IUDs--A Great Choice for Teens and Women in College
IUD Divas This is an up-to-date online community dealing with IUDs and those that have them.
IUDs are one of the most widely used contraceptives in the world. In North America, they have the highest user satisfaction among all methods of reversible birth control, including the pill, patch, ring, shot and condom. IUD's are also the most effective method of reversible birth control.
It doesn’t matter if you are teenager and have never been pregnant and it doesn’t matter if you enjoy having sex with way more than one guy--an IUD should work just fine. Like most most methods besides condoms, an IUD won’t prevent you from getting a sexually transmitted infection, but it won’t make you any more likely to get one, either. If you get a sexually transmitted infection, you would need to blame that on your partner, not on your IUD.
Today’s IUDs are incredibly safe. Almost 20% of women in Asia use IUDs, 15% of women in Europe, and 20% of female OB/GYNs personally use IUDs. The Mirena IUD helps shrink uterine fibroids and reduces the symptoms of endometriosis. Both the copper IUD and Mirena protect against endometrial cancer. It also appears that IUDs help prevent ectopic pregnancies.
Women who are wearing IUDs can become pregnant within a week of having the IUD taken out. IUDs only impact your fertility when they are in. Fertility wise, it appears you would be more likely to conceive sooner after having an IUD removed than after you stop taking the Pill.
IUD stands for "intrauterine device." It is a small T-shaped device that is placed in the uterus to prevent pregnancy. There are two kinds, one that has hormones (Mirena) and one that releases copper ions instead (ParaGard). The hormone-releasing Mirena can stay in for up to 7 years. It is better for women who have crampy or heavy periods, as it tends to lighten bleeding or eliminate periods altogether. The Paragard IUD is great for women who want a regular period and no hormones. It can last up to ten years.
As for how IUDs work, the copper in the Paragard IUD keeps the sperm from maturing once they enter the cervix, and the progestin in the Mirena IUD acts the same as progestin does in progestin-only pills, the Implanon implant, or the Depo shot. (IUDs do not work by causing a low grade infection in your uterus--that is one of the unfortunate myths that some people have about IUDs.)
The ParaGard (copper IUD) might actually be the best birth control choice for for most female athletes because it is highly effective, hassle free, and doesn't put out hormones that might result in water retention or soreness. On the other hand, if you are a woman who has Category 5 periods with really heavy flow, you might consider the Mirena IUD. A lot of women find that it actually stops their periods in 6 to 12 months.
Another myth about today’s IUDs is that they are somehow not safe. That comes from what happened back in the early 1970s with an IUD called the Dalkon Shield. The reason why the Dalkon Shield caused infections was because of the multifilament tailstring which allowed bacteria from the vagina to wick up into the cervix. So it was not the IUD itself that caused the infections, but the wicking of the tailstring. The manufacturer knew about this from almost the beginning, but kept it hushed up and actually ramped up their marketing efforts to get more women to use it.
The FDA now regulates IUDs. At the time of the Dalkon Shield, there was no FDA regulation of IUDs.
If an IUD is going to be expelled, the time when it's most likely would be during the first menstrual cycle. The chances of this happening aren’t very high, and after your first period, it is very unlikely that your uterus would send your IUD packing.
Once it is in place, and IUD should not cause you any discomfort. You shouldn’t even know it’s there. The only part of an IUD that can be felt is two little nylon strings that hang down from it. If a man is able to feel the little strings during intercourse, ask your healthcare provider to snip them or him shorter.
Most women find there to be little or no pain when the IUD is inserted. Some find the pain to be moderate but say it's manageable, and a small number of women find the pain to be downright nasty. If you are concerned, discuss it with your healthcare provider and be sure that he or she has a lot of experience inserting IUDs.
In our survey of gynecologists who insert a large number of IUDs, many felt ibuprophen an hour before insertion works well for pain management, others suggest tramadol, diazepan or misopristol as long as the woman has a ride home. All agreed that satisfaction with the IUD tends to be quite high among their patients. They felt it was a great choice for younger women.
The thing you want to be sure of is that your healthcare provider has lots of experience installing IUDs. With experience comes mastery, so be sure to ask how often the person puts in IUDs.
The inital cost of an IUD can be high, but is usually much cheaper over the lifetime of the IUD than any other form of birth control. If your insurance doesn’t cover the cost of an IUD and money is a concern, be sure to shop around. Also check with your local Planned Parenthood.
