How to Use the Mirena IUD
IUDs or intrauterine devices are a form of birth control that does not rely on the woman remembering daily to take a pill. Mirena IUDs can effectively prevent pregnancy once inserted for as long as five years since it produces a small amount of progestin, a type of hormone that prevents pregnancy. This is different from the other type of IUD, ParaGard, which uses copper to prevent pregnancy.
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Instructions
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Make an appointment with your gynecologist. She will go over the pros and cons of each form of birth control including IUD. If you do decide to go with Mirena IUD, you will need to set up an appointment for insertion. Prior to insertion, make sure to call your insurance provider to check if the device is covered under your plan.
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Allow for insertion of the Mirena IUD to take place in your doctor's office. You will have the device inserted into the cervix. The doctor will first place a speculum into the opening of your vagina in order to gain access to the cervix. A solution will then be applied in order to cleanse the vagina. A uterine sound will then be used to measure the cervix in order to ensure that the Mirena IUD can adequately fit in the space. A tube and a slider will then be used to insert the IUD into the cervix.
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Wait seven days until after you have the Mirena IUD inserted to have sex if you have it inserted in the middle of your menstrual cycle. It will take that long to properly protect against pregnancy. You can have sex during that first week after insertion, but a back up birth control method should be used. If you have it inserted within seven days after your period, it is effective immediately. The Mirena IUD requires the progestin to get into your system first.
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Return to your doctor a month after insertion once you get your period. Your gynecologist will give you a pelvic exam in order to ensure that the Mirena IUD is still in place. It is more likely in the first few weeks after insertion that an IUD will get out of place.
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Check on your own if the Mirena IUD is in place as well sporadically. To do this, insert a clean finger into your vagina until you reach the bottom of your cervix. You should feel a string coming through from the IUD.
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Tips & Warnings
The other main type of IUD is ParaGard IUD, a copper device inserted into the uterus. This IUD lasts longer than Mirena and can prevent pregnancy up to 12 years after insertion.
