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The action of anti-inflammatory drugs on the fertility of female rats with intrauterine contraceptive devices

Summary. A silk thread (0-0) or a copper wire (0·18 mm diameter) was placed in the left uterine horn of rats, at least 3 days before fertilization. The animals were untreated or given daily injections of 3 mg hydrocortisone or 30 mg aspirin beginning the day after insertion of the IUD; 2 weeks after coitus, the animals were killed.

A longitudinal (10 mm) silk thread and the copper wire were effective (10 regardless of treatment. With the short silk thread (2 mm), implantation occurred in all groups of rats but a high failure rate was observed in hydrocortisone-treated rats (5/9 with implantations). The no. of implantations/no. of corpora lutea (x 100) was much higher (20·4%) in rats treated with aspirin and hydrocortisone than in untreated animals (3·2%) (P < 0·01).

We conclude that the effectiveness of an IUD can be altered by treatment with an anti-inflammatory substance.