IUD and pregnancy: is it possible to get pregnant using an intrauterine device? – GOOD SHAPE

with so many birth control methods available, it is difficult to choose which is the best or most efficient, according to the needs of each woman. But the truth is that even protected, the fear of pregnancy still exists. That’s why we talked to Dr. Stephanie Chagas Feitosagynecologist and obstetrician at Cia da Consulta, to clear up any doubts about the IUD.

What is the IUD and what is it used for?

“The IUD is an effective long-term contraceptive method,” she explains. “It can be non-hormonal (copper or copper + silver) or hormonal, which also serves to treat gynecological diseases such as myoma, adenomyosis and endometriosis”.

In the body, the IUD makes it difficult for the sperm to rise to the fallopian tube. O copper IUD, for example, has spermicidal action, that is, it destroys sperm. already the IUD with the hormone releases progesterone in the uterus gradually, for five years, in small doses, altering the secretion of the uterine cervix, preventing and hindering the penetration of spermatozoa.

Is it possible to get pregnant using an IUD?

The shortest answer to this question is: yes, after all, no method offers a 100% guarantee against pregnancy – not even a condom. “Once the sperm manages to ascend to the fallopian tube and the formed zygote manages to settle inside the uterus, it is possible for pregnancy to happen. But it is important to know that, if positioned correctly, it is very difficult for this to happen”, explains the doctor.

The copper IUD has a failure rate of 0.6%, that is, 6 out of 1000 women per year become pregnant when using this method correctly. For the hormonal IUD, this number is even lower: 0.2%, that is, 2 out of 1000 women get pregnant each year, even using the hormonal IUD.

“This rate is even safer than that of tubal ligation, which, in a period of 1 year, has a failure rate of 5 out of every 1000 women becoming pregnant, despite its completion”, he says.

Even so, in the unlikely event that pregnancy happens, the next step must be taken: deciding what to do with the device, depending on where the egg/zygote has settled in the uterine cavity.

“Once there is a risk, it is decided not to remove the device, however, the pregnancy will have a 50% increased risk of miscarriage”, says the doctor. “If it is possible to withdraw, the risk is equal to that of non-IUD users. It is important to point out that the IUD does not increase the risk of fetal malformations”, she concludes.