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"Young Women Unfamiliar With the Safety, Effectiveness of IUDs." ScienceDaily, Dec. 16, 2006.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/12/061216104722.htm

Because “birth control” sometimes tends to be synonymous with “the pill” for U.S. women, oral contraceptives tend to be the first choice of women who want to prevent pregnancy, despite the fact that there are many other options available. However, this commonly used method requires a great deal of responsibility on the part of the patient. Missing a pill or (depending upon the type of hormone) even taking it at the wrong time can dramatically decrease the effectiveness.

This article discusses a practical but relatively unknown alternative method of birth control: IUDs. Intrauterine devices can be implanted during a routine gynecological visit, and can be left in for up to ten years. The level of effectiveness is similar to that of oral contraceptives when used correctly, but IUDs require no maintenance on the part of the user.

These devices come with relatively few controversies. One involves a disagreement in the medical community about when it can first be used. A majority of physicians dislike implanting them in patients who have never been pregnant, but there are a few who insist that it is possible to use them in any patient who desires this method.

Because this method is not widely understood, there may be less motivation for health insurance plans to cover it. It is cheaper than using oral contraceptives for the same amount of time (Planned Parenthood cites the cost of an IUD at anywhere between $175 and $650), but if insurance plans are willing to cover the monthly costs of birth control pills but not the lump sum costs of the IUD, women could be deterred from using this extremely practical method.

The relative obscurity of this device leads to various myths about its associated risks. Just as with other hormonal methods of birth control, some women have a misperception that an IUD can protect against STIs as well as pregnancy. Women who do not understand the physical positioning of the IUD commonly fear that it could be lost in their reproductive system and that their doctor would not be able to find it when it was time for it to be removed. Men having sex with women who use IUDs sometimes fear that they could be injured by the device, especially if they have never seen one. There have been many documented cases in which women were injured when their husbands or boyfriends insisted upon removing the device, which should only be taken out by a trained gynecologist. Increased education about this birth control method could prevent these misconceptions.

There has been a movement in community health centers to bring this method to women who are at high risk of repeat pregnancies. This model of care likely should be extended to other demographic groups as well, because the benefits that it provides are universal: highly effective pregnancy prevention, little inconvenience to the user, and long term protection that can be reversed at any time.

Additional source:

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/birth-control/iud-4245.htm