When you see your healthcare professional, they will perform a pelvic exam to try and locate the stings. They may use a swab, or a cytobrush during the location process. If they have difficulty finding it with this method, they may magnify the area and get a closer look. If they are unable to locate the strings using this process, they will often order an ultrasound to verify the placement of the IUD.
If the IUD cannot be located, it is likely it has expelled. They may follow up with an X-ray to ensure that there was no perforation. If the IUD is not in the correct position, your healthcare provider will remove it. In most cases, you will be able to have it reinserted immediately if you choose to. While there are multiple brands of IUDs available in the United States, there are two primary types; hormonal and copper. Copper IUDs contain no hormones but are devices wrapped in a small amount of copper and block sperm from reaching and fertilizing an egg.
In addition to blocking the pathway of the sperm, sperm does not like copper and will naturally avoid it, providing a secondary form of protection. Neither of those situations are worrisome—as long as the IUD is still in your uterus, you're still protected. Sometimes, though, not feeling your IUD strings can mean the IUD fell out and you may not have noticed —which can put you at risk for unintended pregnancies, since you're no longer protected. And, in very rare circumstances, not feeling your IUD strings can mean the IUD perforated your uterus—meaning it pierced through your uterine wall and is hanging out somewhere in your body it's not supposed to.
Weight Loss. United States. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life.
Prabhakaran S, Chuang A. In-office retrieval of intrauterine contraceptive devices with missing strings. Nelson AL, Massoudi N. New developments in intrauterine device use: focus on the US. Open Access J Contracept. Kailasam C, Cahill D.
Review of the safety, efficacy and patient acceptability of the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system. Patient Prefer Adherence. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Long-acting reversible contraception: intrauterine device and implant. Published July Outcome of intrauterine pregnancies with intrauterine device in place and effects of device location on prognosis.
The sexual acceptability of intrauterine contraception: A qualitative study of young adult women. Perspect Sex Reprod Health. Accuracy of information about the intrauterine device on the Internet. Am J Obstet Gynecol. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.
These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. If you cannot locate your IUD strings, the next step is to call your healthcare provider and have them perform an exam to locate your IUD strings.
In some cases, you may definitively experience your IUD coming out. This will typically happen during the first few months of IUD use. Your IUD is most likely to slip out of place during your period, so check your pads and tampons to confirm that your IUD has not been expelled. Perforation means that the IUD has been pushed through the uterus wall. Generally, this is quickly discovered and can be corrected right away. If either of these situations happens to you, make sure to use a backup method to protect against pregnancy because the IUD will not be of much help.
This may be due to fibroids or pregnancy. If this has occurred, the IUD is still in the uterus, but further investigation would be needed. The good news is if the ultrasound reveals that the IUD is in its proper position within the uterus , you can continue to use it for contraception even though you cannot locate the IUD strings.
If you are in this situation, healthcare providers recommend that you have an ultrasound once a year for the first few years when you are more at risk for expulsion , just to make sure your IUD is still there.
There's also the chance that the IUD is still in the correct position, yet for whatever reason, the IUD strings have coiled and bent back into the passageway between your cervix and your uterus known as the endocervical canal. The strings could have also broken off. It's also possible that the IUD may have rotated either during or after insertion. This turning around could cause the IUD strings to retract up higher in your body. If this is the case, the good news is that the IUD is still working and is in place; the issue is just with the IUD strings.
As long as it is determined that you are not pregnant, healthcare providers have several ways to try to recover your IUD strings. Healthcare providers use a special brush called a cytobrush that looks like a long mascara brush to try to maneuver out the IUD strings. This usually works. If attempts with the cytobrush are unsuccessful, your healthcare provider may use various tools to dilate open the cervix, measure your uterus, and obtain a precise view of the endocervical canal.
0コメント