The Antifertility Effect and Improved Tolerance of Copper Bearing Hydrogel Coated Intrauterine Devices in Rabbit 1

Abstract

Summary

Rod-shaped rabbit I.U.D.'s (3 × 38 mm) were constructed in which a 0.5 mm thick coating of water swellable poly-2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate hydrogel was covalently grafted onto BaSo₄-pigmented polyethylene rods and over copper wire seated in spiral-grooved polyethylene rods. Uncoated polyethylene I.U.D.'s, hydrogel-coated polyethylene I.U.D.'s and copper-bearing hydrogel-coated I.U.D.'s were surgically inserted into uteri of New Zealand white rabbits without suture fixation procedures. I.U.D. retention in rabbit uteri (a normally high rejection model for unsutured I.U.D.'s) were 0% (no hydrogel coating), 41% (with hydrogel coating) and 50% (with copper wire and hydrogel coating). Observed fertilities in 2-mo long experiments were 86.6% for sham-operated control rabbits, 38.5% with I.U.D.'s having only hydrogel coating and 0% with I.U.D.'s bearing copper wire and a hydrogel coating over the wire. Evidence was found of gross purulent material on uncoated polyethylene I.U.D.'s whereas inflammatory reactions to hydrogel coated I.U.D.'s (with and without copper) were comparatively minor, and no teratogenic effects were observed with hydrogel-coated I.U.D.'s. No evidence was found for either copper or hydrogel fragmentation in rabbits.