Fertility following discontinuation of different methods of fertility control.

The possibility of permanent sterility following use of modern contraceptive agents is a concept which causes great concern amongst members of the lay public. However, a thorough review of the literature gives a great deal of reassurance on this topic. The combined oral contraceptive pill causes slight delay, and the injectable contraceptives a moderate delay in the return of fertility following discontinuation, but there is no evidence of a greater likelihood of permanent infertility than in the normal population. The progestogen-only minipill should be risk-free, but final data are lacking. Epidemiological studies do not indicate an increased risk of infertility following IUD use, but it seems likely that there must be a very small number of IUD users who develop permanent infective damage to the Fallopian tubes. Barrier methods and periodic abstinence probably do not have any significant effect on subsequent fertility. Barrier methods could be protective. Therapeutic abortion may have a small deleterious effect on long-term reproductive success, but the data are inconclusive. Detailed information on fertility following use of other methods is not available.