Short term effects of levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine systems: a
systematic review with meta-analysis
Abstract
Background: The levonorgestrel intrauterine systems (LNG-IUS) is widely
used, but few studies report incidence rates of side-effects of LNG-IUS.
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate short term side
effects of LNG-IUS and to compare the side effects at different dosages
of LNG-IUS’s. Search strategy: We searched electronic databases
(MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane) for RCT’s and observational studies between
January 1970 and April 2019 published in English. Selection criteria:
Studies including women seeking contraception and receiving a LNG-IUS,
compared to either women without hormonal contraception or a different
dosage of a LNG-IUS. Data Collection and analysis: We evaluated
randomized controlled trials with the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and
observational studies with ROBINS-I. For outcomes with data from at
least two studies, meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan (version
5.3). The quality of evidence was assessed using the GRADE. Main
results: We found an increase in risk of nervousness, depression,
ovarian cysts and of amenorrhea. One study compared two different
LNG-IUSs and found a decreased risk of developing ovarian cysts and an
uncertain risk of ectopic pregnancies and mood swings in low dose
LNG-IUS. Conclusions: We found that LNG-IUS increases risk of
nervousness, depression, ovarian cysts and amenorrhea but the quality of
evidence was low and the absolute risk small. Low-dosage LNG-IUS
decreases the risk of ovarian cysts compared to high dose. To achieve
higher quality of evidence, further studies are needed. Funding: No
funding was received for this study. Keywords: LNG-IUS, LNG-IUD,
side-effects, ovarian cysts, amenorrhea, depression, ectopic pregnancies