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Each year, half of the 1.2 million U.S. women who undergo abortions have undergone previous pregnancy terminations; therefore, intrauterine device (IUD) insertion immediately postabortion could be particularly effective. In a retrospective review of records at one clinic, researchers assessed IUD insertion rates and outcomes in 221 women who chose to undergo the procedure right after abortion (immediate group; mean age, 24) and 87 women who elected to wait and undergo insertion at follow-up 2 to 4 weeks later (interval group; mean age, 26). Participants were mostly black, single, and in medical assistance programs.
In the immediate group, for 65 first-trimester abortions with available data, 48 women still had IUDs in place at follow-up. Of …