Current:Home > MyCan you get pregnant with an IUD? It's unlikely but not impossible. Here's what you need to know. -Wealth Nexus Pro
Can you get pregnant with an IUD? It's unlikely but not impossible. Here's what you need to know.
View
Date:2025-04-19 19:27:34
More than 65% of women in the U.S. between the ages of 15 and 49 used some form of contraception between 2017 and 2019, according to the most recent National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) analysis.
More than 10% of them used an intrauterine device (IUD) or other kind of long-term contraceptive implant. For context, that's less than those who used oral contraceptive pills (14%) but more than the amount who used condoms (8.4%).
As lawmakers across the United States attempt to ban or limit contraception options, medical experts are hoping to clear up misinformation.
Intrauterine devices, or IUDs, are a long-term, reversible form of birth control that lessens the ability of sperm to reach and fertilize an egg. The small T-shaped device inserted through the vagina into the uterus and can remain in the body for three to 10 years depending on the type, according to Yale Medicine.
Here's what medical experts want you to know about IUDs.
Can you get pregnant with an IUD?
IUDs are "one of the most effective birth control methods," gynecologist Karen Tang, M.D., tells USA TODAY, noting that they're more than 99% effective at preventing pregnancy. That makes it one of the most effective forms of birth control alongside hormonal implants and permanent sterilization, per statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Of course, there's always that 1% chance of getting pregnant. It's unlikely, but if the IUD happens to move or start to fall out, pregnancy is possible, adds Tang, author of the upcoming book “It's Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (But Were Never Told)."
Can anything make an IUD less effective?
There aren't any known medications, foods or other substances that would lessen the efficacy of an IUD.
It's also worth noting that hormonal IUDs start to work within a week of insertion, while copper IUDs work immediately, according to Yale Medicine.
What is IVF?Explaining the procedure in Alabama's controversial Supreme Court ruling.
What are signs of pregnancy while on IUD?
If you do happen to become pregnant while on an IUD, regular pregnancy symptoms including missed periods, cramping or light spotting may arise. Unfortunately, many of those are also side effects of having an IUD, which can make it more difficult to decipher.
If the IUD begins falling out, or if you have any other reason to believe you may be pregnant with an IUD in place, Tang stresses that you should call a gynecologist "immediately." It's important in these cases to take a pregnancy test and get an ultrasound to determine whether the IUD is still in place.
In the meantime, she suggests you either abstain from sex or use another form of birth control, such as condoms.
Vegan birth control:What is it and does it work?
veryGood! (32644)
Related
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- UN’s top court will rule Friday on its jurisdiction in a Ukraine case over Russia’s genocide claim
- UN envoy says her experience in Colombia deal may help her efforts in restarting Cyprus talks
- Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin win the 2024 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- UN agency confirms 119.8 degrees reading in Sicily two years ago as Europe’s record high temperature
- They found a head in her fridge. She blamed her husband. Now she's charged in the case.
- Ukraine’s strikes on targets inside Russia hurt Putin’s efforts to show the war isn’t hitting home
- New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
- T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach’s Exes Andrew Shue and Marilee Fiebig Have Rare Airport Outing
Ranking
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- Indiana lawmakers vote to let some state officials carry handguns on Capitol grounds
- Indonesian police arrest 3 Mexicans after a Turkish tourist is wounded in an armed robbery in Bali
- Maine lawmakers consider request to give subpoena power to committee investigating mass shooting
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- 2 Democratic-leaning Michigan House districts to hold special election primaries
- With police stops in the spotlight, NYC council is expected to override mayor on transparency bill
- Norfolk Southern is 1st big freight railway to let workers use anonymous federal safety hotline
Recommendation
US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
Aryna Sabalenka defeats Zheng Qinwen to win back-to-back Australian Open titles
Super Bowl single-game records: Will any of these marks be broken in Super Bowl 58?
IVF may be tax deductible, but LGTBQ+ couples less likely to get write-offs
The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
X restores Taylor Swift searches after deepfake explicit images triggered temporary block
A sex educator on the one question she is asked the most: 'Am I normal?'
India’s navy rescues second Iranian-flagged fishing boat hijacked by Somali pirates