Mental health and contraception: a study makes the link between hormonal IUDs and depressive disorders

What is an IUD?

An intrauterine device (IUD), or intrauterine device with hormones, is an contraceptive method whose duration of action is 5 years in the majority of cases.

It broadcasts locally levonorgestrela synthetic progestin hormone that thickens the cervical mucus between the vagina and the uterus.

It is this thickening that blocks the passage of sperm and provides contraception.

What does the study say?

As with all hormonal contraceptives, the use of such a contraceptive may be associated with a risk of depression or of mood disordersrecalls the National Medicines Agency (ANSM) on Tuesday.

To assess whether these risks depend on the levonorgestrel dosage, the EPI-PHARE scientific interest group (GIS) set up by the ANSM and the Cnam studied the consumption of psychotropic drugs (antidepressants, anxiolytics and hypnotics) within two years following the insertion of the IUD, dosed either at 52mg or at 19.5mg of levonorgestrel.

The results of this epidemiological study, published in December in the journal Jama Networkshow that women with an IUD with a higher dosage of levonorgestrel (52mg) have a slightly increased risk of using antidepressants (+13%) in the two years following the insertion of the IUD compared to an IUD lower dose of progestogen.

On the other hand, the study did not show an increase in the use of anxiolytics or hypnotics. “The risks are low, even very low”told AFP Isabelle Yoldjian, the medical director of the ASNM.

“This information does not make it possible to determine a course of action, but to provide additional information and improve the exchange between the practitioner and the patient”she added.