Does a Bleeding Disorder Lessen the Efficacy of the 52-mg Levonorgestrel-Releasing Intrauterine System for Heavy Menstrual Bleeding in Adolescents? A Retrospective Multicenter Study

Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare the patient-reported bleeding outcomes and complication rates with the use of the 52-mg levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (52-LNG-IUS) for treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) among adolescents with and without a diagnosed inherited bleeding disorder (BD) within the first 12 months after insertion. Methods: Retrospective chart review was conducted of adolescents ages 14-21 years, with and without an inherited BD, who underwent 52-LNG-IUS insertion between September 2013 and February 2020 for the treatment of HMB. Results: One hundred forty-four 52-LNG-IUS insertions among 139 subjects were evaluated. Fifty-nine (41%) of these were among adolescents with a diagnosed inherited BD, and 85 (59%) were among those without a BD. Among subjects with follow-up, documentation of patient-reported bleeding outcome, and a retained IUS (92/144), both groups subjectively reported improvement in bleeding outcome, with 91.7% (33/36) of those with a BD and 94.6% (53/56) of those without a BD reporting that bleeding outcome was better than prior to IUS insertion (p = .675). There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of spontaneous expulsion (p = .233), with the rate of expulsion in the first 12 months after placement among those with a BD of 13.7% (7/51) and 6.8% for those without a BD (5/72). Discussion: Adolescents with HMB both with and without an inherited BD benefit from the 52-LNG-IUS for the treatment of HMB. Rates of spontaneous IUS expulsion are not statistically different regardless of the presence of a BD and are similar to rates found in other studies of intrauterine device use in adolescents. (C) 2022 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study compared patient outcomes in adolescents with and without inherited bleeding disorders (BD) who underwent treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) using the 52-mg levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (52-LNG-IUS) within 12 months of insertion. The findings showed that both groups experienced improvement in bleeding outcomes and had similar rates of spontaneous expulsion.