Uterine cavity length in postpartum women who are exclusively breastfeeding: is atrophy responsible for a higher perforation rate at Intrauterine Contraceptive Device (IUCD) insertion?

Do breast feeding women 2-6 months postpartum have a shorter intrauterine cavity length when measured on transvaginal ultrasound scan, compared with non breastfeeding women 2-6 months postpartum and non breastfeeding women greater than 6 months postpartum.

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12614000558628

Enrollment

Registered

2014-05-26

Start date

2014-01-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2020-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

Postpartum breastfeeding women have a higher risk of uterine perforation with insertion of an intrauterine contraception device (IUD). The mechanism for this is unknown, we hypothesize that a reduction in uterine cavity length is responsible for the increased perforation rate. Perforation is a serious complication, which requires surgery to remove the perforated IUD, resulting in a significant cost to the woman and the health service. Our objective is to compare uterine cavity length in exclusively breastfeeding women with non-breastfeeding women. A smaller sized cavity may explain the increased risk of perforation in breastfeeding women, leading to a change in practice.

Interventions

Observational study - comparing intrauterine cavity length & fundal myometrial thickness in breastfeeding women 2-6 months postpartum with non breastfeeding women 2-6 months postpartum and non-breastfeeding women greater than 6month postpartum and premenopausal by using a single cross-sectional transvaginal ultrasound measurement.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

0 to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

Group 1 Parity >/=1 > 6 months postpartum and premenopausal Not breastfeeding for at least 2 months Group 2 Parity >/=1 2-6 months postpartum exclusively breast feeding Amenorrhoeic Group 3 Parity >/=1 2-6 months postpartum bottle feeding from 6 weeks

Exclusion criteria

Known uterine pathology (fibroids, arcuate uterus, bicornuate uterus) Nulliparity Intrauterine device in situ Using hormonal contraception Pregnant

Outcome results