What Is an Irregular Period?
In an ideal world, your periods arrive on time each month, don’t pose any issues in terms of flow, and quietly go away until the next round. But for up to one-quarter of women, periods fall far short of this ideal.
More than half of pregnancies are unplanned. A wide range of contraceptives is available to help you prevent unplanned pregnancy until you’re ready to start or add to your family, but each option offers different benefits. More women are choosing the intrauterine device, which is a small, T-shaped piece of plastic implanted into the uterus as their contraceptive of choice. Find out why the IUD may be the ideal option for you.
Women have more choices now than ever before when it comes to birth control. Dr. Gary Willen of Tahoe Women’s Care offers a wide variety of birth control options that are highly effective at preventing pregnancy. The IUD is one of those options. Though it all but disappeared in the 90s, the IUD is gaining new popularity. In addition to being small, the IUD is long-term, reversible, and one of the most effective forms of birth control available today.
There are five brands of IUD divided into two types: copper and hormonal. Copper IUDs prevent sperm from reaching an egg, and hormonal IUDs prevent eggs from leaving your ovaries. In both circumstances, sperm blocked from reaching an egg means no pregnancy.
One reason more women are choosing IUDs is the long-term coverage. Women who aren’t planning to have children any time soon want a birth control method that covers long periods of their life so that they don’t have to think about contraception. Both copper and hormonal IUDs provide coverage for several years.
Copper IUDs provide the longest coverage: up to 10 years. Hormonal IUDs vary in their coverage depending on the brand but generally block pregnancy for three to five years. Long-term coverage allows you to focus on your life and enjoy a healthy sex life without concerns of unplanned pregnancy.
Today’s woman gravitates more toward IUD because of the peace of mind it provides. Of the more than 50% of unplanned pregnancies, about 95% of those are due to misusing or not using birth control. For birth control pills to work effectively, you must take them daily. If you forget to take your pill, you run the risk of getting pregnant.
Once your IUD is implanted, it stays in your uterus, blocking pregnancy for a long duration depending on the specific brand you choose. Certain hormonal IUDs stay in place for three years, while others remain in your uterus for five years. Copper IUDs can stay in your uterus for up to 10 years.
IUDs are the “set it and forget it” birth control that allows you to get on with your life without worrying about unplanned pregnancy or needing to take pills on a daily basis. Because there’s less room for error, IUDs provide peace of mind because they’re over 99% effective.
The combination of long-term coverage that’s also reversible makes IUDs an attractive option. After being placed in your uterus at Dr. Willen’s office, you can leave the IUD in place for as long as you need coverage. At the same time, if anything changes and you decide that you’re ready to get pregnant, you can have the device removed in a quick procedure, and the blocking process will be reversed. You can start trying to conceive immediately after the IUD is removed.
Research shows that unplanned pregnancies are at a 35-year low thanks to IUDs. To learn more about this option, call Tahoe Women’s Care, or book your appointment online today to schedule an appointment.
