When you want safe, effective birth control that you don’t have to remember to take or use, and yet is 100% reversible, your best choice might be an intrauterine device (IUD). Amy Dean, an experienced and compassionate nurse practitioner at The Women’s Centre, helps you choose the right IUD and inserts it in a simple in-office procedure. If you live in the Denton, Texas area, and think that an IUD might be the solution for you, contact Amy for a consultation today. You can call the helpful staff at The Women’s Centre or book an appointment online.
An intrauterine device (IUD) is a small, flexible tee-shaped device made of plastic or copper that your expert at The Women’s Centre inserts into your uterus to prevent pregnancy.
An IUD has a tether string that hangs into your vagina so that you can verify the IUD is still there and so that it can be removed for replacement every three to five years, or if you’d like to become pregnant.
If you’re not planning on having a family for a while, but do intend to have children, an IUD gives you the flexibility of long-term birth control while also being reversible. After Amy removes your IUD, and assuming you have no reproductive issues, you’re able to get pregnant.
The FDA has approved five brands of IUDs. Four of them -- Mirena®, Kyleena®, Liletta®, and Skyla® -- are made of plastic and release varying amounts of hormones. A fifth, Paragard®, is hormone-free and wrapped in copper.
All IUDs work by interfering with sperm’s ability to reach your egg. The plastic IUDs release the hormone progestin, which thickens the mucus on your cervix to trap the sperm so they can’t reach your egg. The progestin can also stop your ovaries from releasing eggs in the first place.
Paragard doesn’t release hormones, but it does release molecules of copper into your uterus. Sperm doesn’t like copper, and so they can't enter the uterus to fertilize your egg. Paragard can last for up to 12 years without replacement.
All IUDs are 99% effective against pregnancy. However, they don’t protect against sexually transmitted diseases.
Most women can safely use IUDs. But you shouldn't get an IUD if you:
The Paragard copper IUD is 99.9% effective as emergency contraception when placed within five days of having unprotected sex. You can keep the IUD in place from then on as your regular contraception.
To set up an IUD consultation with Amy, call the friendly team at The Women’s Centre today. You can also book an appointment online.
