Endocrine Abstracts

Background

Despite the popularity of levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) as a contraceptive and in treating menorrhagia in the UK, patient satisfaction has not been adequately assessed.

Objectives

To document the patient satisfaction rate with levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS).

Sample

160 women who had a LNG-IUS inserted from 1st January 2000 till 31st December 2003.

Setting

Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, Suffolk, United Kingdom.

Design

A questionnaire was sent to all women identified from theatre and clinics records. The level of satisfaction was assessed using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) of 0–10 cm. The number of questionnaires returned was 102 (response rate 64%). Six were excluded for incomplete data.

Result

Ninty-six responses were analysed. Fifty-eight (60%), 9(9%), and 29 (30%) women were satisfied, uncertain, and unsatisfied, respectively. Fifty-nine (61%) women would recommend the LNG-IUS to women with similar needs to themselves. However, 24 (25%) would not recommend the device, while 13 (14%) were unsure. Various comments from all patients were noted.

Conclusion

The satisfaction rate with the LNG-IUS in the studied population was only 60%. A larger survey is required to confirm the findings on a wider scale in the UK population so the patients could be given adequate counselling before insertion of LNG-IUS.