31,781 cases of non-surgical female sterilisation with quinacrine pellets in Vietnam.

The quinacrine method of non-surgical female sterilisation involves transcervical intrauterine insertion of 252 mg quinacrine as pellets during the proliferative phase of the menstrual cycle; the drug causes inflammation and fibrosis of the proximal fallopian tube. We have carried out a field trial of 31,781 cases in twenty-four provinces of Vietnam from Jan 2, 1989, until October, 1992. There were 818 pregnancies after the procedure, of which 80 were carried to term. Some women received only one dose of quinacrine; the majority received two doses with an interval of one month. Cumulative life-table pregnancy rates per 100 women at 1 year (for studies of at least 50 cases followed for 12 months) were 2.63 (SE 0.17) among 9461 women who received two doses and 5.15 (0.48) among 2225 who received only one dose. Failure rates (pregnancies) were strongly affected by the skill of the doctor or midwife. There were no deaths and only 8 serious complications were reported (0.03%); by contrast, in a similar series of women undergoing surgical sterilisation, 30 deaths and between 540 and 1812 serious complications would be expected. All reported side-effects were minor and of short duration. There were 19 ectopic pregnancies and the incidence was 0.89 per 1000 woman-years of use. There was one birth defect (anencephaly), in a fetus conceived 2.5 months after quinacrine insertions; however, we believe it is not related to the procedure. An estimated 242 maternal deaths will be averted by these 31,781 sterilizations. This method is safe and acceptably effective for female sterilisation.