It is one of the most effective means of contraception, the IUD. Also called “intrauterine device” it can be used “in the absence of contraindication, in adolescents and women who have had a child or who have not yet had a pregnancy” explains Health Insurance, which points out that it does not protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In France, one in four women uses this method of contraception, according to INSEE figures dated 2022.
What two intrauterine devices are available?
On its website, Health Insurance specifies that there are two types of intrauterine devices (IUD). The copper intrauterine device “has a spermicidal effect and renders sperm inactive”.
In the case of the levonorgestrel intrauterine device, it “thickens cervical secretions preventing the passage of sperm”, specifies Health Insurance. The latter works using a synthetic hormone close to progesterone and reduces the duration and volume of periods. “It is therefore privileged when the woman, or even the adolescent, has very heavy periods.”
The average duration of effectiveness of IUDs can range from 4 to 10 years for the copper IUD and 5 years for the hormonal IUD. This “T” shaped device is “prescribed and inserted by a doctor or midwife into the cavity of the uterus”notes Health Insurance.
IUD: the stages of installation explained by a midwife
But how is this method of contraception installed? On the social network Instagram, Charline Gayault, also known under the pseudonym @charline.sagefemme, published a video to show the point of view of the healthcare professional who performs this medical procedure. The author of “The great guide to my peaceful pregnancy”, published by Leduc, is used to sharing information on gynecology with its community of 198,000 people. so here’s “what a midwife sees when she inserts an IUD.”
In this video, produced on a mannequin close to reality, the midwife uses a speculum, a medical tool used to enlarge the cavity of the cervix. Then, the health professional “slides the inserter into the cervix, so as to deposit the IUD in the uterus”, can we read in the video. Once the IUD has been placed, the professional removes the inserter and cuts the wires”. Finally, she removes the speculum.
Sources:
- Charline Gayault – @charline.sagefemme (Instagram)
- Contraception by IUD or intrauterine device (IUD) – Health Insurance
- Women and men, equality in question – National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies – March 2022