[Effects of IUD on contents of norepinephrine and epinephrine in the menstrual blood of IUD users].

To examine the effects of the IUD on the adrenergic nervous system in the female uterus, the levels of norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E) in the plasma of menstrual blood were determined by the modified fluorimetric method, and menstrual blood loss was measured at the same time in 11 women with the steel ring. Results showed that the levels of NE were significantly higher in the 1st, 6th, and 12th month after insertion in 11 women compared with those prior to insertion (p 0.01, p 0.01, p 0.05); menstrual blood loss also increased correspondingly. The results suggested that, as a foreign body in the uterus of a women the IUD stimulated the adrenergic nerve endings in the uterus and caused an increase in menstrual bleeding. (author's modified)