Ultrasound-guided intrauterine removal of intrauterine contraceptive devices in pregnancy.

The risk to the embryo and to the mother when pregnancy results with an intrauterine device (IUD) in the uterus is well documented. Current advice in such cases is to remove the IUD if the string is visible; proper management when the string is not accessible is controversial. In four such cases, we were able to remove the IUDs from inside the uterine cavity using a small alligator forceps guided by high-resolution ultrasound. All four pregnancies progressed successfully to term. Based on the literature and our own experience, we recommend removal of IUDs or therapeutic abortion when pregnancy occurs with an IUD in situ.