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Intrauterine Device (IUD) for Birth Control
The IUD is a highly effective method of birth control.1
- When using the LNg IUD, about 1 out of 1,000 women becomes pregnant in the first year. Over 5 years of use, only about 7 women out of 1,000 become pregnant.2
- When using the copper IUD, about 6 per 1,000 women become pregnant in the first year. Over 10 years of use, about 20 to 30 women out of 1,000 become pregnant.2
- Most pregnancies that occur with IUD use happen because the IUD is pushed out of (expelled from) the uterus unnoticed. IUDs are most likely to come out in the first few months of IUD use, after being inserted just after childbirth, or in women who have not had a baby.
Advantages of IUDs include cost-effectiveness over time, ease of use, lower risk of ectopic pregnancy, and no interruption of foreplay or intercourse.2
Additional advantages of the LNg IUD
In addition, the LNg IUD:
- Reduces heavy menstrual bleeding by an average of 90% after the first few months of use.3
- Improves irregular (spotting and prolonged) menstrual bleeding after 3 to 4 months.3
- Reduces menstrual bleeding and cramps and, in many women, eventually causes menstrual periods to stop altogether. In this case, not menstruating is not harmful.
- May prevent endometrial hyperplasia or endometrial cancer.
- May decrease the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
- May effectively relieve endometriosis and is less likely to cause side effects than high-dose progestin.4
- Reduces the risk of ectopic pregnancy.
- Does not cause weight gain.
| Author: | Bets Davis, MFA | Last Updated: May 22, 2008 |
| Medical Review: | Joy Melnikow, MD, MPH - Family Medicine Kirtly Jones, MD - Obstetrics and Gynecology | |
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