12-year IUDs, The
Althaus, Frances
Two copper-T IUDs appear to provide effective contraceptive protection for at least 12 years. In two multicenter trials, 3,277 women were recruited between January 1981 and July 1986 to use the TCu220C and 1,396 to use the TCu380A.1 The cumulative 12-year pregnancy rates were 7.6 and 2.2 per 100 women, respectively. Pregnancy rates were highest in the first few years after insertion; no pregnancies occurred after the eighth year of use among women relying on the TCu380A. Cumulative 12year discontinuation rates for medical reasons were 37.3 per 100 women for the TCu220C and 40.2 per 100 for the TCu380A. While noting that both IUDs are safe and effective for at least 12 years of use, the investigators conclude that the TCu380A “is significantly more effective and is an acceptable alternative to female sterilization or depot hormonal methods for very long-term pregnancy prevention.”
1. United Nations Development Programme/United Nations Population Fund/World Health Organization/World Bank, Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction, Long-term reversible contraception: twelve years of experience with the TCu38OA and TCu220C, Contraception, 1997(6):341-352.
Copyright Alan Guttmacher Institute Jun 1998
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