Outcome of pregnancy in the presence of intrauterine device.

The outcome of 196 pregnancies with Lippes Loop in situ was studied. In 102 cases with inaccessible thread, the IUD was left in place. Ninety-four women had the IUD removed when the thread was still visible. The incidence of spontaneous abortion and premature delivery was 56.8% in the group of 102, and was significantly higher than in those women whose loop was removed. No serious complications occurred in any of the cases. The results suggested that the IUD should be removed early in pregnancy when the string is still accessible.196 cases of confirmed intrauterine pregnancy with an IUD in place were followed up. The 94 women whose IUD thread was still visible had the device removed. In 102 cases the thread was inaccessible and the IUD was allowed to remain. Visibility of the thread seemed to depend on the gestational period, with 98% of women seen at 8 or less weeks of pregnancy having a visible thread and only 2.1% of the cases seen after 9-12 weeks of pregnancy. Spontaneous abortion or premature delivery occurred in more than 1/2 the women who continued their pregnancies with the IUD remaining in place. This was a significantly higher rate than for the women whose IUDs were removed. No serious complications resulted in any of the 196 cases. Results of the study suggest that, if a pregnancy occurs with an IUD in place, the IUD should be removed as soon as possible if the string remains visible.