Abstract

PIP: A new copper IUD, the OMGA, has been recently tested in France. The IUD is made of a resilient, plastic material containing pure copper in powder form. The device comes in 4 sizes, containing an amount of copper ranging from 37 mg to 120 mg; the period of device use can very well be over 5 years. The main feature of the new device is that (contrary to what happens in other IUDs in which the quantity of copper released decreases after the 1st year of use) the amount of copper released remains stable all the time. Between 1979-1981, 197 OMGA IUDs were inserted by the authors for a total of 2420 cycles; age of acceptors was mostly over 35, and most were multiparous. Insertion of the device was very easy. There were 4 pregnancies, or a failure rate of 1.98%; there were 24 expulsions, or 11.9%, and 7 removals, or 3.47%; reasons for removal were metrorrhagia menorrhagia, pain, and spotting in most cases. Duration and quantity of menstrual flow was similar to that for other types of IUDs. There were no cases of infection or of perforation. The limited number of observations conducted until now does not permit definitive conclusions on the effectiveness of the OMGA.