A study shows that women who use an intrauterine device, or IUD, as a method of contraception are less likely to get cervical cancer. A discovery that still needs to be deepened.
Cancer of the cervix is associated with the death of 1,100 women per year in France despite screening. It is associated with a number of risk factors including papillomavirus infection, which is acquired during sexual intercourse.
A new step forward
A study published in the American medical journal Obstetrics and Gynecology reveals that wearing an IUD could reduce the risk of developing cervical cancer by a third.
The authors of this report drew on 16 studies of more than 12,000 women around the world. The results were beyond their expectations. “We were really surprised at the extent of the risk reduction,” says Victoria Cortessis, one of the lead co-authors.
“The possibility that a woman could reduce her risk of cervical cancer by choosing this method of contraception could potentially have a very big impact on the frequency of this cancer.”
Continue research to better understand the results
Researchers are still struggling to understand how the IUD reduces the risk of cancer. According to them, it is possible that it stimulates an immune system response that would help fight off infections that cause cancer.
Further research must now be carried out on the subject. For now, experts are moderating the results: it is still premature to recommend that more women use an IUD to protect themselves from cervical cancer.
.
