Purpose: Evaluate bleeding patterns for the Liletta® levonorgestrel 52 mg intrauterine system (IUS) using the World Health Organization Belsey definitions.
Material and methods: This prospective multicenter trial evaluates the efficacy and safety of Liletta® (Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00995150). We evaluated bleeding patterns for 1700 nulliparous and multiparous women using a daily diary completed by participants for the first 2 years and by questionnaire every 3 months thereafter. We assessed amenorrhea rates over 3 years and the proportion of subjects with infrequent, frequent, prolonged and irregular bleeding per 90-day reference period over 2 years for the entire study population as well as comparing nulliparous and parous women and obese and non-obese women.
Results: Amenorrhea rates at 1 and 3 years in levonorgestrel 52 mg IUS users were 19 and 37%, respectively. The infrequent bleeding rate increased from 14% in the first 90 days to 30% at the end of Year 1, and was maintained at the same rate through Year 2. Frequent, prolonged and irregular bleeding declined to low levels by the end of the first year. Discontinuation for bleeding-related complaints occurred in 35 (2.1%, 95% CI 1.3-2.7%) women during the first 36 months; only one subject discontinued for amenorrhea (in Year 2). Outcomes did not vary for nulliparous versus parous or obese versus non-obese women.
Conclusions: Among Liletta users, amenorrhea and infrequent bleeding become more prevalent over time and amenorrhea rates continue to increase after the first year of use. Bleeding patterns do not differ significantly by parity or by obesity-status. Discontinuation for bleeding concerns is uncommon with this product.
Keywords: Intrauterine device; Liletta; amenorrhea; bleeding; intrauterine system; spotting.