Infectious outcomes following immediate postplacental intrauterine device placement in the setting of chorioamnionitis: An exploratory, retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate infectious outcomes following postplacental intrauterine device (PPIUD) placement in patients with suspected chorioamnionitis.

STUDY DESIGN

This retrospective cohort study identified individuals desiring PPIUD who subsequently developed suspected chorioamnionitis, treated with antibiotics. We followed 12-month infectious outcomes amongst two cohorts: (1) those who received PPIUD and (2) those with placement deferred.

RESULTS

Of 55 followed, 18 of 22 PPIUDs were placed before chorioamnionitis was suspected; 33 placements were deferred. Neither group experienced acute infectious complications. Notably, IUDs were more often deferred when chorioamnionitis was more clearly diagnosed (20/33, 60.6% vs 4/22, 18.2% p < 0.01). Overdiagnosis of chorioamnionitis prevented IUD uptake in 10 of 55 (18.2%) individuals in this sample.

CONCLUSIONS

PPIUD placement in individuals with early signs of chorioamnionitis may not result in severe morbidity, in a study limited by sample size. Larger, prospective studies are needed in well-defined cohorts.

IMPLICATIONS

Incidental, immediate postplacental IUD placement in individuals with treated, suspected chorioamnionitis was not associated with severe morbidity within 1-year postpartum. Larger-scale, prospective studies are needed to guide the management of incidentally-placed, postplacental IUDs in the setting of mild chorioamnionitis.