Outcomes Related to the Use of Intrauterine Devices Inserted Immediately After Birth.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the removal and expulsion rates of intrauterine devices (IUDs) inserted immediately after delivery of the placenta 1 year after birth.

DESIGN

Retrospective chart review.

SETTING

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Women and Infant Service Line.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients who gave birth and elected to receive IUDs at UAMS from August 1, 2021 to September 30, 2023 (N = 641).

METHODS

We collected data from charts of patients who received IUDs within 10 min of delivery of the placenta. We analyzed and reported the de-identified data using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

The overall IUD removal rate was 10.3% (n = 66), the expulsion rate was 5.1% (n = 33), and 84.5% (n = 542) of the IUDs remained in place.

CONCLUSION

Our organization achieved low IUD removal and expulsion rates. One potential explanation is that our providers received structured education on immediate postpartum IUD insertion techniques and used prenatal patient-centered counseling practices. Our findings highlight the need for further study of our approach to improve outcomes related to IUD insertion immediately after delivery of the placenta.