Abstract
The experience of 1254 women who had Multiload 250s (MLCu250) and 754 women who had Multiload 375s (MLCu375) inserted by the author was evaluated. The performance of the two Multiload models was similar over 4 years of use, except for a significantly lower (p<0.05) pregnancy rate for the MLCu375 (4-year cumulative life table rates: 3.0 vs. 5.4 per 100 women). Use of the MLCu250 and MLCu375 provided women with a very safe method of contraception. Many of the removals for medical reasons other than bleeding, pain or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) appeared to be unrelated to IUD use. Thirty-nine women had their IUDs removed for suspected PID, but the diagnosis of PID was confirmed in only 44% of these cases. The overall rate of confirmed cases of PID was 0.3 per 100 woman-years. Except for a higher rate of PID during the first few months of Multiload use, the results of the study did not indicate that IUD use is associated with an increased risk of PID. Multiload use did not impair future pregnancy or affect the outcomes of these pregnancies.
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