Absence of bacteremia after insertion or removal of intrauterine devices.

A prospective study of the risk of bacteremia in 84 women having insertion and in 16 women having removal of intrauterine devices was performed. Bacteremia was not found in any of these 100 women at 1 to 3, 15, or 30 minutes after the procedure or in any of 57 women studied again 1.5 hours later. Because of the remote risk of bacteremia, the presence of congenital or valvular heart disease need not be an absolute contraindication to the use of an intrauterine device for contraception in an otherwise healthy young woman. Prophylactic antimicrobial therapy during insertion or removal of an intrauterine device appears to be unnecessary in the absence of evident pelvic infections. The risk of bacteremia during removal of an intrauterine device from an infected uterus cannot be determined from this study.

Duke Scholars

Author Lyman Barth Reller Pathology