Are copper IUDs unrelated to infertility and therefore safer than previously thought?
I understand that a recent study found copper IUDs to be unrelated to infertility and thus safer than was previously thought. Is that so? Yes. A Family Health International study just published in New EnglandJournal of Medicine, found no increased risk of infertility among nulligravid women (women never previously pregnant) who used copper IUDs. Older studies had mixed results related to copper IUDs and infertility. The new study was particularly strong because of its relatively large size and because it used two types of controls. It is especially notable because many providers appear to shy away from the IUD because of concerns about infertility and withhold IUDs from women who have never been pregnant. Moreover, it is already known that the relatively small increase in risk of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), is associated with the IUD only for women at risk of STIs. Accordingly the article concludes: “This study suggests that the use of copper IUDs is much safer than was previous
