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A large new study dispels long-standing fears that using an intrauterine device (IUD) will lead to pelvic inflammatory disease. It found the risk of getting PID after IUD insertion was extremely low, with or without testing for sexually transmitted infections beforehand. More
Well, this is highly relevant. According to updated guidelines by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, IUDs and other forms of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC, for short) are far and away the best option for reducing teen pregnancy–and doctors should recommend them more. They’re the most effective and, most importantly, lease prone to user error. And based on what we learned about adult women and their misinformation about birth control this week, I’d say this recommendation is a hugely positive step. More
For decades, the intrauterine device (IUD) was a dirty word when it came to contraceptive, thanks in large part to problematic early versions, which lead to bacterial infection, sepsis, and other gnarly and painful complications. But these days, scientists have pretty much got IUDs down pat; they’re safe, they’re effective, and they’re ultra-practical. But according to a study by the CDC, many doctors are still nervous about the sperm-stopping whale tale, and they may be sending the wrong message to patients. More
Last year, the FDA toyed with the idea of making Plan B available to girls under the age of 17 without a prescription, but U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius quickly quashed the plan, stating essentially that teenagers were too dumb to read the label and take the drug as directed, and that they would still need a prescription. But according to not one, but three studies, she is wrong. Teenagers are perfectly able to understand the drug and how to use it. More
‘Gals,’ we need to get serious about this birth control silliness. Because Foster Friess, major donor to Rick Santorum‘s super PAC and contraceptive pragmatist wants you to know that you’re all just being a bunch of ninnies. Clearly, the solution to the birth control debate (which is now being discussed by a group of men on our behalf–nothing to worry our pretty little heads about!) isn’t access or coverage–it’s aspirin! More
My life was made possible by the recall of an intrauterine device. It was the mid-1970s and my older sister had been born a few years before. My mother, bleary-eyed, blissful—and definitely not ready for a second kid—went to the gynecologist and, like many women at the time, was introduced to a piece of plastic shaped like a small bug or a fish, her free pass to a life without worries about birth control for the new few years.
Everything was fine—wonderful, in fact—until her gynecologist informed her that the Dalkon Shield had been recalled. It turned out her carefree birth control method also had a proclivity to cause ectopic pregnancies and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
“Please don’t take my IUD,” my mother pleaded with her doctor. “I love my IUD.” (Seriously, that’s what she said.) The doctor apologized, removed it, and one year later she was expecting me. More
