Polyethylene Intrauterine Contraceptive Device

Abstract

Pathological study of endometrial biopsy specimens from 393 women who used the Lippes loop for intrauterine contraception for 18 months or longer showed that about 60% of the women were asymptomatic and had a low incidence of endometritis (2.5%). About 20% of women developed symptoms between 18 and 35 months; endometrial biopsy from this group showed inflammatory lesions in about 20% of this group. The rate of detection of inflammatory lesions in endometrial biopsies was doubled to about 40% in the remaining 20% of women who developed symptoms after use of the polyethylene device for 26 months or longer.