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Ectopic pregnancy is a risk with IUD but it is also a risk associated with other forms of birth control and also has the possibility of happening randomly. As for the possibility of damage, the IUDs that caused such problems were taken off the market in the 1970s. The Copper-T and Mirena are the only two remaining IUDs on the American market. There is a small risk for perferation on insertion, but if a woman chooses a good doctor this won't be a problem. There is a small risk for pelvic inflammatory disease IF a woman with an IUD has unprotected sex with multiple partners. This is why most doctors will only insert an IUD if a woman is in a monogamous relationship.

How do you get PID from an IUD? Every IUD has a thread or string that descends down through the cervix so that after it has lost its effectiveness it can be removed. The string also allows for women to check that the IUD is still in the correct position (which should be done once a month, following their menstrual cycle) and hasn't been expelled during their period (expulsion of IUDs is common, though it usually happens within 3 months of insertion). So if a woman is having unprotected sex with multiple partners, she ups her chance for contracting an STD such as chlamydia or gonorrhea. She also ups her chance of coming into contact with other bacterial and viral nasties. The thread hanging out of her cervix acts as a conduit for these infections, taking them straight into the uterus. Thus she develops PID. But, provided one always uses condoms with the IUD or remains in a monogamous relationship, the odds of contracting PID with an IUD are virtually nonexistent. The odds are pretty slim to begin with, but one must always be aware of all the risks.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau