Five years private practice experience of nulliparous women using copper IUD's

This is a study of 296 nulliparous women who used Copper IUD's as their method of contraception. At the time of first insertion the women had an average age of 21.6 years. The gross cumulative pregnancy rate rose to 11.8 over 5 years. The gross cumulative expulsion rate rose to 13.6 over 5 years and the removal rate for bleeding and pain to 20.4. The net rates were lower over 5 years (pregnancy 8.6, expulsion 11.2 and bleeding and pain 17.3). 29 women expelled their IUD's, of whom 20 underwent reinsertion. 43 women requested removal of their IUD's because of bleeding and pain, of whom 6 requested a reinsertion at a later date. Taking reinsertions into account, the continuation rate over 5 years was 55.2. Inability to insert the IUD was encountered in 28 women (8.6%). In 20 of the women cervical stenosis precluded the insertion of the IUD without local anesthetic, and in the other 8, the pain and/or syncope encountered during sounding the uterus precluded the continuation of the procedure. Insertion problems were encountered in 31 women (10.5%). Syncope occurred in 4 women and one of the women developed a 'grand mal' seizure. Clinically significant pelvic infection occurred within 30 days of insertion in 5 women (approximately 1% of insertions), and one woman developed pelvic infection from gonorrhoea.