Powered by Women First Digital

My IUD was expelled. What is the likelihood it will happen again?

IUS expulsion can occur in a small percentage of women in the first year after insertion. Expulsion can be more likely for women who [1]:

  • Have not been pregnant
  • Are younger than 20 years
  • Have a history of very heavy or very painful periods
  • Had the IUS put in right after giving birth or have a 2nd-trimester abortion

Partial expulsion may mean that the IUS was not quite in the right position: it may have been too low in the uterus and just worked its way out. This could be something that happened around the time of insertion or may be related to uterine characteristics, such as size, angle, or presence of conditions like fibroids that can cause irregular shape. For women who have an IUS expulsion, the chance of expelling a 2nd IUS may be higher [2].

Still not working? If you like the ease of using an IUS but are having problems with expulsion, you could try switching to the implant – a long-acting and low-maintenance option.

Try a different method: implant


References

  1. Nelson, A. L., & Massoudi, N. (2016). New developments in intrauterine device use: focus on the US. Retrieved from https://www.dovepress.com/new-developments-in-intrauterine-device-use-focus-on-the-us-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-OAJC
  2. World Health Organization. (2016). Selected practice recommendations for contraceptive use. Geneva. Retrieved from https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/252267/9789241565400-eng.pdf?sequence=1

Didn’t find an answer?

Our team is just an email away and ready to answer your questions