Intrauterine device linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes

Users at conception have a higher risk of preterm delivery and chorioamnionitis than nonusers

THURSDAY, Oct. 1 (HealthDay News)-The risk of adverse obstetric outcomes is elevated in women who conceive while using an intrauterine device (IUD), especially in women who retain the device throughout pregnancy, according to a study in the October issue of the

American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Hadas Ganer, of Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Be'er-Sheva, Israel, and colleagues compared pregnancy outcomes in 98 women with a retained IUD, 194 women with an IUD removed in early pregnancy, and 141,191 women without an IUD.

The researchers found that the rate of preterm delivery was significantly higher in the retained-IUD and removed-IUD groups (18.4 and 14.4 percent, respectively) than in the no-IUD group (7.3 percent). They also found that the rate of chorioamnionitis was significantly higher in the two IUD groups (7.1 and 4.1 percent, respectively) than in the no-IUD group (0.7 percent).

"Women conceiving with an IUD should be informed regarding these outcomes because IUD removal reduces the risk for adverse obstetric outcomes, but does not eliminate it," the authors conclude. "Careful surveillance of high-risk pregnancies is warranted, as well as neonatal surveillance in the case of preterm and chorioamnionitic deliveries."

Abstract