Fertility following ectopic pregnancy with special reference to previous use of an intra-uterine contraceptive device (IUCD).

A group of 304 women operated on for ectopic pregnancy were followed up with respect to subsequent reproductive performance. The group was distributed into current users, earlier users and non-users of an intra-uterine contraceptive device (IUCD). Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and infertility were more common among non IUCD users. Reproductive performance was statistically significantly better in ever-users of an IUCD than in never-users. The proportions of women wishing to become pregnant and who later gave birth to a live baby in the three groups were 69.2%, 61.4% and 38.0% respectively.