Does the IUD increase the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease?

If you have a sexually transmitted infection (STI) at the time an IUD is placed in the uterus, there is at a higher risk of getting pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This is why health care providers often check an STI test at the time they place the IUD (you don’t need to have the results before placing the IUD as long as there are no obvious signs of infection when they place the IUD). Having an STI is more likely if you are under age 26, have a new sexual partner, or have multiple partners—because all these groups are at higher risk of having an STI.

The 20 days after having an IUD inserted, you are past the highest risk time for developing PID from an STI you didn’t know you had during IUD insertion. After that time, PID happens at the same rate for people using IUDs as for those using other methods of birth control (other than condoms).