Table 3.
Perceptions of last cycle using the IUD, as recorded during the follow-up interview*
| Timing and type of problem | Time period |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st period 0–9 weeks | 2nd period 9–19 weeks | 3rd period 19–39 weeks | 4th period >39 weeks | |
| Last menses | ||||
| Level of menstrual pain compared to before the IUD | ||||
| Less | 398 (25.3) | 468 (29.3) | 456 (27.1) | 441 (27.7) |
| Same | 571 (36.4) | 640 (40.1) | 677 (40.3) | 629 (39.5) |
| More | 601 (38.3) | 488 (30.6) | 547 (32.6) | 524 (32.9) |
| Amount of blood loss compared to before the IUD | ||||
| Less | 181 (11.5) | 229 (14.3) | 220 (13.1) | 189 (11.9) |
| Same | 324 (20.6) | 469 (29.4) | 554 (33.0) | 632 (39.6) |
| More | 1065 (67.8) | 898 (56.3) | 906 (53.9) | 773 (48.5) |
| Days of bleeding | ||||
| Mean (s.d) | 6 (2.7) | 5.9 (2.9) | 6.1 (3.4) | 5.6 (2.6) |
| Median | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
|
| ||||
| Last intermenstrual interval | ||||
| Any pain | 341 (21.7) | 299 (18.7) | 363 (21.6) | 387 (24.3) |
| Number of pain days | ||||
| Mean (s.d) | 0.81 (2.5) | 0.68 (2.4) | 0.99 (3.3) | 0.94 (2.7) |
| Median | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Any spotting | 376 (24.0) | 320 (20.0) | 418 (24.9) | 451 (28.3) |
| Number of spotting days | ||||
| Mean (s.d) | 1 (3) | 1 (3.7) | 1.3 (4.2) | 1 (2.5) |
| Median | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
| ||||
| Total number of follow-up reports | 1570 | 1596 | 1680 | 1594 |
*
From follow-up forms over a 12-month period.
Note: This analysis is based on 6,440 follow-up reports; of the 6,655 total reports, 215 were excluded from this analysis because the participant had not experienced a full cycle with the IUD in situ.