Tag Archives: IUDs

Live Tweeting an IUD Insertion

For some women, having an IUD inserted is an easy five-minute, painless routine. For others, it entails perhaps 30 minutes and is accompanied by some discomfort, even pain. Most women wear their IUDs without incidence; some endure months of soreness. The point is, women are not one prototype.

But the IUD is ever-gaining on popularity due to its effectiveness in planning pregnancy and the increasing comfort level of medical professionals advising women about their contraception choices. Married or unmarried, teens and not are drawn to this mind-easing contraceptive. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently named the IUD the most effective method for pregnancy prevention for teenagers. No daily pill to remember. Spontaneity rules.

For many women who have not yet experienced an IUD insertion first-hand, shared experiences provide valuable insights to take away any angst. But not all women have a been-there friend. So in the name of education and transparency, in January 2015 New York reproductive rights activist Alison Turkos shared the process – her personal experience – on Twitter.

TwitterLogo

“I decided to live-tweet my IUD insertion process because I wanted to reduce the stigma and shrine of secrecy around reproductive and sexual health and the experiences so many people have,” Turkos explained. “Also, I rely on my feminist/reproductive health community for support in so many ways, why not this too?”‘

For many women, the IUD insertion procedure has remained a black box of anxiety. With initiatives like this from Ms. Turkos, hopefully more and more women will feel comfortable with pursuing this excellent option.

Ms. Turkos’ venture was appreciated by many, but criticized also by some. What’s your take?

 

I Love My IUD, So Why Didn’t My Doctor?

The use of IUDs is spreading, partly through word of mouth and blogs like this one on the internet, and of course through major headway in the product itself. But it’s also related to a noticeable shift in demographics among doctors.

About a generation ago, men dominated the ob-gyn field.  But now, according to the American College of Obstetrician and Gynecologists fellows, some 80% of ob-gyns under 40 are women! And of these women, about 40% who use contraception choose the IUD. This compare to just 6 percent of the general population of women – though they are hard at work changing that.

xojane

We enjoyed this story on the blogspot oxjane so much that we’d like to share it with you here.

Birth Control Effectiveness Over 10 Years – Typical vs. Perfect

Experts at Princeton University and the Brookings Institute demonstrate with this new data how the human element plays a major role in the effectiveness of different birth control methods. Here as presented by The New York Times in their article: How Likely Is It That Birth Control Could Let You Down? – thank you!

NYT on BirthControlEffectiveness

For popular methods like the condom, it is clearly the users who destroy the effectiveness. Coming out on top again, as usual, the IUD as the best method for reversible protection.

The IUD again: 8 more reasons

We would like to not be considered pro-IUD above all others, but with so many misconceptions about it still lingering, we are happy to share reprints of such articles, the latest here from HuffPost entitled IUDs 8 Things Every Woman Should Know.
It cannot be that even medical care providers are not clear on the current status of IUDs. They may not be for everyone and certainly some women do not wear them well. But at 99% effective and an extremely efficient price-point, this must be an option for all to consider.

Here the current top 8 things to know
1 Today’s IUD is not your mother’s
2 There are non-hormonal options (s. the copper IUD)
3 IUDs do not cause infections (also do not prevent STDs…)
4 but they won’t help your skin (like the pill usually will)
6 Cramping is common (initially some bleeding as well)
7 You might stop getting your period (is this a pro or con?)
8 Size can matter (be fitted well!)

copper-iud wiseGeek

Please feel free to share your IUD experiences.

Thanks to HuffPost for another great article – see the full version here
and also thanks to wiseGeek for the pic!

IUDs have made great inroads from years ago.
They are placed at 99% effective against pregnancy (though not STDs!).
Women can now choose ones with hormones that help pre-menopause dilemmas (check with your doctor…).
And more good news on top came out this year: IUDs are safe for teens.

IUD

Alarming on the other hand was another study this year that birth control costs more in poorer neighborhoods than more wealthy counterparts. Abominable, don’t you think?

 

Thanks to Catherine Pearson @HuffPost for a great wrap-up of some key 2013 women’s health studies. There are more to peruse, here the article link.