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Serious complications are rare
Clients need to be counseled to:
- recognize symptoms of complications
- seek immediate medical attention
if symptoms occur
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Serious medical complications are rare with modern contraceptive
methods. If complications occur, they require immediate medical
attention.
After a client has chosen a method, the provider should discuss
possible complications of that method. Counseling clients about
how to recognize symptoms of complications is important. For
example, severe leg pain in women who take oral contraceptives
may be a symptom of deep venous thrombosis. Fever and low abdominal
pain that develop during the first month after IUD insertion
may suggest pelvic inflammatory disease. Clients should know
that if they develop any of these symptoms, they must come to
the clinic or another facility immediately to receive treatment.
They may need to choose another method of contraception.
Providers need to distinguish clearly between common, expected
side effects that generally do not need medical intervention
and the signs of rare complications that may be harmful and,
thus, require immediate medical attention.
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