TYPE OF INTRAUTERINE-DEVICE AND THE RISK OF PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE

  • 1 January 1983
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 62  (1) , 1-6
Abstract
To study the association of PID and various types of intrauterine devices (IUD), data from the Women''s Health Study [USA] were analyzed. The analysis included data from interviews of 622 women hospitalized with an initial episode of PID and 2369 hospitalized control subjects reporting no history of PID. Compared to the risk in women using no contraception, the relative risk of PID in women currently using the Dalkon Shield was 8.3 (95%, confidence limits 4.7-14.5). This represented a 5-fold increase in risk compared to women currently using other types of IUD. In this study, only 10% of women wearing an IUD were using the Dalkon Shield, yet they accounted for almost 20% of the excess risk of PID occurring among all the IUD users. Most of the increased risk of PID for women currently using other IUD (excluding the Dalkon Shield) occurred in the 1st four months after insertion. These associations were not explained by differences between cases and controls in demographic variables, level of sexual activity, or medical history. It is recommended that women still using a Dalkon Shield have it removed.