Heavy menstrual bleeding in women with inherited bleeding disorders in use of LNG-IUS: A systematic review and single-arm meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Inherited bleeding disorders may cause heavy menstrual bleeding in women, impacting quality of life and impairing daily and social activities. The levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system is a potential treatment for these women, which might reduce menstrual blood loss.

METHODS: We performed a systematic review and single-arm meta-analysis to examine the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system in women with inherited bleeding disorders and heavy menstrual bleeding.

RESULTS: A systematic search on PubMed, Embase and Cochrane yielded 583 results, of which six observational studies (n= 156) met inclusion criteria. Levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system use in patients with inherited bleeding disorders and heavy menstrual bleeding was associated with amenorrhea in 60% of patients and a significant increase of 1.40 g/dL in hemoglobin and of 19.75 ng/mL in ferritin levels when comparing post- and pre-treatment levels. The post-treatment mean hemoglobin was 13.32 g/dL and the mean ferritin was 43.22 ng/dL. The rate of intrauterine device expulsion or removal due to mal position was low (13%), as was the need for intrauterine device removal due to lack of efficacy (14%).

CONCLUSION: The levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system may improve bleeding patterns and quality of life in patients with inherited bleeding disorders and heavy menstrual bleeding.