Short-term failure of IUD removal to alter bacterial flora in a patient with chronic anaerobic endometritis.

A patient with cytological and clinical evidence of IUD-associated anaerobic endometritis was studied with quantitative and qualitative bacteriological techniques. With the exception of elimination of Actinomyces israelii from the deep endocervical/endometrial culture, IUD removal induced minimal qualitative changes in the bacterial flora of the endocervical/endometrial sample during the 35 days the patient was monitored. The interposition of menstruation did not significantly alter either the quantitative or qualitative interrelationship of the bacteria present.