How to Quit The Pill Without Side Effects
November 22, 2021 No Comments
Copper IUD Side Effects: The Honest Pros and Cons
I’m a huge proponent of birth control methods that don’t contain synthetic hormones. Methods like the birth control pill, ring, patch, and implant all contain synthetic hormones which can cause all kinds of short and long term side effects – they prevent your body from producing its own natural hormones, suppress ovulation, deplete critical nutrients, and are capable of stopping your periods completely.
In our day to day lives, we come into contact with with non-optional forms of chemicals and synthetic hormones from air pollution, conventional farming residues (hormones, herbicides, pesticides), xenoestrogens, etc – so why not make the CHOICE to choose a birth control method that’s non-hormonal?
That’s where the Copper IUD comes in :). If this is the first time hearing about an IUD, let’s break it down into the basics before jumping into the pros and cons of an IUD with hormones versus the hormone-free copper IUD.
IUD stands for “intrauterine device.” It’s shaped like a T, it’s a little bit bigger than a quarter, and fits inside your uterus. The method, which is the most effective reversible form of contraception on the market, has grown exponentially in popularity over the last decade, despite low national rates.
Currently there are six IUDs available in the United States:
Both types of IUDs work primarily by preventing sperm from fertilizing an egg. The copper IUD releases copper into the uterus, which works as a spermicide. The others release a form of the hormone progestin into the uterus. The progestin thickens the cervical mucus so that sperm can’t reach the egg. In some women, progestin may also prevent ovulation.
In the unlikely event that an egg does get fertilized and survives, both types of IUD cause inflammation in the uterus that makes it harder for the egg to implant there. Hormonal IUDs also cause thinning of the uterine lining, making implantation more difficult.
Your doctor will insert the IUD during an office visit. She may suggest you take over-the-counter pain medication such as ibuprofen a few hours before the procedure to offset cramping.
The procedure starts out similar to getting a Pap smear. Your doctor will put the IUD in a small tube that she’ll insert into your vagina. She’ll move the tube up through the cervix into the uterus. Then she’ll push the IUD out of the tube and pull the tube out. Strings attached to the IUD will hang 1-2 inches into the vagina.
The procedure can be uncomfortable, and you may have cramps and bleeding, but they tend to go away in a few days.
You can have an IUD placed at any time during your menstrual cycle; however, it may be more comfortable to have one inserted while you’re having your period as this is when your cervix is most open.
The Copper IUD, ParaGard, is effective as soon as it’s inserted. The synthetic IUD options tend to take effect within 7 days of insertion (unless inserted during your period, in which case it’s effective immediately).
The obvious answer? Because it’s the only non-synthetic hormone based IUD! It promotes normal, healthy ovulation, meaning that it doesn’t suppress ovulation and you experience real periods.
If that’s not enough to convince you, read on for the pros and cons of the Copper IUD
You can treat and resolve period and cycle problems with diet and lifestyle changes because there are no synthetic hormones interfering.
It’s more effective than almost any other method, with a failure rate of about 0.8% in the first year.
ParaGard is FDA-approved for up to TEN YEARS, and studies show it keeps working out to 12. (Miudella is approved for three.) Not only that, but after insertion, you don’t need to do anything or take anything.
Your fertility returns quickly once it’s removed. A review of 22 studies found about 83% of women were pregnant within a year of stopping contraception, with no meaningful difference between IUD users and women coming off hormonal methods.
IUDs are one of the most widely used forms of reversible birth control in the world.
It is now officially deemed suitable for women of any age, including women who have not yet had children, and teenagers.
It’s the most effective form of emergency contraception, when it’s inserted within 5 days of unprotected sex.
It’s capable of decreasing the risk of endometrial cancer and possibly cervical cancer.
Like most things in the world, it doesn’t come without side effects.
You could have heavier and more painful periods. One study found that 38% of IUD-users reported more period pain at first, but then it reduced over 12 months. Heavier periods also cost you iron, which is the side effect I’d watch most closely (more on that below).
It could come out. Risk of expulsion is highest in the first month after insertion (5.7%), and then decreases to 2% per year.
There’s a risk of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) during the first three weeks after insertion, but only if you have a pre-existing infection with gonorrhea or chlamydia.
There’s a small risk of uterine perforation, which could lead to surgery. Perforation occurs in 0.1 percent of users (1/1000), but is more likely if you are breastfeeding.
You may also experience discomfort during sex, spotting between periods, or an ectopic pregnancy.
It doesn’t protect against STIs (sexually transmitted infections).
You might have to pay. The device itself costs about $150 (one time cost), but your insurance may cover it.
If and when you want it out, you will need to see your doctor.
You can’t use the copper IUD if you have an allergy to copper or have Wilson’s disease, which prevents proper copper metabolism and causes your body hold too much copper.
It’s one of the most common questions I get about the copper IUD. Sometimes the answer is yes. Just rarely the way the internet says.
Because the copper IUD has no hormones, it leaves your ovaries alone. It works on the uterus instead. So if it’s changing how you feel, it’s almost always doing it through the one thing it changes: your period.
Research on copper T devices has found menstrual blood loss rising by around half, and in many women it stays there. Every heavier period costs iron.
Here’s the part nobody explains. Iron lives in two places, and routine bloodwork treats them very differently. Hemoglobin is the cash in your wallet. Ferritin is your savings account. A standard CBC (the routine blood count most physicals include) checks the wallet. It never opens the savings account.
So when you lose more blood each month, your body covers the difference from savings. Your hemoglobin stays normal. Your ferritin drops. In one small study, women’s hemoglobin stayed in the normal range for four months after a copper IUD went in, while their ferritin fell from about 24 to about 9. A larger review of copper IUD users found the same direction.
Translation? You can be “not anemic” and still be spending your savings down every single month.
Low iron stores have a feel to them:
↳ tiredness that sleep doesn’t touch
↳ hair in the shower drain
↳ your heart working harder on the stairs
↳ cold hands and feet
↳ a wired, edgy feeling you can’t trace to anything
That list is very often what “is my IUD causing my symptoms?” actually means.
The IUD releases copper into the uterus, and some of it can be absorbed. But when researchers measure blood copper in IUD users, the results are split. Several studies found no rise at all. At least one found users running higher.
There’s a second problem with reading that number. Most of the copper in your blood travels on a protein called ceruloplasmin, and ceruloplasmin rises with estrogen and with inflammation. So a high copper result on its own can’t tell you the IUD did it.
I’m not going to tell you an IUD can never cause a copper problem. It’s the rare answer. Iron is the common one.
Heavy, painful periods are what the copper IUD is known for. They’re also what endometriosis, adenomyosis and fibroids are known for, and an underactive thyroid can make periods heavier too. If every symptom gets filed under “that’s just the IUD,” the diagnosis underneath stops getting looked at.
If your periods are still painful several cycles after removal, ask about endometriosis and adenomyosis by name.
↳ Ferritin, not just a CBC. Ask for the actual number, alongside a full iron panel, because ferritin can read falsely reassuring when inflammation is up.
↳ Test before you supplement. More iron isn’t automatically better. One study of women seeking fertility care linked high-dose supplemental iron (above about 45 mg a day) to lower ovarian reserve markers. Your dose should come from your number.
↳ If your IUD is staying, recheck ferritin once a year, since the bleeding that drained it hasn’t stopped.
↳ If you’re planning to get pregnant, check ferritin before your IUD comes out. Fertility comes back quickly, but iron stores take months to rebuild. In a large study of women trying to conceive, those who took iron supplements had about a 40% lower risk of infertility caused by ovulation problems.
You don’t have to give up the method you chose to feel like yourself again. Rebuilding your iron doesn’t automatically mean taking the IUD out.
1. Like all birth control methods, the Copper IUD isn’t without side effects; however, it is the only long-term, synthetic hormone-free option on the market (and one of the most popular).
2. Because it doesn’t contain synthetic hormones, you can still treat and resolve hormone imbalances and cycle issues with diet and lifestyle changes because there are no synthetic hormones interfering.
3. The Copper IUD will not interfere with your fertility should you want to eventually get pregnant. Fertility comes back quickly once it’s removed!
4. The side effect to watch is your iron. Heavier periods can drain your ferritin while routine bloodwork still looks normal, so ask for the number.
I’d love to use this space as a forum of sorts, providing inspiration and community among my readers, so … I want to hear from you!
What birth control methods have you considered?
Do you have a Copper IUD? What has it been like for you?
If you do have a Copper IUD, have you experienced any side effects?
Spread some Copper IUD lovin’! Sharing is caring, and I bet you have some friends who would love to read this too :).
Click here to get my Top Ten Tips to Improve Fertility, Have Easier Periods, and Supercharge Your Sex Drive!
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