New phase 3 data support the use of the levonorgestrel 52 mg intrauterine device (IUD) in nulliparous women with obesity and heavy menstrual bleeding. The findings, presented at the 2022 annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), showed a 97% reduction in blood loss 6 months after placement of the device, which is sold as the contraceptive Liletta by Medicines360 and AbbVie.
Experts say the results fill a gap in research because prior clinical trials of the IUD and a competitor, Mirena (Bayer), excluded significantly obese as well as nulliparous populations.
William Schlaff, MD, professor and chairman of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, said the absence of confirmatory evidence in these women has meant that although use of the IUD has been "pretty widespread," clinicians have been uncertain about the efficacy of the approach.
"Now we have objective data from a well-designed study that supports a practice that many of us have felt is probably a good one," Schlaff, who was not involved in the new study, told Medscape Medical News.
Mitchell Creinin, MD
Lead researcher Mitchell Creinin, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UC Davis Health, Sacramento, and colleagues at several centers across the country provided treatment with Liletta to 105 individuals with proven heavy menstrual bleeding.
