Should You Actually Check Your IUD Strings?

Birth control has been around for ages, but this has not made them less confusing. And this can be true when it come to intrauterine devices (IUDs).

So you went an got an IUD and braved the insertion process! You can enjoy up 3 to 1o years of pregnancy prevention. You won’t have to set a daily alarm to take your birth control pill or change your patch each week.

But managing your IUD is not entirely hands-off.

So what is an IUD?

There are two types of IUDs: copper and hormonal. Women’s health expert, Jessica Shepherd, M.D, tells SELF about the differences between the two:

‘Copper IUDs work by creating a toxic reaction to sperm in the uterus. Hormonal IUDs use progestin to thicken cervical mucus and thin your endometrial (uterine) lining.’

The IUD is a T-shaped device that a doctor or gynae inserts through your cervix, into the uterus. This is where it will stay: until it’s time to get a new one, or you decide to get pregnant.

Do I actually need to check my IUD strings?

The IUD has little strings that hang down into your vagina. The strings are usually 1-2 inches long. And ob-gyn Christine Greves, M.D, tells Women’s Health these strings are not “just there for show”. She says that you should check the strings “to make sure that the IUD is still in place“.

How do I safely check my strings?

Medical News Today suggests that you should check your IUD strings each month to make sure it “has not fallen out fully or partially”. In order to this you should:

First, thoroughly wash your hands with unscented soap
Squat or sit down like you would when removing a tampon
Insert your index and middle finger in your vagina – to the top – until you can feel your cervix
Feel around for the IUD strings, they usually feel like two fishing lines
And that’s it!

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If you don’t feel them – do not freak out

So advises Sophia Yen M.D, a clinical associate professor at Stanford Medicine. She tells Cosmopolitan that the strings can “curl up and around the cervix or be flat on it or in a place you can’t feel”.

Doctor Shepherd assures that if this is the case, it will not decrease the efficacy of the IUD or make “complications more likely”.

Medical News Today writes that if the strings are too short, or feel longer, you should schedule an appointment with a doctor to double-check your IUD status. They also advise using alternative birth control methods just as a precaution.

Dr Sonia Bahlani, a pelvic specialist and ob-gyn tells Cosmopolitan that getting into the habit of checking for your IUD strings will give you a “sense for what’s normal“. She says doing so “is all about knowing your body well and identifying regular patterns” to note in case things ever feel off.

While you definitely do not have to obsessively check for them each month. You cannot argue that knowing your IUD is in place – and doing its job – can bring some needed peace of mind.