The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the ParaGard IUD (intrauterine device) birth control method for all women, not just for women who have had children.
The ParaGard IUD originally came on the U.S. market in 1984 but was recommended only for women who had given birth. However, the FDA now feels that the IUD is safe for all women.
Because of a potential for infertility, doctors didn't insert the devices in women who had never been pregnant, Robert Heinbach, university physician, said.
Joyce Morgan, clinical coordinator of the Planned Parenthood of the Susquehanna Valley, said, "Some women had more cramps and could not tolerate the IUD. Also, it was thought that the IUD put women at an increased risk for pelvic infections. However, the new evidence shows that this is not true."
To use this method, women need to be in a truly monogamous relationship, with both partners tested for sexually transmitted diseases, Heinbach said.
The IUD is a T-shaped piece of plastic wrapped in copper, Morgan said.
Heinbach said the device is a little larger than a quarter and is inserted into the uterus by a gynecologist.
The IUD is 99 percent effective against pregnancy, Heinbach added.
"If 100 women had the ParaGard IUD, less than one per year would get pregnant," Heinbach said.
The device is a safe method because it has no hormones in it, he said.
The IUD can stay in for up to 10 years, but a woman can take it out at
any time, he said. It can also fall out; if it does, it normally does so within the first two to three months.
"The major side effect is a slightly heavier period because some women experience spotting before and after their period and an increase in cramps," Morgan said.
If a woman has heavy, painful periods, then the ParaGard IUD is not recommended.
Once the device is taken out, it doesn't take very long to get pregnant. Since there aren't any hormones, women continue to cycle normally and don't need to wait for cycles to return to normal, Morgan said.
Heinbach said that at University Health Services (UHS), the ParaGard IUD costs $315, plus the cost of the visit. To get the device, the patient must go through counseling and read a consent form.
Although they are used in the United States, the devices are much more common in other countries. IUDs are commonly used in Europe.
China has the highest usage rate of the ParaGard IUD. More than 100 million women in China use it, Heinbach said.
"Worldwide, it is the most popular method," Morgan said. "It is growing in popularity in the United States."
However, many people still aren't aware of this device. Ed Senton, pharmacist at CVS/pharmacy, 265 Northland Center, said they aren't too common. In more than 20 years of practice, Senton said he hasn't dispensed even 10 of them.
