Management and outcome of pregnancies associated with the Copper T intrauterine contraceptive device.

The clinical outcome of 918 pregnancies in women who conceived while using one or another of four models of the Copper T intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD) is presented. Elective abortion was chosen by 58 per cent of the women. The clinical management and course of 275 women who elected to allow their unplanned pregnancy to continue are described. The Copper T was either expelled or extracted during the pregnancy in 118 of the women, while the IUD remained in situ for the duration of the pregnancy in the remaining 157 patients. The incidence of spontaneous abortion more than doubled when the IUD remained in utero. The chance of a live birth being premature was four times greater when the IUD remained in situ than when it was removed. There were 27 ectopic pregnancies in this entire series, giving an incidence of 3.4 per cent. In addition, the data suggest, but do not prove, that there is an increased risk of having an ectopic pregnancy if the woman has worn the Copper T for more than two years. A benign fibroma of the vocal cord was the only congenital anomaly detected. These observations suggest that the incidence of developmental defects is not adversely affected by the presence of intrauterine copper.