RAISED CIRCULATING LEVELS OF INTERLEUKIN-6 IN WOMEN WITH AN INTRAUTERINE CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICE

The aim of this study was to determine whether the presence of an intr auterine contraceptive device (IUCD) causes a systemic elevation of in terleukin-6 (IL-6). The control group comprised 29 women with normal c ycles and who were not using any form of contraception and the study g roup comprised 74 women who had had an IUCD in place for 10 - 24 month s. Of these, 45 had intermenstrual bleeding. Systemic IL-6 was undetec table (minimum detection limit of the assay is 5 pg/ml) in the control but was raised in 20% of the women fitted with an IUCD (p < 0.01). Th ere was no difference between IL-6 levels in IUCD users who had interm enstrual bleeding and those who did not. These results suggest that th e effects of chronic IUCD usage may not be limited to the endometrium.