that’s inserted the same way, according to results of a Turkish study.
The study authors, led by Ceren Unal, MD, of Zeynep Kamil Women’s and Children’s Disease Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, wrote that the new device, the frameless copper-releasing Gyn-CS IUD, “could be a major advance, potentially suitable for general use due to the ease and safety of the insertion procedure,” which requires limited training.
According to the study authors, most IUDs are retained in the uterus, and most have a T-shape configuration. Some are inserted immediately following expulsion of the placenta at birth, although techniques “are far from being optimal,” and devices are frequently displaced and sometimes expelled.
The newly developed Gyn-CS IUD, a redesigned version of a previous model, has an alternative “anchor” design.
The investigators tracked 140 pregnant women – 106 who underwent elective cesarean section and 34 who underwent emergency cesarean section – who had the Gyn-CS or the TCu380A IUD inserted shortly after they gave birth. Their median age was around 30 years , all were white, and all were married.
The TCu380A IUD, a decades-old model that’s been recommended by the World Health Organization, and the Gyn-CS IUD were each inserted in 70 women. The researchers then followed them for 3 months. Three women (one in the Gyn-CS IUD group and two in the TCu380A IUD group) were lost to follow-up.
In total, 61 of 70 IUDs (88%) remained in place in the Gyn-CS group, and 54 of 70 (79%) in the TCu380A group (P = .30). One (1%) Gyn-CS IUD was expelled , possibly because it was incorrectly anchored, and eight (11%) TCu380A IUDs were expelled (P = .04). There were equal numbers of medical removals (four) and nonmedical removals (two) in the two groups, and one “other medical removal” in the Gyn-CS IUD group.
“The very low expulsion rate of Gyn-CS, compared with TCu380A, is a very strong argument in favor of the anchored IUD, preventing expulsion and displacement,” Dr. Unal and colleagues reported in Contraception.
They noted that the study has a limited 3-month tracking period, but they also pointed out that most expulsions inserted post partum occurred in the initial 6 weeks.
The low expulsion rate of the Gyn-CS device “will prevent more women becoming pregnant too soon which constitutes an important safety issue during future pregnancy,” the authors wrote. “The device, preferably its high-load 10-year version, could also interest many women as a reversible alternative for tubal sterilization. Additional clinical experience with the Gyn-CS IUD is, therefore, urgently warranted.”
No study funding is reported, although Contrel Research provided the Gyn-CS devices at no charge. The study authors reported no relevant disclosures.