Continuation and user satisfaction of the levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG IUS) contraceptive in Nigeria

Dataset was from a prospective longitudinal phone survey made up of baseline survey of users at 2-weeks post-insertion of LNG IUS, recruited from 40 clinics across 17 states in Nigeria, with follow-up survey at the third and twelfth-month. A total 208 users were interviewed at baseline, 98 at three-months and 73 at twelve-month. User family planning and LNG IUS use experiences were elicited, and the continuation and satisfaction with the method at three and twelve months were also assessed. Average age of users of LNG IUS in the study at baseline is 33.7±6, and majority are aged 35 years and older (44%), followed by those aged 30-34 years and 25-29 years old which are approximately 30% and 20%. At the 3 and 12-months post-insertion, 97% (95% CI: 91.3, 99.3) and 92% (95% CI: 82.9, 96.9), respectively, reported still using the LNG IUS, with none out of the few users who discontinued the method reporting a method failure. Discontinuation was mainly a result of the experience of menstrual bleeding or amenorrhea (25.0%), experiences of pain with the method (18.8%), and partner complaining about strings (16.7%). High satisfaction with the LNG IUS (76.5% at three months and 86.3% at 12 months post-insertion) was reported. Satisfaction with LNG IUS was significantly associated with not having breast tenderness/pain (88.2%) and no vaginal bacterial infection (87.5%) at 12 months compared to experiencing breast tender/pain (50.0%) and vaginal infection (0.0%) (p<0.05).