Don't know your IUD from your IUS? Our sexual health expert quashes the quandaries of birth control
We ask Sexual Health Specialist Dr Caroline Cooper for the most common contraception worries she comes across and find out the truth behind the myths.
Myth: The extra hormones from contraception are bad for you.
Fact: If you use hormonal contraception it suppresses your own natural hormones. This causes you to experience a lower dose of hormones overall.
Myth: You have to have a period.
Fact: If you use hormonal contraception any period you have will be an artificial one. It is fine not to have a period as the hormones keep the lining of the womb thin. The lining will not continue to build up over time.
Myth: There is no difference between the IUD and IUS (hormonal and copper coil).
Fact: The IUD (copper coil) is hormone-free. The copper in the coil is toxic to sperm. It can however, make periods heavier and longer. The IUS (hormonal coil) releases a low dose of progesterone into the womb and can make periods lighter.
Myth: You can only have an IUS/IUD fitted if you've had a baby.
Fact: The IUS/IUD is also suitable for those women who’ve not given birth but are looking for reliable long-acting contraception. For an experienced fitter, intrauterine contraception is no more difficult to fit for women who have not had children than they are for those who have given birth.
Myth: You don’t have to use contraception as much as you get older because you become less fertile.
Fact: It is true that fertility decreases with age but it’s untrue that you don’t have to use contraception as you get older. It's important for women to continue to use contraception.
Contraception made simple
