--- title: More Women Are Getting IUDs and Implants After Giving Birth description: A study shows that increased insurance Medicaid coverage is making it easier for women to get IUDs and implants (LARC) after giving birth canonical: https://time.com/4063230/iud-giving-birth/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-06T20:05:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:41:40.312Z article:section: Health og:title: More Women Are Getting IUDs Right After Giving Birth og:description: A study shows that increased insurance Medicaid coverage is making it easier for women to get IUDs and implants (LARC) after giving birth og:url: https://time.com/4063230/iud-giving-birth/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb3e5511a4f790275/69868d56cd804d3956cca9e8/iuds.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1500 og:image:height: 844 og:image:alt: IUDs og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: More Women Are Getting IUDs Right After Giving Birth twitter:description: A study shows that increased insurance Medicaid coverage is making it easier for women to get IUDs and implants (LARC) after giving birth twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb3e5511a4f790275/69868d56cd804d3956cca9e8/iuds.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # More Women Are Getting IUDs Right After Giving Birth > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=67e1954a-d55a-41dc-bd92-18fed1b87edb&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: IUD: Breaking Down The Myths [Watch (HLS stream): IUD: Breaking Down The Myths](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/pA1pVngw.m3u8) (4:52)  _Published 2014-06-30. IUD: Breaking Down The Myths_ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Oct 6, 2015 8:05 PM UTC  Illustration by Miles Donovan for TIME by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Oct 6, 2015 8:05 PM UTC Getting pregnant soon after giving birth is linked to an increased risk of complications for both mother and baby, which is why some women choose to get an [intrauterine device (IUD)](http://time.com/the-best-form-of-birth-control-is-the-one-no-one-is-using/) or implant—known as long-lasting reversible contraceptives (LARC)—inserted at the hospital right after childbirth. Now, [a new study](http://www.contraceptionjournal.org/article/S0010-7824%2815%2900604-6/abstract) published in the journal _Contraception_ shows that increased insurance coverage is making it easier for women to get these methods of birth control at the hospital after delivery. Insurance providers cover the tying of fallopian tubes, but coverage for LARC after giving birth is relatively new—even though LARC are considered to be one of the most effective forms of birth control, with a failure rate of less than 1% when used as directed. Data suggests that up to 60% of low income women who say they want an IUD or implant do not come in for a follow-up appointment after birth, possibly due to barriers like childcare and transportation. Reimbursement for insertion of the IUD or implant after delivery wasn’t offered before 2012, but after South Carolina became the first state to cover the practice, it’s now covered in 19 states. Eight more states are currently considering it, the study authors say. **MORE:** [Why The Most Effective Form Of Birth Control Is The One No One Uses](http://time.com/the-best-form-of-birth-control-is-the-one-no-one-is-using/) The study authors wanted to better understand why Medicaid agencies in different states were—or weren’t—paying for immediate postpartum LARC, so they called up representatives at 40 Medicaid agencies and asked them. Medicaid agencies that did cover LARC right after childbirth cited maternal health benefits. Pregnancies that happen between 12-24 months after the first pregnancy have been associated with an increased risk of low birth rate, preterm birth and stillbirth, says Michelle Moniz, assistant professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology in the University of Michigan Health System and one of the study’s authors. The agencies also cited cost-savings. While a LARC device costs $600-$775, a birth resulting from an unplanned pregnancy using public funds costs about $11,600, the study notes. Agencies that didn’t offer reimbursement cited the high upfront cost of LARC devices and a lack of clinicians asking for the practice to be covered. LARC, like nearly all birth control, isn’t without risks. There is a greater risk of an IUD falling out—called expulsion—if a woman has it inserted after delivery. “But the important corollary to that is there’s not a higher risk of complications from the IUD, such as infection or damage to the uterus,” says Moniz. The contraceptive implant, which goes into the arm, has no increased risk of falling out, she adds. Here are the states where the practice is covered by Medicaid:  UMHS While American women have been [slow to embrace forms of LARC like IUDs](http://time.com/the-best-form-of-birth-control-is-the-one-no-one-is-using/) compared to women in other countries, evidence suggests that interest is increasing. [February 2015 data](http://time.com/3719120/iuds-are-getting-more-popular-with-american-women/) from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggested that IUD use increased 83% from 2006–2010 to 2011–2013, and implants tripled in use in the same period. Another 2015 [study](http://time.com/3719120/iuds-are-getting-more-popular-with-american-women/), also published in the journal _Contraception_, found that among 500 female health care providers, 42% used LARC, which is significantly higher than the general population. “A concerning number of states do not currently cover this service, despite its known effectiveness and cost savings,” the study authors write. “Efforts to remove reimbursement barriers should focus on clearly communicating to policymakers the clinical benefits and cost-effectiveness of immediate postpartum LARC in women who desire it.” ## Transcript Well with every, not just contraceptive method but any medication, any intervention, there are all the pros, and then there are the cons. The bad things that happen, are what people talk about. There are a lot of misconceptions about the IUD, I know people worry about, lots of cramping, and having to be painful or fertility or other things like that. A lot of the misperceptions are left over, from 30 years ago and have no relevance to the, the devices that we use today. That's really what contributes to the low utilization in the US, is these myths, persist. [ MUSIC ] I, was 16, when I went on the pill, I didn't realize what sort of side effects I was in for. And I, it started off with very minor things, like getting headaches everyday, and then it moved on to like mood changes. And then I learned about the IUD and really was interested in that. It's this kind of like hidden secret that, friends tell each other about, because it's not really talked about otherwise. There is a current bias, for amongst some clinicians. that the IUD's are only indicated for older women, or those who have had all their children or at least one child. I don't really segment my practice that oh this patient is older or had children so she's a good IUD candidate. It's really a good choice for anyone who needs birth control. I heard from a few people before that oh it's really painful, and it makes you more susceptible to infections. Over the last 15 years, all of our research has then looked at IUD use, in these other groups of women. Young women, college age, teenagers, having children, not having children, and realized that all of the fear of pelvic infection, and infertility was not based on evidence. I think that for women my age, they don't even know what it is, or whether it's an option for them, because the first method of birth control that I think that women use is the pill, and it's something that's so common that you don't even think about the other possibilities. If you look at IUD use in the most of Western Europe, it's about 20 %, and in some countries, 30 %. So 1 / 3 of all women who are using birth control, have an IUD, and in America, it's about 5 %. The non- hormonal IUD has a medication that's copper, so we call it the copper IUD. And so the copper ions are released from the copper wire in the T device, and they kill sperm. But instead of having to use that every time there's intercourse, it's just sitting in the uterus at all times. It also, as a secondary back up mechanism of action, it makes the lining of the uterus, not favorable for implantation. The hormonal IUD is impregnated with one hormone, levonorgestrel, which is a type of progestin. That progestin agent is slowly released, in one of the IUD's over five years, and the other one it's three. And it creates a thick cervical mucus plug, which prevents the sperm from swimming up, and again, finding the egg. One of the more common misconceptions is that, it makes your period worse, but there are actually two hormonal types of IUD's that can eliminate your period. The hormonal IUD creates such a thin lining in the uterus, that the normal monthly cycle of buildup, doesn't happen. That's one of the reasons it lightens the menstrual period, and that's one of the thing we love about it. We use that IUD, and it's FDA approved to help women who have terrible periods. The levonorgestrel IUD is the first line, medical method to improve those bad periods. I do have some friends who use it more and more, it's, it's becoming sort of popular, I think because it's so low maintenance. Those of us who've had a lot of clinical experience in our practice. We're hoping that the use in the US, will start to look more like some of our European countries. I think there's a lot of choices, but it can be hard, you know, I wish there was something I wasn't responsible for. 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