(Health.com) -- Intrauterine devices (IUDs) prevent unwanted pregnancies, and as an added benefit they may also help protect against cervical cancer, according to a new study in the Lancet Oncology, a British medical journal. Women who use IUDs are roughly half as likely to develop cervical cancer as women who have never used one, the study found. Nor does IUD use appear to increase the risk of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, a known cause of cervical cancer. European researchers combined and analyzed data from nearly 20,000 women around the world who participated in various studies and surveys between 1985 and 2007. The new analysis does not prove that IUDs directly prevent cervical cancer; it simply suggests that the devices are associated with a lower risk of cancer for reasons that aren't fully understood.
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Intrauterine devices (IUDs) prevent unwanted pregnancies
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As an added benefit, they may also help protect against cervical cancer
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Women who use IUDs are roughly half as likely to develop cervical cancer
(Pap smears can tell if @placeholder is damaging the cervix.)