Opinion|Videos|March 18, 2025
Overview of IUD Mechanisms and Barriers to Use
Author(s)Lisa Bayer, MD, MPH
Panelists discuss how intrauterine device (IUD) usage rates are increasing but remain low despite the availability of hormonal and new copper options. Obstacles include physician education gaps, patient anxieties about procedures, high up-front costs (especially for the uninsured), and misconceptions about fertility risks that modern IUDs do not pose.
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Episodes in this series
Video content above is prompted by the following:
- Approved IUD options with various mechanisms of action, such as hormonal
- New copper option available
- Two-thirds of women between teens and age 49 years are using contraception; the IUD rate has increased (but is still low).
- Obstacles such as physician education, the anxieties of a procedure, and various other factors out of their control leave patients worried.
- IUDs can be expensive up front, especially for those who are uninsured.
- Modern IUDs do not come with fertility risks.
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