. Implantation sites were not increased in dexamethasone-treated animals. In addition, proestrous gonadotropin levels and follicular development did not differ between treated and nontreated animals. Thus, the data demonstrate that the efficacy of the IUD is not decreased with the use of anti-inflammatory drugs.