Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are frequently preferred in birth control globally due to their reliability greater that 99.9%. Although IUDs are used vastly in birth control, removal procedure could be painful and a health professional is needed for both implantation and removal operations. Thus, a novel biodegradable magnesium-based metallic IUD material was developed.

In this study, biodegradation behavior of Mg-Al-Zn alloy in simulated uterine fluid (SUF) with different pH for 3-30 days was investigated. It has been known that pH of uterus changes according to the age of women. pH generally increases with aging. The largest pH range of uterus was found between 6.3 and 8 according to the previous research studies.

Although all of the magnesium specimens have lost weight during immersion tests, corrosion rate has changed dramatically depending on the pH of SUF solution. While specimens in slightly acidic SUF started to degrade with a relatively lower rate followed by a higher rate, specimens in slightly basic SUF showed a rapid corrosion and corrosion rate slowed down in time. Neutral SUF has shown a linear decrease in weight loss. Although all the specimens in different SUF solutions have shown different weight loss characteristics, corrosion rate was found almost steady after 500h of immersion. Authors conclude that the age of user or the pH of uterus has minor effect on the lifespan of IUD.

This work was supported by Research Fund of the Yildiz Technical University. Project Number: FYL-2018- 3175.