Safety and acceptability of post-abortal IUD insertion and the importance of counseling

This nonrandomized observational clinical study evaluated the safety and acceptability of intrauterine device insertion either immediately or 2 weeks after abortion, according to the patient's preference. Participants were 300 women with first-trimester abortions who agreed to immediate or delayed insertion. End points were bleeding patterns, pregnancy, expulsion, perforation, infection and device removal at 2, 6 and 10 weeks after insertion, and acceptance rates before and after counseling procedures were improved. The overall initial acceptance rate was 35.8%, and the actual acceptance rate was 31.7%. After counseling procedures were improved, the initial and actual acceptance rates increased substantially (17.7% vs. 44.3% and 10.2% vs. 42.0%, respectively). Bleeding, expulsion rates and pain did not differ significantly between the immediate and delayed insertion groups after IUD insertion. No pregnancies, perforations or cases of pelvic inflammatory disease were recorded in either group. Immediate post-abortal insertion offers the advantage of being a painless procedure. The quality of counseling is critical to improving acceptance of post-abortion contraception. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.