Assessment of menstrual blood loss in women with ideopathic menorrhagia using the frameless levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system

Abstract

Objective This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a “low-dose” levonorgestrel (LNG)-releasing intrauterine system (IUS) on the amount of menstrual blood loss (MBL) in women with ideopathic menorrhagia. Methods Menstrual blood loss was assessed with the visual assessment technique in 12 Belgian FibroPlant™-LNG users with menorrhagia. In addition, ferritin levels were measured. Results The median MBL, evaluated by the visual scoring technique, decreased by more than 90%. The ferritin levels increased significantly during treatment with the levonorgestrel system. Conclusion This study confirms previous MBL studies conducted with the FibroPlant-LNG IUS demonstrating the efficacy of the LNG-IUS to significantly reduce the amount of MBL in women with menorrhagia. The strong endometrial suppression is the principal mechanism explaining the effect on MBL. The therapeutic effect of this contraceptive method is highly desirable, particularly in women with heavy bleeding or anemia, as other treatment modalities are less effective, more costly, more invasive or inaccessible. The simple design characteristics and anchoring system account for minimizing the occurrence of complaints of pain and expulsion.