ShareOne year continuation of post-partum intrauterine contraceptive device: findings from a retrospective cohort study in India
Study evaluates outcomes of national postpartum (within 48h of delivery) copper intrauterine device placement (PPCuIUD) program in six “high-focus states” with high unmet family planning need in India. High-volume district hospitals that provided PPCuIUD in six (Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh) Indian states (two per state) maintained a list of PPCuIUD acceptors with contact phone numbers. We randomly selected 100 women at each site for inclusion in a telephone survey of IUD outcomes at 1 year. Questions regarded IUD expulsion, discontinuation because of symptoms (e.g., pain, bleeding, discharge), discontinuation for other reasons and use of alternative contraception if discontinuation reported.
PPCuIUD continuation rate at 1 year was 62.8%. Most removals within 1 year were due to associated side effects. Almost half of the women discontinuing PPCuIUD did not switch to an alternative modern contraceptive method. The 1-year continuation rate of PPCuIUD achieved through a large-scale national program in India is satisfactory. The program needs to address the low uptake of other modern contraceptive methods after discontinuation.
