An intrauterine device (IUD) is a form of birth control. It is a small, T-shaped plastic device that is placed in the uterus to prevent pregnancy. A plastic string is attached to the end of the IUD to ensure correct placement and for easy removal. IUDs should be inserted and removed by a medical professional.
There are two IUD’s in the United States: Mirena and ParaGard.
Mirena has a synthetic progesterone hormone that goes into the wall of the uterus. Women using this IUD usually have lighter, less painful menstrual periods. Others have no menstrual periods at all. A few women have mood changes, headaches or less enjoyment of sex because of the hormones in this IUD, but those symptoms are not very common.
The ParaGard IUD has a tiny piece of wire wrapped around the plastic body. Some women choose this IUD because they want a method without artificial hormones. Most women with the ParaGard IUD have heavier, more painful menstrual periods than before it was inserted. Some also have irregular bleeding.
IUD
In most cases, you will not be able to use either of the two IUD’s inserted if:
• There is any possibility you are pregnant
• You have a serious pelvic infection, chlamydia, or gonorrhea. These need to be completely treated before the IUD is put in
• You have a post-childbirth or post-abortion infection. These should be resolved before you get the IUD
• You have cervical cancer and are already being treated; you should finish your treatment before the IUD is put in
• The shape of your uterus blocks the IUD from being inserted
• If you have breast cancer you would not be able to get the Mirena IUD because of the hormones it releases. The ParaGard IUD would be fine.
IUD
Many women using the IUD have cramping and irregular bleeding for the first few months. If the cramping is severe and is not only during menstruation, you should ask your doctor if it is simply an unpleasant effect of the IUD or a sign of infection. If the amount of the bleeding is more than you usually have in your cycle, your doctor will determine if it’s serious. Both non-medical home remedies and medical treatments can help. Bleeding and cramping usually last only a few months. If they are too bothersome, you can have the IUD taken out.
Women with IUD’s almost never get pregnant. But if they do, there is danger of a serious, fast spreading pelvic infection. So, the IUD should be removed for the woman’s safety.
The IUD can actually come out, sometimes without the woman noticing. You can check for the string once a month, feeling with your finger. Because the string is soft, and can be tucked pretty far back in the folds of your vagina, your provider can show you how. If you stop feeling the string, or if you or your partner feels the hard plastic part of your IUD in your vagina, it could be coming out, and you should have it checked.
To see a list of physicians who insert the IUD go to www.iud.com
Related Articles
- What Is an IUD? (brainz.org)
- How Does the IUD Work? (brainz.org)
- What Are the Side Effects of Using the IUD? (brainz.org)
Abortion - Abortion Clinics, Abortion Pill, Abortion Information 
February 23, 2011 at 3:49 pm
I love my IUD.
My IUD has worked perfectly, and I have had no problems at all with the IUD.
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February 23, 2011 at 3:56 pm
I have had an IUD , paragard IUD, for ten years.
Now I am menopausal. The IUD is great!
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February 23, 2011 at 4:17 pm
Thanks for letting us know, Crystal. The IUD is good for some women. Did you have any issues with it over the years?
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February 25, 2011 at 8:29 am
I had an IUD also. The IUD served me well.
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February 25, 2011 at 3:47 pm
My girlfriend uses the Paragard IUD. She loves that IUD!
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February 25, 2011 at 3:48 pm
I use the Mirena IUD, I really believe it is a great IUD also.
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February 28, 2011 at 6:20 am
Is the Iudaragard or the IUD Mirena better?
How many IUDs are out there?
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March 1, 2011 at 6:19 am
I have Mirena and I am very happy with it
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March 2, 2011 at 9:04 am
Dawn, it’s hard to say that one is better than the other. Every women is different, has different needs. You really need to talk to your Ob-Gyn to find out what is best for you!
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March 2, 2011 at 9:04 am
Thanks for giving us your opinion, Elena!
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March 2, 2011 at 11:57 am
I have had my IUD for ten years.
The IUD is taking me kindly into menopause.
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March 3, 2011 at 11:03 am
You’re going “kindly” into menapause? Now that’s interesting!
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March 9, 2011 at 7:56 pm
I have the same story, I love my IUD.
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March 10, 2011 at 10:18 am
That’s very cool, Kari!!! I love my BMW
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May 4, 2011 at 9:26 am
I have had my IUD for seven years now.
The IUD has prevented me from getting pregnant and I have not had any problems with my IUD.
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April 22, 2011 at 11:28 am
I love my IUD also.
Thank you (whoever wrote this page) for educating people about IUDs. They don’t know what a wonderful form of birth control the IUD is.
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July 13, 2011 at 10:56 pm
The IUD is a great form of Birth Control.
It is sad that people like DeAnna want to get rid of birth control for women.
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July 14, 2011 at 9:38 am
I agree, my IUD has been doing a great job for years! I love my IUD.
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July 14, 2011 at 9:54 am
This came through on my twitter feed from abortiondotcom.
Anyone, who would try and take away a woman’s right to choose an IUD is a menace to society.
IUD’s are fabulous forms of Birth Control
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September 27, 2011 at 8:25 am
just got my IUD a few weeks ago.
I love it. Great form of Birth control.
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April 22, 2011 at 6:13 pm
IUDs can cause an Abortion.
Since they can cause an abortion they should not be used for birth control.
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July 14, 2011 at 4:08 am
Finally, a sane voice. And look at this: “if you or your partner feels the hard plastic part of your IUD in your vagina”! So, where life and love should reside we have a “hard plastic part.” Ugh!
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July 14, 2011 at 9:37 am
Doesn’t appear you know much about IUDs John.
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July 14, 2011 at 6:28 pm
only what they tell me
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July 14, 2011 at 6:58 pm
You write very foolishly, revealing your ignorance.
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July 15, 2011 at 4:50 am
I don’t listen to everything people tell me, but please wax eloquently on the glories of inserting an ugly and dangerous-looking plastic device into your body so some male can use you to masturbate and pretend he’s grown up.
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July 17, 2011 at 5:03 am
Sisters, if you don’t respond to this, you’re just going to enhance my already overblown sense of superiority!
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July 17, 2011 at 11:14 am
Just because the IUD is “ugly” and “dangerous looking” (note you did not say “dangerous”) is no reason to not use it. Women go to their docs, collect the info and, dare I say it, “choose” what is best for them. Some women like them, some don’t. Go figure!!!
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July 24, 2011 at 6:11 am
“Just because the IUD is “ugly” and “dangerous looking” (note you did not say “dangerous”) is no reason to not use it.”
Why not, when the alternative is so beautiful!
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October 18, 2012 at 9:18 am
A leading group of physicians who advise on women’s health has issued new guidelines recommending for the first time that doctors offer intrauterine devices (IUDs) and implantable contraception — methods commonly referred to as long-acting reversible contraception — to teenage patients.
An IUD is a small device placed in the uterus to prevent pregnancy. One type releases small doses of a hormone and can be used for five years; the other lasts 10 years and does not use hormones. Implantable contraception, or an implant, is a flexible, match-stick- sized rod placed under the skin that prevents pregnancy by releasing a hormone used in some birth control pills called progestin.
This is great news!
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March 12, 2013 at 10:40 am
Here are excerpts from a recent article by Salynn Boyles at WebMD Health
Heavy menstrual bleeding is a rarely discussed but remarkably common condition that affects about 1 in 4 women.
For many, monthly periods are much more than a minor annoyance. They stop life in its tracks for days each month.Oral contraceptives and progestin hormone pills are commonly prescribed medical treatments for heavy periods in the U.S., but they aren’t always effective for many women.Now a landmark study from Europe, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, concludes that an IUD that releases progestin may be a more effective therapy.
The Mirena IUD implantable contraceptive was found to be superior to oral contraceptives and non-hormonal drugs approved for the treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding in reducing the condition’s effect on quality of life.
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June 19, 2015 at 12:16 am
hi all i need serious help!! my bf and i had intercourse and the condom brokem it was 5 days ago. if i test positive for pregnant? can a do the save hope abortion method of high vit c and parsley. i cant go to dr becaus im not in my home country and not possible without extremely high costs to do it where i am now? anyone know if it is safe if a have a mirena to do this?
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