Comparative assessment of the effects of two intrauterine systems for long-term contraception on some haematological, biochemical, and immunological markers

Abstract

An intrauterine system (IUS) is a type of contraception tool that is used in order to control fertility and prevent concep¬tion in women for a long period. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of copper- versus levonorgestrel-releasing IUSs on women’s health. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study of 75 women that were randomly se¬lected (50 women that used a copper-releasing IUS and the remaining 25 that used a levonorgestrel-releasing IUS) amongst those attending out patient’s clinics at Hillah, Iraq, from March to July 2016. All women were between 18 to 46 years of age, and have had an IUS for at least three months. The measurement of serum ceruloplasmin (SCerP), haemoglobin, vitamin D (VD), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) levels was undertaken. Our results revealed that the copper-releasing IUS group has low haemoglobin and VD levels, along with high levels of SCerP and proinflammatory cytokines. One the other hand, the levonorgestrel-releasing IUS group displayed no significant changes on the above markers. We can conclude that the levonorgestrel-releasing IUS is free of any adverse effect when compared to a copper-releasing IUS, at least with regard to the parameters examined by our study.