How an IUD Works
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Placement
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A doctor places an IUD (intrauterine device) into the woman's cervix during any point in her menstrual cycle. According to E Medicine, after the IUD is in place, it can stay in for many years. A copper IUD, the most commonly used, can last up to 10 years. A hormonal IUD will last approximately, five years. The string of the IUD hangs out of the cervix, but does not come out of the vagina.
The placement allows a woman to resume normal activities as soon as she wishes.
What the IUD Does Inside the Body
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The two types of IUDs are hormonal and copper types, which work in different ways. According to E Medicine Health, a copper IUD actually releases copper into the uterus, preventing sperm from getting to the egg and making the lining of the cervix unable to sustain a fertilized egg.
The hormonal IUD releases a hormone called progestin into the woman's uterus, or a similar hormone such as levonorgestrel. The hormones cause the cervical mucus to become thicker and therefore harder for the sperm to get to the cervix, according to EMedicine Health. Hormonal IUDs also make the lining of the cervix incapable of sustaining a pregnancy.
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Effectiveness
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Most women who use IUDs for family planning are pleased with this method of birth control, likely due to the ease. Once the IUD is in place, there is nothing to worry about and no pills to remember. The effectiveness is also a bonus.
Only one out of 1,000 women who use copper IUDs or levonorgestrel hormonal IUDs get pregnant within the first year of it being inserted, according to E Medicine Health. However, one out of every 100 women using a progestin IUD get pregnant within the first year.
Advantages and Disadvantages
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The advantages seem to outweigh the disadvantages. According to E Medicine Health, advantages include: low risk of side effects, cost, IUD not felt by woman or sexual partner, placement and removal can be preformed at anytime, works immediately, and in many women causes less menstrual bleeding.
According to E Medicine Health, disadvantages include: a doctor must preform placement and removal, small risk of serious complications, 5 percent of IUDs come out unexpectedly within the first year, and IUDs do not protect against sexually transmitted diseases.
Removal
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Whether the woman no longer wishes to use birth control or it is time to replace it, a doctor must be the one to remove the IUD, to avoid complications. The IUD must be pulled out at a certain angle, so that the IUD folds up and slips out of the uterus easily, according to E Medicine Health.
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