Preliminary report on a postpartum CuT 200 study, Santiago, Chile.

ABSTRACT

PIP: An analysis is presented of a study of the Copper-T 200 (CuT 200) IUD at the Barros Luco Hospital in Santiago, Chile over the August 16, 1976 June 30, 1978 period. 1142 IUDs were inserted in postpartum women, the majority of whom (96.1%) received their IUDs within 72 hours of giving birth. Data were recorded on standard forms designed to obtain demographic and medical information and were processed by the International Fertility Research Program (IFRP). The CuT 200 used in this study consisted of a plastic T-shaped device with 200 sq mm of copper wire wound around the vertical arm. The mean age of women in this study was 24.0 years; the mean number of live births was 2.4 57 (5.0%) of the women reported having had 1 or more induced abortions. There was no previous incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) reported by the patients, and none of them showed evidence of inflammation/infection of the genital organs at the time of insertion. There were no complications or complaints reported for women at insertion. There were no complications or complaints reported for women at insertion. 945 (82.7%) patients returned for 1 or more follow-up visits. Cervical perforation was found at follow-up in 2 (0.2%) women, and 9 (0.7%) women were hospitalized during the study period. From this latter group, women were hospitalized because of retained placentas and 2 women because of a perineotomy infection. 4 women were hospitalized for endometritis and 1 for the spontaneous abortion of a pregnancy conceived with the IUD in situ. 158 (13.8%) women were diagnosed as having 1 or more incidents of inflammation/infection. Included among these were 19 (1.7%) cases of adnexitis and 20 (1.8%) cases of endometritis. Dysmenorrhea was reported by 23.7% of the women. Intermenstrual bleeding/pain was reported by 297 (20.0%) of the women and 113 (9.9%) reported intermenstrual spotting. The continuation rate after 1 year was 55.5. The 3 month termination rates were 0.3 for accidental pregnancy, 32.1 for expulsion/displacement, 0.2 for bleeding/pain, and 1.3 for other medical reasons. Most expulsions occurred within 1 month postinsertion. 372 (32.6%) women who received CuT 200s in this study expelled them; 370 of them received a replacement IUD. 349 received a 2nd CuT 200 and 21 received Lippes Loop IUDs. 92.8% of the women who received replacement CuT 200s returned for follow-up and were diagnosed as having 1 or more infections. 19 of the women who expelled their 1st CuT and received a replacement also expelled their 2nd device and had a 3rd CuT 200 inserted. No complications or complaints were reported at insertion for this group. At follow-up 4 women were diagnosed with trichmonas and 1 with an unspecified inflammation/infection. 7 women expelled their IUDs and 1 woman had her IUD removed for other personal reasons.