The world of birth control offers up a dizzying array of options, making finding the perfect solution for your unique situation not as easy as you’d think. To help you cut through the clutter, here’s a look at one birth control method that’s become an increasingly popular choice among women — the IUD.
At Ozark OB/GYN (Obstetrics and Gynecology), our mission is to help women in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, navigate every stage of their lives with ease. Let’s face it, your reproductive system casts a wide net, affecting almost every aspect of your life. If you’re in your reproductive years, but you aren’t ready for children, we offer several choices that suit almost every need.
Here’s a look at why the IUD has found its place among the more popular birth control options among our patients (clients).
IUD stands for intrauterine device, and they work in two ways. In the first, you can have us insert an IUD that’s wrapped in copper, a substance from which sperm naturally veer away. For copper IUDs, we offer ParaGard®. This IUD has been around for decades and has an incredible safety record. Taking another approach, there are IUDs that release progestin, which thickens the mucus on your cervix, making it difficult for sperm to get through. Even if they do breach this important barrier, the slow progestin release also regulates your ovulation, which means the sperm won’t find any eggs to fertilize. In this category, we offer the Mirena® IUD.
Whichever option you choose, you can’t go wrong in terms of efficacy. Both versions of the IUD offer 99% protection against unwanted pregnancy. If there’s one thing in life in which you need to have complete confidence, we suspect that birth control may be at, or near, the top of your list. With a 99% protection rate, you can trust that your decision to rely on an IUD will be a good one.
Not only do IUDs provide near-perfect protection, they continue to provide it for years. For the ParaGard IUD, you get up to 10-12 years of birth control, while the hormonal option (Mirena) offers up to 5-7.
Another great benefit of the IUD solution for birth control is that all it takes is just one quick visit to our office. An IUD is a very small, T-shaped device that we insert into your uterus using the same tools that we rely on to take a Pap test (a speculum). We can perform this quick insertion right in our office in about 15 minutes, and then you’re free to get on with your day. You may experience some cramping afterward, which most over-the-counter medications can handle.
If you choose ParaGard (the copper one), your protection is in place once the device is in place. If you opt for Mirena, you may have to wait a week to ensure that the progestin has time to regulate your ovulation.
Once you know the IUD is in place and working, there’s nothing more you need to do. In this regard, an IUD is a great solution if you don’t want to have to deal with daily pills, regular injections, or messy spermicides, to name just a few. Life is busy enough without having to worry about your birth control on a regular basis.
If you’d like to find out whether an IUD might be the perfect solution for your birth control needs, please give us a call, or use the online scheduling tool to set up an appointment.
