this is important part I: IUDs

(photo: managingcontraception.com)

 I had decided to give this blog a rest when I felt that I simply didn't have the time do give it the attention that it deserved. Well, I still feel that way, but have decided to be ok with writing less posts and to not spend so much time editing the hell out of them that the information becomes untimely.

What brought me back using this blog is the uncontrollable desire to help you, my fellow lady friends, be more informed and empowered about the decisions you make about your body. (Guys, read on if you want, but if I see one comment from you with the word "gross" in it, know that I will verbally rip you to shreds).

There are two things I want to tell you about today. This post will take on the IUD.

The IUD, or Inner Uterine Device. It's that tiny little form of birth control that gets inserted way up in your uterus and prevents against pregnancy for 5 or 10 years, depending on the brand. For some reason, my gynecologist, who I absolutely love love love, never mentioned it when we would discuss possible forms of birth control. But once I had my interested sparked by my best friend and her concern over hormonal forms of birth control, I decided to do some investigating. Here's what I found out:

     1. IUDs are the cheapest form of reversible birth control available. The upfront cost is large - around $1,000 without insurance through a doctor or $800 through Planned Parenthood. With insurance, obviously, the cost is much much less - as low as $300. Once I did the math, I was sold. My normal $30/month pills would cost me $3,600 to take for the next ten years. Even paying the full $1,000 without insurance makes more sense economically, if you can afford to pay that much all at once. If you only pay $10/month for birth control pills, you'll shell out $1,200 over the next ten years, so you stand to save less, but there are other reasons to get an IUD other than cost - read on.

     2. Paragard IUDs are the only form of hormone-free birth control. (Mirena, the other IUD, works by releasing a pregnancy-stopping hormone). Hormonal birth control pills have become so commonplace that we rarely step back and look at the bigger picture, but there are lots of reasons for wanting a hormone-free birth control. Some women experience side effects of hormonal birth control, such as headaches, nausea, breakthrough bleeding, decreased libido, and mood swings or depression-like symptoms. The last one is the reason why I personally wanted off the hormones - I suspected the pill to be toying with my emotions. It's too soon to tell if not having those extra hormones on my body will make a difference, but at least now I'll be able to move forward with fixing the problem knowing I've eliminated any possibly physical causes.

     3. IUDs are the easiest reversible form of birth control to maintain.
I know that with my crazy work schedule, there literally wasn't a time that I could have an alarm going off on my phone to remind me to take my pill during the day - there was always the risk that in that moment, I would be meeting with a stake holder or on the phone with my boss. Setting it to 9 pm meant that I was often interrupting dinner with my fiance or the little time that I had after work to take care of things at home. It never bothered me in college, but more and more I was getting irked at having to take the pill, and worried when I would have to take it late because I had been driving or in the shower when the alarm went off. It's an incredible relief to not have to worry about that any more - all I have to do is see my doctor around Christmas time, and then I'm good as gold for the next ten years.

    4. IUDs are as effective as getting your tubes tied, but are easily taken out as soon as you decide you want to get pregnant. Obviously, if you're looking for birth control, you don't want to get pregnant, and IUDs are effective immediately after being put in. IUDs are awesome because they lead to pregnancy in less than 1% of users (less than women using pills or condoms), some of which are ectopic pregnancies, or pregnancies that happen outside of the womb.  As a sidenote, the Paragard IUD, when placed within 5 days of intercourse, works as an emergency form of birth control.

     5. Because they are as effective as getting your tubes tied, you don't have to double up on condoms - another way that IUDs are cost effective. Gynecologists advise using another form of birth control when on the pill because the pill allows a lot of room for human error - not taking it at the same time, changing time zones, missing a day - these can all lead to the pill being less effective. But with an IUD, your doctor puts it in, checks you out in a few months to make sure it hasn't moved around at all, and then you're good to go for up to ten years of sex without condoms.

Two notes:
No, getting a IUD inserted is not a horrible, painful thing. My doctor told me I'd feel a "twang" as the "T" shaped devise was fully opened inside my uterus, but I felt nothing other than the normal pressure and weirdness of a pap smear. (And that "twang", if you feel it, is only painful for a few seconds). For three days following insertion, I had the normal side effect of cramps - they felt like moderate to severe menstrual cramps, but nothing I hadn't felt before. Now, two weeks later, I feel perfectly normal and am still getting anxious and then relieved on a nightly basis when I remember I don't have to take a birth control pill.

Secondly, I like to always ask my doctor: "what's the worst that can happen?" Well, worst case scenario with an IUD is that one of the ends pokes through your uterus. Ugh. Rest assured, this is very rare. Being my paranoid self, I asked what happens if the IUD pokes a hole in your uterus - infertility? Immediate death? The answer is no - you can feel it, and it definitely hurts enough that you are motivated to get to the ER stat, but the damage is ultimately repairable. Which really, knowing something's wrong and being able to get it completely fixed sounds good in my book as far as extremely unlikely complications go.

Finally, if your workplace insurance doesn't offer coverage for an IUD, go to your human resources department and advocate for it. Your employer should want to cover it, as it is by far cheaper than alternative forms they may be covering. After my mom found out that her company's insurance policy (which I am under) didn't cover it, she did just that, and now they will be covering IUDs come the new year. You may never know that other women benefited from your actions, but they undoubtedly will be happy to have affordable access to the cheapest, most low-maintenance and effective form of reversible birth control.

So, if your doctor has never mentioned an IUD, ask her about it. You'll be seriously glad you did.


Look out for my next post, where I deal with the most convenient, cost-effective and sustainable way to deal with your period!