How long can a woman keep her IUD?

In our lives, many people use IUDs for contraception. Putting an IUD in a woman's body can also cause damage to her body. The IUD is made of two materials: plastic and metal. You must choose the one that is less harmful to the female body. This type of IUD can also be placed in the body for a longer time. So how many years can a woman's IUD be placed?

There are two types of intrauterine contraceptive rings: plastic and metal. Generally speaking, the service life of a plastic IUD is 5 to 10 years and it should be replaced promptly after expiration, otherwise the contraceptive effect will be weakened. Metal rings can be used for life, but this also depends on the individual differences of each woman. If the body can adapt to the ring, it can be used until after menopause. If there is a serious adverse reaction, the ring may need to be removed early. The IUD "getting stuck in the uterine muscle" is medically known as "intrauterine contraceptive device incarceration", which is common in women who only remember to get an IUD many years after menopause.

The reason for this is that when a woman has an IUD placed at 2 years of childbearing age, the size of the uterine cavity is normal. When she enters menopause, due to the decrease in estrogen levels in the body, the uterine muscles will gradually atrophy, causing the volume of the uterine cavity to shrink, and the cervical opening will also significantly shrink and become tighter. But the size of the IUD does not change, so some of the ring will slowly "grow" into the uterine wall. Patients may experience abdominal pain and irregular vaginal bleeding, and may also develop other gynecological problems such as pelvic infection. Therefore, if you have a metal IUD placed in your body, it should be removed within one year after menopause. Although the estrogen level in your body has decreased at this time, the uterus has not yet shrunk significantly, and the process of removing the IUD is relatively simple. If it is not removed in time after menopause, it may cause a series of bleeding diseases and may also delay the diagnosis of certain gynecological diseases.

Best time to remove the ring

Women entering menopause. The function of the contraceptive ring is to prevent pregnancy during the reproductive period. After entering menopause, the probability of pregnancy is almost zero, and the side effects of the ring become obvious, so the ring should be removed in time. When a woman reaches menopause, she should go to a regular hospital to remove the IUD within the prescribed time to avoid the IUD becoming stuck and making removal difficult. Experts generally believe that it is best to remove the IUD about a year after a woman's menopause has stabilized. It is not good to remove the IUD too early or too late.

Women who want to get pregnant. If you plan to get pregnant, it is best to remove the IUD 3 months in advance. Regardless of how long the ring is in place, the contraceptive ring as a foreign body will more or less cause certain damage and impact on the endometrial tissue, which is not conducive to the growth and development of the embryo or fetus. The best time to remove the ring is about 3-5 days after the menstrual period ends.

Before removing the ring, an ultrasound examination should be performed to confirm that the ring is in the uterine cavity. After the removal of the IUD, there may be a small amount of vaginal bleeding or bloody leucorrhea, which will disappear naturally in a day or two. This is caused by the stimulation of the endometrium and cervix by the removal of the IUD. It is a normal phenomenon. If the bleeding is heavy or lasts for a long time, you should seek medical treatment in time. Rest for 1 day after removing the IUD. Avoid sexual intercourse and taking a bath in a toilet within 2 weeks to prevent infection.