IUDs Can Lower Risk of Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer kills over 300,000 worldwide each year and is now the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women. But new research has found that use of an intrauterine device (IUD) can reduce the risk of cervical cancer by 50 percent.

IUDs are implantable birth control devices, which are inserted into the uterus. They prevent pregnancy by releasing small amounts of either copper or the hormone progestin to prevent pregnancy. Much less popular than oral contraceptives, the rate of use is pegged around 7 percent, although the unplanned pregnancy rate is less than 1 percent. Which is why it is a popular method in China, with over 100 million women choosing IUDs to in order to adhere to the  government-sanctioned one-child policy.

IUDs, popular in the 1970s, fell out of favor due to a high rate of uterine perforation, infertility, and pelvic inflammatory disease—primarily due to a specific model called the Dalkon Shield. Current versions, approved for use more recently, are significantly safer, with the most common side effect being menstrual irregularities. According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologiest, approximately 1 in 1,000 cases, the IUD can push through the wall of the uterus. It then needs to be removed, which can require surgery.

Reviewing 26 studies that included approximately 20,000 women, researchers were able to determine that IUD users had only half the risk of cervical cancer. While the link between a lower risk of the human papillomavirus (HPV)—the primary cause of cervical cancer—and the IUD was unknown, the explanation most likely lies in the actions of the IUD itself.

Dr. Howard Jones, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, explained to ABC News, "The hypothesis is that an IUD, because it's a foreign body, creates an inflammatory response that gets rid of the HPV, which reduces the risk of cervical cancer."

Currently, HPV vaccines—which reduces the risk for infection by a number of HPV strains that cause cervical cancer—are available for adolescents, starting at age nine. The three-series vaccine targets HPV types 16 and 18, as well as partial protection against types 31 and 45.  Additional HPV strains have been identified (types 16, 18, 45, 33, 31, 52, 58, and 35), in a study published last September in Lancet Oncology. Those strains are now the focus of researchers in developing additional vaccines.

IUDs are not the stock and trade of most gynecologists, and many do not even keep the devices on hand. If you are interested in obtaining an IUD, contact your doctor in advance to determine that it is an option. While the cost can be higher than the Pill, there is no daily tablet to forget, and the implantation procedure may be covered by your insurance company.