Pregnancy after IUD use.

Much has been written about the risks of PID to IUD users, but very little about the subsequent fertility status of these patients. Is tubal infertility increased in an IUD user who has been asymptomatic? Does the addition of copper make the device harmless? Was the Dalkon Shield so harmful in the nulliparous woman? Our study (89 and 90% follow-up after 12-14 years) of 200 Dalkon Shield and 142 TCu-200 users allows us to answer 'No' to the three previous questions. We conclude that wearing an IUD per se does not cause infertility since all our patients who had IUDs removed for intended pregnancy did become pregnant; the addition of copper per se does not make an IUD safer although it does make it more efficient; the Dalkon Shield used in nulligravidas was not more dangerous than other types of IUD.

Long-term study of the safety of the Dalkon Shield and Gyne-T 200 intrauterine devices.

Between 1971 and 1973, 200 Dalkon Shield and 142 Gyne-T 200 intrauterine devices (IUDs) were inserted at the department of obstetrics and gynecology in a large urban hospital. In 1984 retrospective analysis of events associated with the use of these IUDs was done. Hospital and clinic charts were reviewed, and the women were contacted to obtain information on infertility and the outcome of pregnancy after discontinuation of IUD use.