I wrote about family planning made easier a while back. One of the family planning methods for women is called an IUD. This is a T-shaped device. It's inserted into your uterus through your vagina. Typically, IUDs can stay in your vagina for up to ten years. But what happens if it moves?
Can an IUD Move?
Yes. An IUD can move out of place during sex. When it moves, it can cause a sharp pain you can't miss.
Now, there are other reasons it moves out of place. For example, the device is inserted incorrectly.
Sometimes, you won't even feel it move.
How Do I Know If My IUD is Out of Place?
When you get an IUD, you need to go for a check-up six months after. Please do so because the check-up will help you know whether all is good.
Alternatively, and the months after that, you can do the check-up for yourself. Simply insert two fingers gently into your vagina, and try to feel for two strings coming out of the cervix. Do not pull or tug at the strings. It can be a little tough to find but do take your time. If you feel that the strings seem to have the same length as before, you'll know all is good.
However, if the strings seem shorter, longer, or you can’t find them, contact your doctor.
Otherwise, pain or excessive bleeding during your period can also be a sign that an IUD has moved out of place. Also, painful intercourse, fever, or an unusual vaginal discharge can signal displacement, too.
Still, a check-up is still the surest way to know. So, make sure to contact your doctor if you have any suspicions at all.
Is it Serious if My IUD Moves?
Yes!
See, the extended T- shape, that top bar of the device usually goes into the opposite ends of your fallopian tubes. If it moves, it means that one or both of the T-shape ends has fallen out of its fallopian tube.
The IUD is usually like poison to sperm. So the uterus and insides of the fallopian tube won't have any sperm to fertilize ova and get pregnant.
But if it falls out of place, sperm can fertilize an ovum in the fallopian tubes. If you have sex and your partner ejaculates inside you, the sperm can swim past your IUD and into the exposed fallopian tube. And then, you will have an ectopic pregnancy, where the fertilized egg latches onto the fallopian tube, which isn't big enough to sustain a fetus.
An ectopic pregnancy will not develop to term. Instead, the fertilized egg will grow, pushing the tube to its limits and causing pain and discomfort. Eventually, you will need surgery to take it out and survive.
Another rare complication is when it pierces through the uterus. It can puncture important blood vessels, cutting of blood supply to vital organs. Or, migrate into the pelvis area to the abdominal cavity, bladder, or gastrointestinal tract. At this point, the IUD must be surgically removed.
I don't mean to scare you, but that's how serious suspicion of an IUD moving needs to be treated. I'm not saying it happens often, but it can happen, meaning it should be taken seriously.
Can an IUD Move During Sex?
No.
It's okay to have sex, whichever kind.
However, you need to wait for a few days post-insertion for the IUD to settle in nicely.
The longer it stays in place, the harder it is to move.
And, if, after six months you find out during a check-up that all is good, you should be able to freely engage in sexual activity without worrying about the IUD moving.
Do let us know if you have any concerns about the IUD, and we'll be sure to get back to you. Meanwhile, check out our “The First Step in Healing from Trauma is to Talk About It. So, Here's My Story.” article. Have a lovely day ahead!