Cervical Cancer Prevention Remains Among the IUD's Benefits

Cervical cancer causes an estimated 383,000 deaths a year, disproportionately affecting women in low-resource countries. To further explore the estimated association between cervical cancer risk and use of an intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD; NEJM JW Womens Health Nov 2011 and Lancet Oncol 2011; 12:1023), researchers identified 17 high-quality studies conducted around the world (many in low-resource regions), of which 16 could be harmonized for meta-analysis.

Compared with women who never used an IUD, those who did were less likely to develop cervical cancer (summary odds ratio, 0.64; 95% confidence interval, 0.53–0.77). Analyses stratified by number of Pap smears, human papillomavirus (HPV) status, smoking, age at first sexual interco…