Woman arrives due to bleeding from rectum and was diagnosed with two IUDs

A 46-year-old woman suffered from pain in her lower abdomen and bleeding around the rectum. She came to the Gynecology Emergency Room at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center and after undergoing a series of tests, including a colonoscopy, the doctors verified what they had suspected - that an intrauterine device (IUD) had penetrated the intestine and perforated the rectum. The patient was also found to have another IUD as well, so she actually had two IUDs in her body at the same time, one in her uterus and the other near the rectum.

Due to the unique nature of the case, the woman went taken in for complex surgery to remove the IUD from the rectum. The surgery, which included a multidisciplinary team of professionals from the fields of surgery, gastroenterology and gynecology, was a success. The patient was sent to the Surgery Department to recover and was discharged to her home in good condition just a few days later.

Dr. Ariel Polansky, a senior physician in the Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science Department at Hillel Yaffe, stated, “It is fairly rare for an IUD to penetrate the intestine and perforate the rectum, causing bleeding. In this case, the patient had an IUD inserted about 13 years ago and several years later, after a gynecological exam, her doctor couldn’t find it and inserted a new one. So, in fact, for several years she has had two IUDs in her body.”

Director of the Gastroenterology Institute, Dr. Oren Gal, and Director of the Colorectal Surgery Unit, Dr. Mark Kirshon, who performed surgery on the patient, said that this was a rare and challenging case that required several experts to work together, each in their own field, to ensure the success of the procedure - removal of the IUD without damaging the intestine. “Had we not been able to find the IUD and the foreign object had remained in her body, her condition could have worsened and lead to infection in the intestine. The ability to expose the IUD through a laparoscopic approach, while removing it and closing the hole in the rectum using an endoscope, prevented the need for very major surgery and significantly reduced the risk of complications.”

Dr. Polansky asked to share an important message, “Any woman with an IUD must see her gynecologist for a routine examination to ensure that the IUD is in the right place. If the IUD is not found, it is important to ensure that it was, in fact, expelled from the body and did not latch on somewhere else.”

From right to left: Dr. Oren Gal, Dr. Mark Kirshon and Dr. Ariel Polansky, who performed the surgery on the patient at Hillel Yaffe