IUD

IUDs are safe for most people with a uterus, and copper toxicity is super rare. That said, it can happen, especially in people with Wilson’s Disease, a rare genetic condition which affects about 1 in every 30,000 to 40,000. Wilson’s Disease affects the body’s ability to process copper. Given how low the daily dose of copper is from the non-hormonal IUD, it is extremely unlikely that someone who does not have Wilson’s Disease would experience copper toxicity. So unless you have Wilson’s Disease, you don’t have to worry about copper toxicity from a copper IUD.

No, the IUD won’t hurt your partner even if they can feel the strings. You may have heard that the IUD strings can bother partners who have a penis while having sex, but most partners don’t even feel the strings, and the strings usually soften over time. If your partner can feel the strings and that bothers them, your health care provider can trim them to see if that helps.

Totally! If you don’t want to be pregnant right now but think you might want to have a baby in the future, the IUD doesn’t change your chances of getting pregnant once it’s removed. When you want to be pregnant, just have the IUD removed and your body will return to whatever level of fertility is normal for you.

The hormonal IUDs, shot, implant, and progestin-only pill have all been shown to overall reduce periods for most people. For some people, that means they don’t get a period at all, but for others it can cause bleeding when you aren’t expecting it even if you have less total bleeding.

You can use the pill or the ring continuously to intentionally skip your period altogether.

IUD insertion itself is pretty quick (less than a minute or two for experienced providers), but it’s hard to know exactly how much pain you might have since pain can vary from person to person. Some people experience very little pain, like mild period cramps, and some people experience very intense pain when an IUD is inserted.

You can try taking ibuprofen beforehand, and some providers may recommend getting the IUD inserted when your cervix is open, such as when you’re on your period, but you can have it placed anytime during your cycle. Some providers may be able to use pain medication directly into the cervix and others can put you to sleep while it’s placed. Other techniques like breathing exercises and meditation can also help with pain. Even if there is some pain, it might be worth it for sex without worrying about getting pregnant.

It depends on your situation. Unless you’re in a totally exclusive relationship and you and your partner have both been tested recently for every single STI, using condoms with whatever other birth control method you choose is a good idea. Basically, if there’s any chance you or your partner could have an STI, the only way to decrease the risk of transmitting it is by using condoms, internal condoms, dental dams, and/or PrEP, (a medication which decreases the risk of getting HIV.) Other forms of birth control don’t protect against STIs.

Using a condom with another form of birth control is called dual protection. It means you’re being super-safe and protecting yourself against both pregnancy and STIs.

Using a method of birth control with estrogen, like the pill, patch, or ring, increases the risk of forming a blood clot, but the risk is so low that if you don’t have any factors that increase your chances of having a blood clot, you can safely use all types of birth control. If you do have an increased risk of blood clots because you’ve had one before you’ve had a stroke or heart attack, or you have a medical condition that increases your risk of a blood clot, like high blood pressure, then adding birth control with estrogen to the mix increases your risk too much and it’s not recommended that you use birth control with estrogen in it. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a birth control method for you! 


If you can’t take estrogen, you have quite a few options available to you. First you have the non-hormonal methods, like the copper IUD. You can also use any of the hormonal methods that only contain progestin, not estrogen, like the implant, mini-pill, shot, and hormonal IUDs, like Mirena, Skyla, Liletta, and Kyleena. These don’t increase your risk of blood clots and are all really good at preventing pregnancy.

If you’re worried about blood clots or don’t know if you have risk factors, talk to a health care provider about which birth control methods are options for you.

Most birth control methods will not cause weight gain. Everyone’s body responds to birth control differently, but research shows that the pill, patch, the hormonal IUD, the ring, and non-hormonal birth control methods like a copper IUD or condoms don’t cause weight gain (or loss). Studies do show that about 1 in 4 people who use the shot will gain some weight (around 5% of body weight).

While the Paragard and hormonal methods that don’t contain estrogen—the shot, the Mirena IUD, the implant and the mini-pill—are safe for people who are postpartum to use immediately after giving birth, combination pills, which contain estrogen, shouldn’t be used until three weeks after giving birth, since estrogen can increase a postpartum person’s risk of blood clots.

It’s true that the up-front cost of an IUD can be high depending on your insurance, but even paying full price it ends up being pretty cheap considering how long it lasts. Mirena IUD can stay in your body for up to five years, costing you the equivalent of just $9 a month if you pay full price. The Paragard IUD can stay in your body for up to 10 years, costing you the equivalent of just $4 a month if you pay full price.


If you’re on Medicaid or have private insurance, the IUD might be free for you, or at least very cheap, since Medicaid and private insurance often pay for birth control.


If those aren’t options for you, check with the family planning clinics around you and find out if they offer discounts or payment plans for IUDs.


Check out our IUD page for more information about the cost of the IUD.


The IUD is among the most effective methods out there. In fact, both types of IUD—Paragard and Mirena—are over 99% effective.

In other words:

Fewer than 1 out of 100 women will experience an accidental pregnancy during the first year of using an IUD.

The hormonal IUD (Mirena) dramatically reduces blood loss during one’s period, protecting against anemia. It can also reduce menstrual symptoms in women who have fibroids. And, if you’re a woman who can’t use estrogen, both the hormonal IUD and the copper IUD (Paragard) are good options.