Intrauterine device and pelvic inflammatory disease.

The IUD ML Cu375 was inserted, after bacteriological screening, into 620 women who were observed for 12 months. Bacterioscopy and, when needed, bacteriology of vaginal smears were performed 7 days, and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after insertion. During the 12 months, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) was diagnosed in 4 patients (0.6%) and sexually transmitted disease (STD) in 73 patients (11.8%). Careful selection of patients and bacteriological screening can effectively reduce the risk of bacterial contamination and subsequent development of PID.