Since almost half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended, it's never a bad time to talk about birth control methods.

But I've also got some news on the subject that you may not have heard. It seems that the intrauterine device – or IUD, as it's commonly known – is gaining in popularity, and doctors are now being urged to consider it as a birth control device for all women of reproductive age.

Long-acting reversible contraception, which includes two types of IUDs and the single-rod contraceptive implant, are the most effective contraception on the market and are safe for almost all women of reproductive age, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' July Practice Bulletin.

The new recommendation also states that use of these types of birth control also could help lower the unintended pregnancy rate in the United States, since gaps in use and discontinuation of other birth control methods are often associated with unintended pregnancy in high-risk women.

Intrauterine devices, a T-shaped device that's inserted through the vagina into the uterus, have been around for generations, but the modern-day IUDs are a great choice for women, said Dr. Jeanne Conry, a Kaiser Permanente obstetrician and gynecologist.

"The IUDs that people think about are the IUDs of the '60s that gave them a bad reputation," said Conry, who is assistant physician-in-chief at the Kaiser Roseville Medical Center. "Our awareness of them is increasing, and we're happy with them."

The use of IUDs has increased to 5.5 percent between 2006 and 2008, up from 2 percent in 2002, according to the National Center for Health Statistics' August 2010 report on use of contraception in the U.S.

Locally, the popularity of IUDs and Implanon – the single-rod contraceptive insert – also are on the rise among women obtaining birth control from Planned Parenthood.

Last year, there were 2,991 IUD and Implanon insertions at the seven Planned Parenthood centers in the greater Sacramento region, up from 2,453 insertions in 2009, said Raquel Simental, public affairs director for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte.

As of June 30 this year, there have been 1,852 IUD and single-rod implant insertions at the region's centers.

"If we were to be on par we're going to exceed what we did in 2010, and we're only six months into the year," she said.

While there's only one FDA-approved single-rod implant, Implanon, there are two choices when it comes to IUDs – the copper IUD, ParaGuard, which prevents pregnancy for 10 years, and hormonal IUD, Mirena, which prevents pregnancy for 5 years.

Mirena, which releases a small amount of the hormone levonorgestrel directly into the wall of the uterus, is a popular choice among women because the total effect of the hormone is lower and there's an added bonus when it comes to a woman's menstrual cycle, Conry said.

"The nice side effect is a woman has really, really light menstrual flow," she said. "There is some crazy spotting initially, but once she gets through that her menstrual flow is so light, most women are very satisfied with it."

Intrauterine devices also are being prescribed to a wide range of women, not just young mothers who are unsure about having more children.

The group that many doctors are now trying to encourage to use IUDs are those who have never had children and want effective birth control, especially those who may have other medical conditions that hormonal birth control methods could interfere with, such as heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure, Conry said. It helps prevent unplanned pregnancy and can lead to healthier babies.

But there are risks. Perforation of the uterus can occur and the IUD can migrate into the abdominal cavity and need to be removed, but it's a very uncommon complication, one that affects about one in 1,000 women, she said.

Fertility with an IUD returns right away. A woman's chance of getting pregnant within 12 months of having Mirena removed are about 80 percent, according to Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, the makers of Mirena.

As with all forms of birth control, it's important to talk to your physician about whether a long-acting reversible contraceptive is right for you.

After all, it's a conversation that could change your life.

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Call The Bee's Niesha Lofing, (916) 321-1270.

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