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The Truth About IUDs & Women’s Health

by Dr. Steph 30 May 2024

BE INFORMED WITH IUDs

So often we look for what the patient can take supplementally or what food they can eat (or not eat) to help remedy symptoms. While those things may be important or useful, we miss the bigger pieces. 

IUDs are not only a chemical stressor, they are also a physical stressor. There can be issues with using them. Whatever you choose to do, do so informed! 

Watch the full video or continue reading below.

A PATIENT CASE

A fellow practitioner sought guidance for a patient grappling with severe gastrointestinal issues—persistent diarrhea, alternating with severe constipation, gas and severe abdominal pain. 

Patient got an X-ray done. I noticed an IUD on the X-ray. I was taken back by the feedback from these other seasoned practitioners. Not one mentioned the IUD. 

With severe GI complaints, the IUD must be considered as a possible cause.

Only supplements, dietary changes, elimination diets and further testing were recommended by these practitioners. One even recommended looking into a low oxalate diet and mold toxicity. 

We look for what the patient can take supplementally or what food can they eat (or not eat) to help remedy this? While those things may be important or useful, we miss the bigger pieces. 

IUDs are not only a chemical stressor, but it’s also a physical stressor as well. It drastically affects the physiology of a woman.

TYPES OF IUDs

Depending on the type of IUD these influences will vary. These devices are claimed to be just a little progestin or a little copper but it’s enough to stop our biological functions. 

If it’s enough to stop that reproduction, why is it not enough to impact your systemic health? Your reproductive organs don’t live in a vacuum isolated away from the rest of your body.

Female sex hormones influence bile secretion. Estrogens appear to increase biliary cholesterol saturation (the main ingredient for gallstones) while increased progesterone may reduce the contraction of the gallbladder. 

This is partly why women can more easily experience gallstones during pregnancy or shortly thereafter. So it absolutely can and will alter GI function.

In the United States, women have access to 5 different types of IUDs. One contains copper and the other four release progestin.

The current IUDs do appear much safer than the IUDs of the past. They certainly have come far from the Dalkon Shield days of the 1970’s where thousands of women were harmed and over 400,000 people were in lawsuits. 

THE RISKS OF IUDs

Are these devices without risk? 

All treatments have these considerations of course and should be looked at with caution. After-all we are suppressing one of the Body’s most fundamental biological urges.

Perforation

This means it busts through the wall of your uterus. This can lead to damaged organs, infertility and surgery. The risk of perforation is about 1 in every 1,000 IUDs according to medical literature but I suspect it’s much higher than that.

Expulsion

The IUD kicked out of your uterus. The risk of this is about 3-10%

Cancer Risk

In a recent study out of the New England Journal of Medicine, they followed 1.8 million Denmark women aged 15 to 49 years and found that hormonal contraceptives, including the pill and IUDs, were associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.

“After discontinuation of hormonal contraception, the risk of breast cancer was still higher among the women who had used hormonal contraceptives for 5 years or more than among women who had not used hormonal contraceptives. They found that all forms of hormonal contraceptives raise the risk of breast cancer.” (1)

Increased Depression & Anxiety 

Some women will notice lower mood or even severe panic attacks that start after an IUD is placed. Gynecologists will almost always dismiss this and will offer antidepressants as the solution. 

However studies have shown young women who use hormonal contraceptives, including the IUD, have three times the risk of suicide compared to women who have never used it.

“A study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, tracked nearly half a million women in Denmark for about 8 years. The researchers found the risk of attempting suicide was nearly twice as high for women taking hormonal birth control compared to those who did not. The risk of committing suicide was more than three times as great. The researchers added that adolescent women experienced the greatest relative risk…” (2)

Gut Disturbances

Our gut, microbiome and hormones are all major players in our systemic health. They all influence each other.  So there are very real gut manifestations associated with these types of birth control.

Women often get wrongly diagnosed with candida overgrowth, SIBO or even irritable bowel.  When in at least some of those cases the IUD or birth control can be a contributor.

Infertility 

In a 2020 review they write: 

“While the current literature on return to fertility after use of hormonal IUD shows that 70–75% of women conceive within 1 year of removal, it also indicates that the rate of infertility after IUD removal may be double the commonly quoted rate of infertility in the general population…(3)

Apparent Increase in Autoimmunity 

From a 2017 review: 

“There is good evidence that HC (hormonal contraceptives) use is associated with an increased risk of several serious autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s disease, Lupus, and interstitial cystitis. People contemplating the use of HCs should be informed of these risks.” (4)

NON-HORMONAL IUDs

The non hormonal ones, such as the copper IUD, have very real hormonal impacts.

The copper IUD is called the Paraguard. The idea is that it relies on copper toxicity to prevent fertilization and implantation.

Because of this, it’s the only IUD that can be used as an emergency contraceptive.  Research has shown that placing the copper IUD within 120 hours of unprotected sex had a < 0.1 percent pregnancy rate.

There have been studies showing women with a copper IUD have higher blood levels of copper.

I’m not sure if copper toxicity is the issue or if it’s the toxicity from the plastic and other materials in the device such as polyethylene or polypropylene. I suspect it can be both.

But regardless if it’s due to copper or the entire device itself – the research shows that this device works by simply increasing the inflammatory response in the uterus so pregnancy doesn’t take place.

As this study points out:

“Our randomized data confirm the observations of others that suggest that Cu-IUD may disrupt vaginal health and may put users at risk for vaginal dysbiosis …. and our results add novelty by suggesting community-level and inflammatory marker shifts also occur, in addition to increases in total bacterial load.” (5)

If we place a plastic/metal foreign device into the pelvis, the body will seek to remove it and degrade it via the inflammatory process. Microbes are a part of that job

LAWSUITS

Thousands of lawsuits have been filed against Bayer regarding complications associated with their IUDs.

For example, many women are claiming that the Mirena caused them neurological issues. (6)

In April 2018, Bayer signed an agreement to settle approximately 4,000 Mirena lawsuits. The settlement related to claims of perforations caused by the IUD. (7)

CONCLUSION & KEY POINTS

  • Despite the prevalent assumption that IUDs are minor interventions, they can profoundly disturb bowel function, gallbladder health, and the entire gastrointestinal tract and women should know that their symptoms could be caused by their IUDs.
  • IUDs have risks and have been linked to injuries from expulsion or perforation, increased cancer risk, infertility, anxiety, depression and an increase in so-called autoimmune conditions.
  • Non-hormonal IUDs have very real hormonal effects such as the copper IUD which disrupt vaginal health and increase inflammatory markers.
  • There are many other non-hormone or natural options to manage your reproduction and fertility such as Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) or natural family planning. It helps you predict the signs of ovulation based on the language of your body or if you want assistance in tracking you can use technology like the Daysy Fertility Monitor.

 

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