Is development of pelvic inflammatory disease in women using intrauterine device equal regardless of parity? A one year follow up study.

750 women using the TCu 200 IUD were observed for l year following insertion. 2.1% or 16 women were hospitalized for salpingitis during the observation year. Laparoscopy confirmed the diagnosis. Every patient but 1 had salpingitis bilaterally and none of them had positive culture for gonorrhea at the time of hospitalization. Only 7 of the patients had palpable adnexal masses. 8 of the 16 women belonged to the nulliparous group and eight to the parous group. The high risk age group for salpingitis was 16-25 years. The risk of developing salpingitis is greater during the first month following insertion. In the high risk age group for salpingitis the yearly incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease was 47/1000 women in the nulliparous group and 42/1000 women in the parous group. In the high-risk age group for salpingitis and in the whole material there was no difference in frequency of salpingitis between the parous and nulliparous groups. The study showed that there appears to be no relationship between parity and the incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease among IUD wearers as compared to non-wearers.