[Is gestagen IUD a realistic alternative to female sterilization?].

INTRODUCTION

For years, female sterilization has been regarded as the most reliable contraceptive method available. However, sterilization is irreversible and requires a surgical procedure. The purpose of our investigation was to see how many women who were offered a reversible, long-term, non-surgical method would prefer it as an alternative to sterilization.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All women referred to our unit for sterilization in the years 2000 and 2001 were offered a consultation in non-operative methods of long-term contraception. All women were offered a levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) while waiting to be sterilized. The women who chose LNG-IUS were followed for 1-3 years to see if they were later sterilized.

RESULTS

Of the 151 women, 14 didn't come in for consultation. Among the 137 remaining women, the primary choice for 69 (50%) was sterilization; 58 women (43%) chose LNG-IUS, and 10 (7%) chose other alternatives. By the end of the observation period, 6 (10%) of the 58 women in the LNG-IUS group had chosen to be sterilized.

DISCUSSION

LNG-IUS is a long-term reversible contraceptive method with an efficacy comparable to that of female sterilization. The results suggest that all women referred for sterilization should be counselled about effective alternative methods before proceeding with sterilization.