Table of contents:
- What is the IUD KB?
- How does the IUD KB work?
- Non-hormonal IUD
- Hormonal IUD
- Is the contraceptive IUD effective in preventing pregnancy?
- What are the advantages of using this spiral birth control?
- What are the side effects of the IUD birth control?
- Problems that may occur when using the IUD KB
- 1. The IUD detaches itself
- 2. Uterine perforation (opening in the uterus)
- 3. Pelvic inflammatory infection
- Protection of spiral family planning against sexually transmitted diseases
- Who is recommended to use an IUD?
- How do I get an IUD?
Currently, there are many contraceptives that you and your partner can use to delay pregnancy. Perhaps, the contraceptive method you are most familiar with is the IUD KB. Yes, the IUD KB is a popular contraceptive method for preventing pregnancy. But, really, what is an IUD? How effective can this device be in helping you prevent pregnancy?
What is the IUD KB?
IUD stands for intrauterine device or it can also be referred to as spiral birth control. Yes, the IUD is a plastic device that has a shape like the letter "T" and is inserted into the uterus to prevent pregnancy. The IUD KB is divided into two types, namely:
- Copper coated IUD or non-hormonal IUD.
- IUD that produces the hormone progesterone or hormonal IUD.
Although both are IUD family planning, the two types of spiral contraception have different ways of preventing pregnancy.
How does the IUD KB work?
The workings of the IUD family planning can be differentiated based on the type, namely:
Non-hormonal IUD
Reporting from Kids Health, non-hormonal IUD birth control is a copper-coated spiral contraceptive that helps you prevent pregnancy by blocking sperm cells from entering the fallopian tube or the tube between the uterus and the ovaries.
This contraceptive makes sperm cells unable to meet the egg and fertilize it. This tool also makes it more difficult for the egg to be fertilized in the uterus.
Hormonal IUD
Hormonal IUD family planning is a spiral contraceptive containing the synthetic progesterone hormone. The use of this IUD birth control will cause the cervical mucus to thicken and can make it difficult for sperm to swim in the uterus.
The IUD is a contraceptive tool that can also thin the uterine wall, which should have thickened when conception occurred. Of course this can stop ovulation and prevent sperm cells from fertilizing an egg.
This spiral birth control can also reduce blood flow for women whose periods often cause pain, or more commonly known as dysmenorrhea.
Is the contraceptive IUD effective in preventing pregnancy?
When compared with other contraceptives, the IUD KB is one of the contraceptives that can work effectively to prevent pregnancy. Both types of spiral birth control are effective if you don't want to get pregnant for a while.
KB IUD is a contraceptive tool that is suitable for you and your partner who still want to enjoy the time together and are not ready to have a baby. In fact, the IUD KB is a contraceptive tool that can immediately prevent pregnancy after it is inserted in the body.
In addition, this spiral KB can last for a long time. For example, a copper-coated non-hormonal IUD can last up to 10 years. Meanwhile, hormonal IUDs containing synthetic progestins can last for 3-5 years.
That's why the IUD KB is a good choice for women who don't want to have a child yet. Over the course of a few years, only 1 in 100 couples using an IUD will experience a pregnancy. In addition, although the IUD can last for a long period of time, your doctor or health care professional can remove this spiral birth control from your body at any time.
Unfortunately, spiral birth control cannot protect you from sexually transmitted diseases. Therefore, to avoid spreading venereal disease between you and your partner, you should use a condom when having sex.
What are the advantages of using this spiral birth control?
When compared to other contraceptives, such as the Pill, the IUD is a contraceptive that is much more effective. The reason is, you don't have to bother remembering to take birth control pills regularly, changing tools, or refilling prescriptions all the time.
The ability of spiral family planning to last for a long time certainly saves time and effort. Especially for those of you who feel you can't be patient with a schedule of taking medication every day. This advantage is one of the reasons that make the IUD the most effective means of birth control compared to other contraceptives.
- More efficient
This contraceptive can be removed at any time without having to affect your fertility. That way, after this tool is removed, your fertility can immediately return to normal. - Safe for breastfeeding mothers
The IUD KB is a safe contraceptive tool for breastfeeding mothers. - Reducing the risk of disease
The use of this IUD can also help you reduce your risk of developing cervical cancer and endometrial cancer. - Does not affect body weight
The IUD does not have the side effects of weight gain like the side effects of birth control pills. - Reduces the effects of PMS
Hormonal IUDs can even reduce PMS pain and cramps, reduce excessive blood flow during menstruation, and reduce the risk of an ectopic pregnancy.
What are the side effects of the IUD birth control?
Meanwhile, as with other contraceptives, the IUD KB also has disadvantages in the form of various side effects of use. The following are some of the side effects that may occur when using the IUD, including:
The side effects that may occur when you use the IUD birth control are:
- Your menstrual cycle was irregular in the first few months when you started using the IUD
- During menstruation, you may bleed more blood than usual
- When using a non-hormonal birth control IUD, you may experience very intense abdominal cramps during your period
- If you use a progesterone IUD, your menstrual periods will be lighter and faster or you won't even have your period at all.
- With a hormonal IUD, you can experience various PMS-like symptoms such as headaches, acne, nausea and breast tenderness.
Problems that may occur when using the IUD KB
There are several problems you may experience if you use the IUD birth control. Usually, this problem occurs because the IUD is not properly inserted, causing problems, for example:
1. The IUD detaches itself
Although it doesn't always happen to every woman who uses it, IUD KB can be separated from a woman's uterus by accident. Unfortunately, it's still not clear why the IUD can come off on its own. However, an IUD that comes off on its own is especially prone to happen when you are menstruating.
In addition, there are also groups of women who have a higher risk of experiencing this condition, namely
- Women who have never been pregnant before
- Women who are less than 20 years old
- A woman who uses an IUD after an abortion in the second trimester of her pregnancy
You can check the position of the IUD, whether it is still in place by feeling the thread (doctor or nurse can explain to you how to do this). It will be better to tell your doctor about any of the following symptoms:
- A wedge of vaginal discharge
- Cramps or pain
- Fever
- The length of the IUD thread changes.
It is better if you visit your doctor to check the position of the IUD in the first three months since the IUD was inserted.
2. Uterine perforation (opening in the uterus)
In fact, this condition has a very small possibility to occur. The reason is, if IUD insertion is done properly, uterine perforation should be almost impossible to happen.
Yes, uterine perforation is a condition when there is a hole in the uterus due to the IUD penetrating the uterine wall when it is inserted. This may be because the IUD is pushed up through the uterine wall while it is being inserted.
3. Pelvic inflammatory infection
Another condition that may also occur due to IUD use is pelvic inflammatory disease. This could be due to an infection caused by bacteria that entered the uterus when the IUD was inserted. However, most infections occur within the first 20 days after IUD placement.
Protection of spiral family planning against sexually transmitted diseases
As previously mentioned, even though the IUD KB is classified as the most effective contraceptive, this spiral contraceptive cannot protect you from transmitting venereal diseases. Therefore, if you want to avoid sexually transmitted diseases, use condoms when having sex.
Using these IUDs and condoms will prevent pregnancy as well as protect you against sexually transmitted diseases. Your doctor or practitioner will check and make sure you don't have a sexually transmitted disease before inserting the IUD.
Using the IUD together when you have an infection is one thing that can cause pelvic inflammation. Meanwhile, abstinence from sexual intercourse is the only method that has always prevented pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
Who is recommended to use an IUD?
The IUD is a good and effective contraceptive option for women. But unfortunately, not all women are allowed to use this spiral birth control. Typically, women who are not recommended to use an IUD as a method of preventing pregnancy are as follows:
- Have pelvic inflammatory disease or an active sexually transmitted infection
- Are pregnant or possibly pregnant
- Have problems with the uterus such as disease or malformations, or if you have abnormal bleeding
One of the reasons experts recommend the IUD as a good birth control option for young women and adolescents is because it can last a long time. Not only that, the IUD KB is a contraceptive tool that does not require daily care and is very effective in preventing pregnancy.
The newer types of IUDs are smaller and use lower doses of progesterone, perhaps making them a better choice for women who have never had a baby.
How do I get an IUD?
Before your doctor helps you insert an IUD, your doctor must first determine whether you have a sexually transmitted disease or not. If it is confirmed that you do not have any sexually transmitted diseases, a new IUD may be inserted for you.
You need to know that the IUD is a form of contraception that should not be used alone. This means that the IUD is a form of contraception that must be installed by a doctor or medical professional.
The IUD insertion procedure is easiest to do during your menstrual period. However, the IUD can actually be inserted at any time in a woman's menstrual cycle as long as she is not pregnant.
In addition, you also need to pay attention to the timing of the IUD removal, both hormonal and non-hormonal IUDs. The best time to remove the copper plated IUD or hormonal IUD is 10 years. Meanwhile, the time to remove a non-hormonal IUD ranges from three to five years.
If you are using an IUD, it is wise to consult a doctor if you want to find out which birth control is good for you.
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