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. STUDY DESIGN: 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.