The IUD: Intrauterine Damage

Article by Dr Gangemi

“I’ve been meaning for several years to write about intrauterine devices (IUDs) since it’s a very important and neglected topic and many women suffer from IUD pain and from other IUD problems. After all, over 200 million women worldwide use an IUD. In my practice I treat a lot of women for hormonal issues such as PMS, menopausal symptoms, problems with conception, as well as a host of thyroid and adrenal gland related disorders. I am not a fan of “the Pill” due to the unnatural hormonal influence it has on a woman’s body, and therefore only a few of my female patients use it as a form of contraception. These women would be extremely distraught if they got pregnant, so I yield and help them deal with the negative effects of the hormones. But I am adamantly against IUDs. Actually I will not treat a woman more than once, if at all, if she is using an IUD because it’s a certainty that it’s causing some, if not all of, her problems. I haven’t seen an exception yet.

The purpose of this article is inform women, based off my clinical experience as well as current research, regarding the prevalent IUD problems associated with these devices. You, or someone you know, may love your/their IUD and think it’s the safest, easiest, and most effective form of birth control. Hey, Mirena’s slogan is “Birth control for busy moms.” I’d agree with you that it is both very easy and effective. But safe it is not; actually it’s far from safe. It’s often not a question whether your IUD is causing some health problem but how much of a problem it is causing.”

“IUD Pain and other IUD Problems

Yes, IUDs are very effective and they’re very user-friendly. If you don’t want to get pregnant then they sure beat having to chart your cycle, use condoms, or refrain from sex. But their problems, in my opinion, are far underestimated, reported, and realized. There is some evidence to support this, and I will share this with you. But there is much more clinical experience on my part, having seen many women with IUDs over my sixteen years in practice. It’s not a matter of if you will have a problem with your IUD, but when. And you might not even be realizing that you’re having such a problem. Typically when I explain to a woman the link between her health problem and her IUD she responds, “Oh, that makes sense now.”

An IUD is a foreign device in the body.“

“IUD Clinical Case Histories

I’d like to share some of my more notable experiences I’ve had treating women with IUDs. I don’t get to see too many anymore, maybe just a few a year at most, as I won’t treat a woman with one in. If I see a woman with an IUD, then it is only for one appointment as it needs to be removed for me to help her with her presenting problems. Typically women coming to my practice have already had the IUD removed or never put one in the first place as they know my position on the matter.”

---