Statistical Modeling Provides Reassurance to West African Women Who Use the Intrauterine Device

The risk of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) that can be attributed to the use of an intrauterine device (IUD) is very low in West Africa, according to statistical modeling performed with support from USAID.

Scientists used data from a 2004 study conducted in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, and Mali to calculate the risk of PID that could be attributed to IUD use. They found this risk to be only 0.075 percent — less than 1 in 1,300.

The myth that women who use an IUD are at high risk of developing PID is partly responsible for the decreased use of IUDs in many parts of the world. The new findings underscore the importance of education, training, and policy changes in overcoming this mistaken perception. This could help increase acceptance of the IUD, which has been proven to be a low-cost, safe, and highly effective form of reversible contraception.

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Source
Stanback J, Shelton JD. Pelvic inflammatory disease attributable to the IUD: modeling risk in West Africa. Contraception 2008;77(4):227-229.