Body Blog: Should You Become an IUD Diva?

March 5, 2012 12:00 pm     Posted in Body, Health, Sex  Garnet Henderson g+ page


By Garnet Henderson

Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately (which is totally possible, it is midterm season), you’ve heard about all of the controversy surrounding birth control. From Congress to the presidential debates to Twitter to Facebook, everybody is talking about birth control, who should have access to it, and how they should get that access.

That conversation mostly focuses on the birth control pill. Sometimes Nuva Ring and Depo Provera, the monthly shot, are also mentioned. But there’s another form of long-term birth control that’s gaining popularity in the U.S. And when considering your birth control options, it might be worth a look.

The intrauterine device, or IUD, is the most popular form of contraception worldwide. But not in the U.S., where oral contraceptives are the most commonly used form of birth control. Why? In the 70s and 80s, lots of poorly conducted research incorrectly linked IUDs to serious infections. It was also thought that IUDs might affect future fertility, so they were only recommended for women who had already had children and wanted to prevent future pregnancies. But better research has disproved all of these fears, and now IUDs are becoming more popular among young, unmarried, childless women. And they’re blogging about it, too, on sites like IUD Diva.

Since 2002, the number of women using IUDs in the U.S. has more than tripled. IUDs now account for 10.4% of contraceptives issued by doctors in the U.S. That’s still low compared to many other countries, but it’s a big increase.

IUDs are more than 99% effective at preventing pregnancy. The Association of Reproductive Health Professionals reports that the number of women who become pregnant while using an IUD is about 1 in 100. Compare that to 8 in 100 women on the pill, and 15 per 100 among condom users.

IUDs last for 5 or more years, depending on the type. Once implanted, they don’t require any maintenance beyond usual checkups. So no pill to take, ring to insert, or shot to get. They’re helpful for women who have heavy periods, as they can reduce or even stop menstrual bleeding. Plus, they’ve been shown to reduce the risk of developing endometrial cancer, and they may help protect against cervical cancer as well. Sounds pretty great, right?

So how does an IUD work? Unlike the pill, IUDs don’t prevent you from ovulating. Instead they interfere with the fertilization and implantation of eggs.

There are two types of IUD available in the U.S. The first, ParaGuard, is a non-hormonal IUD that can stay in place for 10-12 years. It contains copper, which stimulates the production of natural sperm-killing fluid in the reproductive tract. If an egg becomes fertilized, the copper causes changes in the uterus that prevent the egg from being implanted.

The second, Mirena, is a hormonal IUD that lasts for 5 years. It thickens the cervical mucus, making it difficult for sperm to reach the fallopian tubes. It also prevents changes in the uterine lining that are necessary for the implantation of a fertilized egg.

IUDs have to be implanted by a doctor, and taken out by a doctor as well. They’re not appropriate for some women with certain preexisting medical conditions. And they don’t protect against STDs, so unless you’re with a trusted and tested partner, condoms are still needed. Another issue is cost – implantation can cost between $300 and $1,000. But it’s covered under many insurance plans, and it’s also a one-time cost for a device that lasts for years.

I’m a longtime user of the pill, but all this new information about IUDs has me thinking. It’s definitely something I might look into.

What do YOU think? Do you use an IUD? Would you consider using one?

Garnet is a student at Columbia University in New York City. She is “that person” who starts dancing at a party when everyone else is standing around, and if there were a Facebook stalking Olympics, she would be a gold medalist. She also loves cheesy 90s music, and almost died of happiness when Vanilla Ice retweeted her. Once. Follow her on Twitter @garnethenderson.

14 Comments on "Body Blog: Should You Become an IUD Diva?"

  1. Jaya says:
    Mon, 5th Mar 20121:17 pm 

    I’m happy to see an article about IUD’s on here! I love my IUD and want to tell everyone how wonderful they are. I am concerned because I think some of the information can be a little misleading. The article says that periods can “reduce or even stop menstrual bleeding” but that’s only true for Mirena, not ParaGuard. ParaGuard usually makes periods heavier. If you’re going to talk about how great IUD’s are, then I think you need to mention some of the downsides as well.

  2. Brie says:
    Mon, 5th Mar 20123:28 pm 

    I got the Mirena IUD six months ago and my period pain has dropped dramatically. While I don’t have a period anymore, I still get back and abdominal tenderness, plus all the emotional baggage without the blood. I agree with Jaya that you should mention some of the cons. I have a high tolerance for pain but I was not prepared for the insertion, that pain was excruciating! My IUD was inserted at Planned Parenthood,(yay for being free!) I will admit my experience there was awful and I left traumatized. The clinician I had was very judgmental and kept insulting me because I had not had sex prior to my appt. Her opinion was far from subtle. I had cramps for the entire month after my IUD, most people say it will last a week, not in my case. Then the following five months, my period was light but everyday I would wear a tampon because old blood was shedding( again awful!). In no way am I trying to scare readers from getting an IUD. However, all the experiences I read about girls IUD, they made it out to sound peachy and there weren’t some small setbacks. I love my IUD, I think every woman shoulder consider it, it’s hassle free!

  3. Katie Garrity - North Central College says:
    Mon, 5th Mar 20124:12 pm 

    Since I can't take the birth control pill because of my history with blood clots, I have spent a lot of time looking at IUDs. I went to the gynecologist recently and she told me that I could only use Paragard because it is non-hormonal, which I understood. But she also told me that she doesn't recommend that I use it because they only allow women who have already had a child and carried out a full term pregnancy to use the non-hormonal one because of how it affects the body. After reading this, I'm kind of questioning what she's saying because I really do want to use a birth control device that is effective (condoms freak me out because I always feel like I'm not doing enough to protect myself) and safe. But alas, they seem to be my only option since she recommends Paragard for mothers only.

  4. Garnet – Columbia University says:
    Mon, 5th Mar 20125:08 pm 

    The older I've gotten, the more I've learned it's so good to get a second opinion! Doctors are all super knowledgeable of course, but sometimes the line between medical fact and a doctor's opinion can be blurry. I'm all about asking questions!

  5. Rachel says:
    Mon, 5th Mar 20126:41 pm 

    I have the Mirena and I'm very happy with it. It hurt a lot to get inserted but after the first couple of weeks, I haven't noticed it at all. I love not having to think about birth control for another 4 years! And I rarely get my period.

  6. Heather says:
    Tue, 6th Mar 201210:28 am 

    I'm 28 and have never had a kid and both me and my best friend have the non-hormonal IUD. We LOVE it and highly recommend it!!

  7. Courtney says:
    Tue, 6th Mar 20129:36 pm 

    I'm a 21 year old, childless woman, and I love my hormonal IUD. I can't imagine ever going back to the pill.

  8. Mjsmalls says:
    Fri, 9th Mar 20124:33 pm 

    I am 18 and a college freshman, and I got the Mirena in December, at a local free clinic. I bled for 9 weeks straight, then for 10 days the next month, and since then I haven't had a period! :) I had cramping and even contractions but they weren't unable to manage with some pain medicine.I also don't have sex very often (months in between) but when I do I want to be protected! I think its a great form of birth control and its a wonderful option for teens and women with busy schedules because they don't require a lot of maintenance. I love how I don't have to take a pill everyday! I don't have to worry about pregnancy like I did before. I love this birth control!

  9. Carly says:
    Sun, 11th Mar 201210:42 pm 

    I asked my doctor about getting an IUD, but she said that she didn't recommend them for women who haven't had kids yet because the change of complications resulting in infertility is higher than with other birth control methods. Seeing as there's nothing I want to do more than have kids (eventually, when the time is right), I picked the nuvaring instead, which works really well.

  10. Lauryn says:
    Mon, 12th Mar 201210:27 pm 

    The first kind of birth control that I was ever on was Paragard. Cost effective? Definitely. Effective of stopping pregnancy? Very much so. Unfortunately, I got saddled with just about every possible bad side effect.
    The insertion pain was beyond excruciating, and that's coming from someone who had to be put on painkillers for cramps. My periods were incredibly heavy, I had sudden abdominal pain at random times, it changed my body chemistry so that my cervical mucous was disgustingly thick (which made sex kind of gross sometimes) and it was partially expelled twice. The five months that I had it, I was in agony.
    I'm sure it works great for some people, and I wish that I were one of them. I wouldn't recommend it if you haven't had kids, or are opposed to birth control procedures that can be rather invasive.

  11. scratchy888 says:
    Sat, 16th Jun 20121:36 am 

    I'm not getting why it was necessary for you to have sex before your appointment.

Tell us what you're thinking...