Lesson 4 of 10 · 7 min
Intra-uterine devices
NCERT §3.2
Priya, 26, has a two-year-old and wants the next child only after a few years. She wants something she need not remember every day. Dr Meera suggests an intra-uterine device.
The lesson in notes
In short
IUDs are placed in the uterus through the vagina by doctors or expert nurses.
Three kinds: non-medicated (e.g. Lippes loop); copper-releasing (e.g. CuT, Cu7, Multiload 375); hormone-releasing (e.g. Progestasert, LNG-20).
All IUDs increase phagocytosis of sperms inside the uterus.
Copper IUDs also release Cu ions, which suppress sperm motility and the sperms' fertilising capacity.
Hormone-releasing IUDs do more: the uterus becomes unfit for implantation and the cervix becomes hostile to sperms.
IUDs suit females who want to delay pregnancy or space children, and they are one of the most widely accepted contraceptive methods in India.