L’National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) points out that as with all hormonal contraception, the use of an intrauterine device (IUD, also called an IUD) in the levonorgestrel may be associated with a low risk of depression or mood disorders. It specifies the products concerned according to the dosages and the monitoring to be implemented.
According to the ANSM, in order to assess whether these risks depend on the levonorgestrel dosage, the GIS Epi-Phare studied the consumption of psychotropic drugs (antidepressants, anxiolytics and hypnotics) in the two years following the insertion of the IUD, dosed either at 52 mg or at 19.5 mg of levonorgestrel. This study is the first to show a risk of depressive disorders depending on the dose of levonorgestrel contained in the IUD. This risk is low and remains to be clarified.
The results of this epidemiological studycarried out on reimbursement data from the Health Insurance (SNDS) and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), show that women with an IUD with a higher dose of levonorgestrel (52 mg) have a very slightly increased risk of using antidepressants in the two years following the insertion of the IUD compared to an IUD with a lower dose of progestin . On the other hand, the study did not show an increase in the use of anxiolytics or hypnotics. This study is the first to show a risk of depressive disorders depending on the dose of levonorgestrel contained in the IUD. This risk is low and remains to be clarified.
ANSM recalls that levonorgestrel IUDs are drugs and may therefore cause adverse effects. Their maximum duration of use varies according to the type of IUD and its indication. In the event of mood swings and the occurrence of depressive symptoms, including at the start of treatment, women are advised to contact their doctor.
• Find out more on the ANSM website – Photo credit ANSM
