Complications associated with IUD use in a family practice setting

This study compares the complication rate of intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUD) with other contraceptive measures in a residency practice. The study population included 220 randomly selected women who had IUDs inserted by residents over a five-year period. One hundred similarly selected women started on birth control pills (BCP) were used as a control group. Of the IUD patients, 8.6 percent developed pelvic inflammatory disease vs 2 percent of the BCP patients. The incidence of gonorrhea was not significantly different between the two groups: 8.2 percent for the IUD groups vs 7 percent for the BCP group. Discontinuation of IUDs for reasons other than desiring pregnancy was significantly higher than discontinuation of BCPs: 41 percent vs 12 percent. Of the total IUD insertions, there were 21 expulsions (10 percent) and one uterine perforation (0.4 percent). Five pregnancies occurred in the IUD group, yielding a pregnancy rate of 1.7 per 100 women-years. There was a four percent rate of gynecologic hospitalizations in the IUD group as contrasted with one percent rate in BCP group. IUD use in the family practice setting under study is associated with comparatively poor long-term acceptance and a relatively high rate of complications.