The risk of pelvic inflammatory disease in women using intrauterine contraceptive devices as compared to non-users.

The frequency of women using an intrauterine contraceptive device (I.U.D.) among 515 patients presenting with acute, laparoscopically verified salpingitis, has been compared with the corresponding frequency in 741 sexually active women who were matched to the patients by date of birth, domicile, and socioeconomic status. The frequency of I.U.D. use was significantly (P less than 0-001) higher in the patients than in the controls. It was estimated that the relative risk of acute salpingitis for any woman using an I.U.D. was 3-fold as compared to non-users. For women using I.U.D.s who had not been pregnant at any time, the corresponding risk was found to be 7-fold.