AN EVALUATION OF 6 NEW INTRAUTERINE-DEVICES

A newer generation of IUDs that includes the Copper T-380A/Ag (TCu-380 A/Ag) IUDs and the Multiload Copper-375 (MLCu375) IUDs has been develo ped and marketed. The high efficacy of these IUDs in preventing accide ntal pregnancies has been equated to that of oral contraceptives and e ven sterilization. However, the reduction of two other IUD-related per tinent events, namely, expulsion and medical removal due to bleeding a nd/or pain, has been less impressive. Therefore, efforts are continuin g to develop new IUDs. In this paper, the authors review the physical structures of six new IUDs: the CU-SAFE, Cu-Fix, Ombrelle, Fincoid, an d Multiload Mark II IUDs, and the intracervical fixing device (ICFD). The clinical performance of the first four devices is also evaluated. Independent, noncomparative studies suggest that all of the four new I UDs may perform as well as, or even better than, the TCu-380A IUD in t erms of expulsions and medical removals attributable to bleeding and/o r pain. However, we deem these results tentative, and emphasize the ne ed for multi-center, randomized comparative clinical trials with large r sample sizes and long-term follow-up.