Introduction: In Denmark most IUDs are inserted by general practitioners (GPs). The aim of this study was to throw light on which women choose IUD, the procedure used, and difficulties associated with insertion.
Material and methods: All 232 GPs in Frederiksborg County were invited to participate and 88 agreed. The GP filled in a questionnaire concerning the type of IUD, the age, parity, etc, of the woman and information about the insertion.
Results: Eighty-eight GPs contributed with 562 IUD insertions. IUD was mostly used by women above 25 years of age and by women who had given birth to a child. There were no differences in the insertion procedures used by the doctors. Fifty-nine per cent of the women were previous IUD users. Of the former users, 37% reported problems with the previous use of the IUD. Twenty-five per cent of the women in this study reported that they had had heavy or long-lasting menstruation before insertion. Fifty-five per cent of the women had a test for chlamydia before insertion. Twenty-three (4.1%) insertions were abandoned. 26 (4.6%) insertions were described as difficult. The highest frequency was in women using gestagen-releasing IUDs.
Conclusion: IUD was mainly used by women, who had given birth to a child. The gestagen releasing IUD was mostly used by the elder group and by women with heavy bleedings before insertion. The procedure was very identical and the number of abandoned and difficult insertions were low and only related to the type of IUD. More female than male doctors participated. Doctors working in partnerships participated more frequently than doctors working alone.