IUD Protects Against Pregnancy, Not Infections: What a Study of 2 Million Women Showed

Imagine: you've chosen an IUD or implant — reliable protection against unwanted pregnancy — and you forget about pills for years. Sounds ideal, right? But there's a catch: along with pregnancy, reliable hormonal protection sometimes also "cancels" condoms. And that opens the door to sexually transmitted infections.

Scientists decided to investigate how long-acting contraception, condom use, and infections in women are related. They gathered data from national health surveys in 31 developing countries — over two million women aged 15 to 49. These numbers inspire confidence, so the findings are worth heeding.

What the Numbers Showed

Among all participants, one in 25 used long-acting contraception — an IUD or implant. And here's what was found: these women were 2.5 times less likely to use condoms. In other words, reliable protection against pregnancy literally "relaxes" concerns about protection against infections.

And the result was not long in coming: among IUD and implant users, sexually transmitted infections occurred 14–19% more often than among those who preferred other methods. The difference was more noticeable in young women under 20 and in countries with lower development levels, while in more affluent countries no statistically significant association was found.

Why This Happens

Not because the IUD "causes" infections — it has nothing to do with it. It's all about behavior. When a woman is confident that pregnancy is not a threat, thoughts of condoms often take a back seat. The partner doesn't insist either: why, if "we're protected anyway"? And infections are not on many people's minds at that moment.

It's important to understand: long-acting contraception is super reliable against pregnancy, but absolutely useless against HIV, chlamydia, and other "unwanted guests." Condoms are the only method that works on both fronts.

What to Do?

Don't panic and don't rush to remove the IUD. Just keep a simple scheme in mind: if you don't have a steady partner who has been tested for everything, or you're not sure of their fidelity, dual protection is your choice. That means IUD plus condom. This is called the "dual method" — and it provides almost 100% protection against both pregnancy and infections.

And one more thing: if you're planning to get an IUD, talk to your doctor not only about how it protects against pregnancy, but also about how not to forget condoms. They may tell you the same thing: better to combine.

The study is large and serious, but it has limitations: women self-reported infections, which isn't always an accurate history. Nevertheless, the trend is clear: when choosing long-acting contraception, also take care of STI protection. Your body will thank you.