The force required to remove the frameless 0-suture IUD anchoring system: comparison between pre- and postmenopausal women.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this short communication is to measure and compare the force needed to remove the implanted "0-suture" GyneFix intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD) and the "0-suture" FibroPlant trade mark -LNG intrauterine system (IUS) from the uterus of pre- and postmenopausal women.


METHODS
A nonrandomized comparative study in 119 pre- and postmenopausal women. A dynamometer (Pesola) was used to measure the removal force in newtons.


RESULTS
The results of this study show a mean removal force of 8.5 and 9.5 newtons, respectively (range, 3-11 and 4.5-11), in pre- and postmenopausal women, which is significantly different (p = 0.003).


CONCLUSIONS
The force needed to remove the IUD/IUS anchored in the myometrium of the uterine fundus of pre- and postmenopausal women is higher than the removal force found in previous studies in which the IUD consisted of a slightly thinner anchoring thread (00 instead of 0 suture). The statistically significantly different removal force between the two groups has no clinical implications. The difference may reflect the increased compactness of the uterine tissue in the postmenopausal uterus.
Wildemeersch
Dirk
D
Contrel Research, Technology Park Zwijnaarde, Piers de Raveschootlaan 125, 8300 Knokke, Ghent, Belgium. dirk.wildemeersch@contrel.be
D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D004867:Equipment Design; D004868:Equipment Failure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007433:Intrauterine Device Expulsion; D007435:Intrauterine Devices, Copper; D008593:Menopause; D013536:Suture Techniques