The assessment of reversibility of a contraceptive method is of importance to both providers and users. Ninety-one women who discontinued IUD use because of desire of pregnancy were followed up for pregnancy and its outcome. Cumulative pregnancy rates at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months after IUD removal were 61.5%, 87.9%, 92.3%, and 96.7%, respectively. Mean interval from IUD removal to conception was 4.4 months (range, 1-18 months). These findings add further evidence that fertility of women is not impaired by use of IUDs as a spacing method.
PIP: Assessments of the return to fertility after IUD removal are especially critical given widespread use of this method for birth spacing. Data from 5 prospective studies of 8 types of IUDs (6 copper-bearing, 1 progesterone-releasing, and the Lippes Loop) conducted at India's Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in 1976-84 provide an opportunity for such as assessment. Of the 1300 women enrolled in these comparative trails, 110 requested IUD removal to achieve pregnancy and 91 were available for follow-up. 95% of these 91 women were para 1 or 2; the mean age at IUD removal was 27.6 years. The mean duration of IUD use was 22.9 months (range, 5-45 months). The cumulative pregnancy rates at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months after IUD removal were 62%, 88%, 92% and 97%, respectively, with a mean duration of 4.4 months until conception. 83 of the 88 women who conceived gave birth to healthy, full-term infants; the remaining 5 pregnancies ended in spontaneous abortion. Return to fertility showed no correlation with age at removal, duration of IUD use, timing of insertion, or type of IUD. Women with postabortion insertions and those aged 30 years and older required slightly longer to conceive than younger women with interval insertions, but the difference was not statistically significant.