Intrauterine device use is safe among nulligravidas and adolescent girls

[Factors influencing pain during intrauterine device insertion]

OBJECTIVES

Fear of pain during intrauterine device (IUD) insertion remains a barrier to its adoption. In the absence of consensus on an optimal pharmacological strategy, it is crucial to determine the factors influencing this pain to reassure and improve the patient experience.

METHODS

It was a prospective study conducted in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur between August 2023 and 2024, interviewing adult patients and healthcare professionals during consultations for IUD insertion. The primary outcome studied was the pain experienced during IUD insertion, measured using a numerical rating scale from 0 to 10. After an univariate analysis, a multiple linear regression was performed to identify the factors associated with this pain.

RESULTS

Of the 110 questionnaires analyzed, the average pain score at IUD insertion was 4.1±2.7. Factors associated with pain included European origin, no history of vaginal delivery, apprehension and use of a tenaculum. In contrast, prior IUD insertion, the presence of dysmenorrhea, menstruation at the time of insertion, or premedication had no significant effect on pain. Prior bladder emptying and the use of equimolar mixture of oxygene and nitrous oxide (EMONO) could also be considered as strategies but require further studies.

CONCLUSION

IUD insertion should be played down, given the moderate and temporary pain it causes. Physicians have a key role in identifying patients at risk of increased pain in order to provide them a personalized approach.

Long-Acting but Reversible: Opportunities to Address Provider Bias in Contraceptive Care

Jasmine is an 18-year-old Black female bringing her infant to the pediatrician for a newborn weight check. She asks her pediatrician's opinion about hormonal contraceptive injections, sharing that they were strongly recommended after she gave birth. The recommending health care provider told her, "We don't want you to end up back here any time soon." Rosita, a 16-year-old Latina female, visits her pediatrician for a well check. She reports a history of vaginal sex with 2 male partners and agrees to have a hormonal subcutaneous implant placed to avoid pregnancy. After 4 months of bothersome spotting, Rosita returns to have the implant removed. Rosita's provider strongly counsels against removal. Jasmine and Rosita are members of populations that have been systematically marginalized throughout American history. Their stories are derived from real cases and reveal how structural racism impacts modern contraceptive care. Specifically, their cases are examples of statistical discrimination, wherein the tendency to disproportionately recommend long-acting reversible contraception to historically marginalized communities does not follow the central tenants of sexual and reproductive justice, including acknowledging historical harms in health care and honoring bodily autonomy for all people. By sharing Jasmine and Rosita's stories, we use a reproductive justice lens to (1) examine the historical roots of disproportional prescription of long-acting reversible contraception to historically marginalized individuals, (2) discuss provider bias related to sexual and reproductive health care, and (3) illustrate how trauma-informed care with a recognition of historical trauma and the use of individuation can facilitate positive and equitable health outcomes.

Using laparoscope to remove an ectopic intrauterine device in the anterior wall of urinary bladder: A case report

BACKGROUND

An intrauterine device (IUD) is a contraceptive device placed in the uterine cavity and is a common contraceptive method for Chinese women. However, an IUD may cause complications due to placement time, intrauterine pressure and other factors. Ectopic IUDs are among the most serious complications. Ectopic IUDs are common in the myometrium and periuterine organs, and there are few reports of ectopic IUDs in the urinary bladder, especially in the anterior wall.

CASE SUMMARY

A 52-year-old woman was hospitalized due to a urinary bladder foreign body found via abdominal ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) examination. The patient had a 2-year history of recurrent abdominal distension and lower abdominal pain, accompanied by frequent urination, urgency, dysuria and other discomfort. Ultrasound examination revealed foreign bodies in the bladder cavity, with calculus on the surface of the foreign bodies. CT revealed a circular foreign body on the anterior wall of the urinary bladder, suggesting the possibility of an ectopic IUD. After laparoscopic exploration, an annular IUD was found in the anterior wall of urinary bladder, and an oval calculus with a diameter of approximately 2 cm was attached to the surface of the bladder cavity. The IUD and calculus were successfully and completely removed. The patient recovered well after surgery.

CONCLUSION

Abdominal ultrasound and CT are effective methods for detecting ectopic IUDs. The IUD is located in the urinary bladder and requires early surgical treatment. The choice of surgical method is determined by comprehensively considering the depth of the IUD in the bladder muscle layer, the situation of complicated calculus, the situation of intravesical inflammation and medical technology and equipment.

Advancing Pain Management Protocols for Intrauterine Device Insertion: Integrating Evidence-Based Strategies Into Clinical Practice

The discomfort and anxiety associated with the intrauterine device (IUD) insertion process is a significant barrier to its adoption as a form of contraception despite its high efficacy. This study aimed to classify and identify methods for minimizing pain and anxiety in IUD implantation in women below the age of 49. A search of publications from online databases, PubMed and Google Scholar, revealed 14 articles that met the inclusion criteria. An analysis of the selected studies showed that several pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures effectively minimized patient discomfort associated with IUD insertion. Of the 14 studies, 12 evaluated pharmacological methods for pain management in IUD insertion, while two studies assessed non-pharmacological methods. The results showed that although the IUD is more effective than other forms of contraceptives, fear of pain related to the insertion process is one of the most significant barriers to the use of an IUD among women. Most studies identified pharmacological methods of pain management for IUD insertion, highlighting a need for more research on non-pharmacological methods to improve patient experiences and reduce associated fears.

Clinical Assessment of 3 Intrauterine Devices in Adolescent Girls: A Randomized Clinical Trial

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To assess clinical performance, bleeding pattern, dysmenorrhea, and satisfaction up to 1 year after placement of 3 types of intrauterine devices (IUDs) (TCu380A, levonorgestrel 52 mg, and levonorgestrel 19.5 mg) in adolescents METHODS: The study was a randomized trial with 318 adolescents allocated to the 3 IUDs. We assessed reasons for removal, continuation, menstrual patterns, dysmenorrhea, and satisfaction.

RESULTS

Participants aged (mean ± SD) 17.9 ± 1.4 years, with 80.8% being nulligravidae. After 1 year, 265 (83.3%) continued using the IUD; however, the continuation rate of TCu380A (75.4 ± 4.2) was lower than that of both the levonorgestrel 52-mg (88.6 ± 3.1) and 19.5-mg IUDs (86.8 ± 3.3), and bleeding/pain and expulsion were the main reasons for removal of the TCu380A IUD. The duration of menstruation was longer among the TCu380A IUD users (6.0 ± 2.0 days) than those using the levonorgestrel 52 mg (2.5 ± 3.9) and 19.5 mg (3.2 ± 3.2) devices, P < .001. Amenorrhea was reported by 49.5% and 37.8% users of the levonorgestrel 52-mg and 19.5-mg devices, respectively, P < .001. Dysmenorrhea was reported in 68.5% of all participants at the baseline; this was 67.9% of the TCu380A group and 33.3% and 36.0% of the levonorgestrel 52-mg and 19.5-mg IUD groups, respectively, P < .001. Satisfaction ranged from 80.7% in the TCu380A group to 97.8% in the levonorgestrel 52-mg group (P = .03).

CONCLUSION

The 3 IUDs are suitable for adolescents, with high contraceptive efficacies and rates of continuation within 1 year of use and high degrees of satisfaction. Users of the hormonal IUDs reported lower expulsion rates, more favorable menstrual patterns, and less dysmenorrhea compared with the TCu380A IUD.

Factors Predicting Removals of the Levonorgestrel-Releasing Intrauterine System in an Adolescent Cohort

OBJECTIVE

Use of 52-mg levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) in adolescents for heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), dysmenorrhea, and contraception has increased, yet little is known about the factors predicting removal and dissatisfaction in adolescents. The aim of this study was to identify factors predicting LNG-IUS removal in adolescents.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study including all adolescents (9-19 years) who underwent LNG-IUS insertion between 2012 and 2021 (n = 536). A medical record review was conducted and data were collated on medical and gynecological history, age, indications for insertion, complications, expulsions, and removals. The data were analyzed using χ2 tests.

RESULTS

Indications for LNG-IUS insertions (n = 536) among 517 individual patients (n = 517) included menstrual management (n = 142), HMB alone (n = 118), HMB and pelvic pain/dysmenorrhea (n = 105), dysmenorrhea/pelvic pain alone (n = 47), and contraception (n = 16). Associated diagnoses included intellectual disability (44.29%, 229/517), chronic pain conditions (12.77%, 66/517), and additional mental health concerns (24.37%, 126/517). Patient dissatisfaction with LNG-IUS led to removal in 61 (11.38%), mostly for pain or persistent bleeding. Higher removal rates occurred in those with associated chronic pain conditions (46.97%, χ2 = 55.9, P < .05), mental health concerns (16.67%, χ2 = 5.06, P < .05), and bleeding disorders (26.32%, χ2 = 5.09, P < .05). Among the cohort with an intellectual disability, lower rates of removal occurred (5.7%, χ2 = 11.2, P < .05). Whereas the LNG-IUS removal rate among gender-diverse youth was 23.07%, this was not statistically significant. Younger age was also not associated with a statistically significant increase in removals (13.72%, χ2 = 0.73, P > .05).

DISCUSSION

Adolescents have a low dissatisfaction and removal rate (11.38%) of LNG-IUS. Chronic pain, bleeding tendency, and mental health concerns are associated with higher removal rates and intellectual disability with lower rates. These findings are useful in counselling patients and families about LNG-IUS.

Predicting Acute Appendicitis in Pregnant Patients Using the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio: A Meta-Analysis

Background: To determine whether the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) can serve as a predictive indicator for acute appendicitis among pregnant females. Patients and Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted across multiple databases including PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science seeking to gather pertinent research on the NLR concerning pregnant individuals either suspected of or diagnosed with acute appendicitis. The NLR value and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were utilized to assess the predictive value of the NLR in predicting acute appendicitis among pregnant patients. Results: Seven studies and 410 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The area under the curve (AUC) for identifying acute appendicitis in pregnant patients using the NLR was found to be 0.856 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.833-0.879). Additionally, the NLR values for pregnant patients with acute appendicitis were significantly elevated, showing a mean difference (MD) of 0.80 (95% CI, 0.58-1.03; p < 0.001). Conclusions: The NLR can be considered a valuable and effective diagnostic tool for anticipating acute appendicitis in pregnant patients.

Expulsion and continuation rates of the 52 mg levonorgestrel intrauterine system in adolescents and adult women

OBJECTIVE

To compare the continuation rates, expulsion, and other reasons for discontinuation of the hormonal intrauterine device with 52 mg of levonorgestrel (52 mg LNG-IUD) in adolescents and adult women.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study that included 393 women in whom we placed a 52 mg LNG-IUD and followed up to 5 years. We created two retrospective cohorts, one with 131 adolescents (aged between 12 and 19 years) and the other with 262 women aged ≥20 years. Each adolescent was paired with two adult women who had the same parity and who had a 52 mg LNG-IUD inserted on the same day. We used the Mann-Whitney test to compare numerical variables in both groups, the Kaplan-Meier method, and the log-rank test to compare the continuation, expulsion and other reasons for IUD discontinuation of the two groups.

RESULTS

Age of the adolescents and adult women were mean ± SD 18.1 (±1.1) and 31 (±6.8) years, respectively (p = 0.015). Continuation rates by the fifth year of use were 55.6/100 women-years (W-Y) and 70.3/100 W-Y among adolescents and adult women (p = 0.106); and expulsion rates were 8.4/100 and 6.0/100 W-Y, respectively (p = 0.463). Adolescents had a lower continuation rate during 3 to 5 years of follow-up (p = 0.011) and a high rate of removals due to bleeding/pain (18.5 ± 5.7/100 W-Y vs 6.4/100 ± 2.1 W-Y, p = 0.039).

CONCLUSION

Adolescents who used the 52 mg LNG-IUD showed a lower continuation rate 3-5 years after device placement than adult women. The expulsion rates were similar in both groups.

Systematic review of copper intrauterine contraception continuation in young nulliparous women based on intrauterine device type

OBJECTIVES

No copper intrauterine device (IUD) type is known to better suit young nulliparous women who tend to experience higher rates of IUD discontinuation compared with their older parous counterparts. A systematic review to determine which IUDs have higher continuation rates in young nulliparous women was undertaken.

DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analyses of available evidence based on IUD type.

DATA SOURCES

AMED, BNI, CINAHL, DARE, EMBASE, EMCARE, HMIC, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, TRIP, and the Cochrane Library electronic databases were searched from inception to 11 May 2022; as well as the Bandolier, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Department of Health, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines, WHO and Google Scholar websites.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

All studies on IUDs currently available in the UK or comparable (same design and size) to those available in the UK, involving nulliparous women of any age including those aged under 30.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Independently extracted data were assessed as low risk of bias using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Random effects meta-analyses of proportions were performed where data, including subgroups, were amenable to quantitative synthesis. Heterogeneity was reported using tau2 and I2 statistics, and sensitivity analyses were also performed.

RESULTS

Nineteen studies involving 13 045 nulliparous women were included but the heterogeneity of participant ages, parity and IUD types made quantitative synthesis of outcome data in totality inappropriate. The highest continuation rate obtained was 91.02% (95% CI 88.01% to 93.64%) for the smaller TCu 380A at 12 months post insertion.

CONCLUSIONS

Evidence for IUD use in young nulliparous women based on IUD type remains limited. Smaller sized IUD types appear better suited to this group of IUD users, however, more research is needed.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42019120969.

Does a Bleeding Disorder Lessen the Efficacy of the 52-mg Levonorgestrel-Releasing Intrauterine System for Heavy Menstrual Bleeding in Adolescents? A Retrospective Multicenter Study

PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to compare the patient-reported bleeding outcomes and complication rates with the use of the 52-mg levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (52-LNG-IUS) for treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) among adolescents with and without a diagnosed inherited bleeding disorder (BD) within the first 12 months after insertion.

METHODS

Retrospective chart review was conducted of adolescents ages 14-21 years, with and without an inherited BD, who underwent 52-LNG-IUS insertion between September 2013 and February 2020 for the treatment of HMB.

RESULTS

One hundred forty-four 52-LNG-IUS insertions among 139 subjects were evaluated. Fifty-nine (41%) of these were among adolescents with a diagnosed inherited BD, and 85 (59%) were among those without a BD. Among subjects with follow-up, documentation of patient-reported bleeding outcome, and a retained IUS (92/144), both groups subjectively reported improvement in bleeding outcome, with 91.7% (33/36) of those with a BD and 94.6% (53/56) of those without a BD reporting that bleeding outcome was better than prior to IUS insertion (p = .675). There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of spontaneous expulsion (p = .233), with the rate of expulsion in the first 12 months after placement among those with a BD of 13.7% (7/51) and 6.8% for those without a BD (5/72).

DISCUSSION

Adolescents with HMB both with and without an inherited BD benefit from the 52-LNG-IUS for the treatment of HMB. Rates of spontaneous IUS expulsion are not statistically different regardless of the presence of a BD and are similar to rates found in other studies of intrauterine device use in adolescents.

Perspectives of health care providers regarding the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system

OBJECTIVES

The aims of the study were to assess the number of insertions per month of the 52 mg levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) and gauge the knowledge and opinions of health care providers with regard to some of its characteristics and the reasons why women liked using the method.

METHODS

An online questionnaire survey was conducted between January and July 2021 at the University of Campinas, Brazil. The survey comprised physicians and nurses from centres that had requested and received donated devices.

RESULTS

A total of 65 health care providers answered the questionnaire (41 physicians and 24 nurses). The main misconceptions were related to insertion after an ectopic pregnancy: 60/65 (92.3%) answered that users with previous ectopic pregnancy must have frequent follow-up. Wrong answers were also given on the occurrence of acne (37/65, 56.9%) and depression (32/65, 49.2%). Participants reported that the LNG-IUS was highly effective (100%), long-acting (93.9%) and an appropriate method for controlling uterine bleeding (90.8%) and that it had few side effects (86.2%).

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that health care providers from centres that requested and received LNG-IUS donations, even though they reported adequate knowledge about the device, still had misconceptions with regard to its clinical management.

Expulsion and continuation rates of the levonorgestrel 52 mg intrauterine system was similar among nulligravid and parous users

OBJECTIVE

To compare the expulsion and continuation rates of the levonorgestrel (LNG) 52 mg intrauterine system (IUS) in a cohort of nulligravid and parous users.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study that included 996 participants in whom we placed an LNG-IUS, and the participants were monitored for up to 5 years after device placement. We identify 498 nulligravid participants in the medical record database between 2012 and 2020. Each nulligravida was paired with a parous users who had an LNG-IUS inserted on the same day, just before or after the nulligravida. The Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test were used to compare the survival curves of the two groups.

RESULTS

By the fifth year of use, the expulsion rates were 7.6/100 and 8.2/100 women-years (W-Ys) and the continuation rates were 641/100 W-Ys and 65.4/100 W-Ys without difference among nulligravid and parous users, respectively (P = 0.782 and P = 0.564, respectively). We observed 29 and 31 expulsions among nulligravid and parous users, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Nulligravid and parous participants who used the 52 mg LNG-IUS showed similar expulsion and continuation rates during five years of use.

[Contraception for adolescent women]

The request for a contraception in adolescent women makes it possible to address HPV vaccination and prevention of STIs and to search for abuse. Optimizing the use of contraception is the priority. Any contraceptive methods can be offered. Adhesion is improved by prior information and individualized counselling. Apart from the vascular risk associated with the combined hormonal contraception, hormonal contraception provides gynecologic benefits. The efficacy of long-acting methods is higher compared to short-acting methods but their tolerance is a sensitive matter. Emergency contraception can be prescribed in advance. There are measures to facilitate the delivery to minors.