According to the manufacturers intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs) should not be associated with systemic hormonal effects. However, women’s representatives claim that IUDs do exhibit side effects that are similar to oral or percutaneous hormonal medication. Background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) reduces the sensitivity and specificity of breast MRI and is influenced by exogenous hormonal exposures. We investigated whether IUD use is associated with BPE on contrast-enhanced breast MRI, as a surrogate marker for hormonal stimulation. We found that the application of an IUD is associated with increased BPE in breast MRI. This suggests that IUDs do have a systemic hormonal effect.
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