The risk of spontaneous abortion and intra-uterine infections in pregnancies associated with an intra-uterine conceptive device (IUD) is well documented. There is a general agreement regarding the desirability of removing the IUD as soon as the pregnancy is diagnosed. When the string is not visible, the proper management is controversial. This study reports the successful retrieval of occult IUD in early pregnancy under ultrasonic guidance in 8 out of 9 women. In the one case where we failed to remove the IUD, the women chose to terminate the pregnancy by legal abortion. Seven women completed their pregnancy, while one experienced a spontaneous abortion. We consider the removal of the occult IUD in pregnancy under ultrasonic guidance to be a useful procedure. :The IUDs were removed with ultrasonic guidance from 8 out of 9 women who desired to continue their unplanned pregnancy, among 120 IUD contraception failures ascertained at the University Hospital of Trondheim, Norway, from January 1981-June 1990. The IUDs were removed without analgesia or anesthesia, by grasping the anterior lip of the cervix with a uterine tenaculum, and inserting forceps without cervical dilatation. The IUD was visualized with a convex electronic 3.5 MHz probe (Hitachi EUB-450). The women ranged in parity from 0-3, and gestational ages from 6-13 weeks. 8 procedures were successful. 1 failed after 2 attempts, as the IUD was located between the gestational sac and the fundus: the women chose legal abortion. 6 women delivered spontaneously at term. 1 had a cesarean section at 35 weeks because of fetal growth retardation. 1 woman aborted 1 week later at 7 weeks gestation. Usually implantation with an IUD in place occurs away from the device, and it is easily removed with the thread. Ultrasonically guided removal was judged a useful way to manage the situation of an occult IUD.