Eek! Why Are Our IUDs Falling Out? – Cora

How to treat a displaced IUD.

In this case, an ultrasound and x-ray were necessary to ensure the IUD hasn’t migrated elsewhere in the body. Dr. Michael Tahery, L.A.-based OB-GYN, has been placing IUDs for 25 years and only seen two fall out. One patient had a distorted uterine cavity with larger than normal fibroids, and a hemorrhagic episode (heavy bleeding, essentially) expelled the device. The second patient came in with an IUD placed in another country that, like Alden’s, was missing. An x-ray showed the device inside the patient’s abdomen, meaning it had perforated the uterus. Tahery had to go in through her belly button to extract it.

“The real issue with migration is that she now requires a surgical procedure, which requires anesthesia and so on. And she could be thinking that she’s protected but she’s not,” Dr. Tahery said. Pregnancy with an IUD happens and it’s scary.

Alden’s x-ray, on the other hand, found nothing. Everyone thinks the IUD fell out when she removed her DivaCup, but how can you be sure if you never saw it happen? It’s a surreal feeling to not know where this thing inside your body went. Studies show that there is in fact little correlation between IUD expulsion and the use of menstrual cups. As Dr. Alice Byram explains, if both devices are placed and used properly, the menstrual cup should not be touching the strings (but you can always ask your doctor to trim the strings if you’re worried). “Since menstrual cups rely on suction to prevent leaks when removing the cup, it is important to release the suction-created seal on the cup before removing it,” she says. This is true whether or not you have an IUD.

“My body probably just didn’t want that in me. It tried to get rid of it and it did,” Alden said. She never got a new IUD inserted. “The prohibitive cost of devices means you can’t try them out like you can try different pill options. Like, ‘Oh, this birth control pill is making me really moody. Let me try a different formulation of it. I wish it didn’t feel like you have to make a commitment and if it doesn’t work out it’ll be $500 down the drain.”