Intrauterine device use in an urban university clinic: safety of use in a population at high risk for sexually transmitted infections.

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to describe infection rates after intrauterine device (IUD) placement at an urban teaching hospital that did not restrict IUD eligibility based on risk factors for sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

METHODS

We reviewed charts of patients undergoing IUD placement at the University of Chicago obstetrics and gynecology resident clinic from July 2007 to June 2008 (n=283). The primary outcome was diagnosis of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) within 12 months.

RESULTS

Almost half (49.5%) of patients reported a history of any STI. Two patients (0.7%) were diagnosed with PID.

CONCLUSION

Postplacement infection in this unrestricted population was infrequent and comparable to reported rates in previous studies.