The Best Birth Control You Aren't Using

Wouldn't it be great if there were a contraceptive in existence that was nearly 100 percent effective in preventing pregnancy and required almost no effort on your part? Oh wait, there is such a thing. It’s called an intrauterine device, most commonly referred to as an IUD. Never heard of it? That’s probably because your doctor hasn’t told you about it.

"The IUD is the best kept secret in contraception," says Sarah Brown, CEO of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.  In the state of California alone, 40 percent of doctors don't tell their patients about the advantages of an IUD, according to a 2008 survey published in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

So why's your MD playing mum's the word? Well, like Lindsay Lohan, the IUD has a bit of an image problem. The small T-shaped device -- which when inserted into the uterus is 99.4 percent effective in preventing pregnancy -- has a somewhat gruesome history. Mention the words Dalkon Shield, and any woman who was old enough to use birth control in the 1970s will inevitably shudder. An early version of the IUD, the Dalkon Shield, included a filament -- a string of sorts -- that could inadvertently allow bacteria to enter the uterus, which sometimes caused pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), infertility, and in some cases, death. After a multitude of lawsuits, its manufacturers were forced to remove it from the market. The IUD's rep never quite recovered. Until now.

Doctors like Suzan Goodman, a reproductive health physician and Assistant Clinical Professor at UC San Francisco, not only offer their patients IUDs, but they've conducted studies on their efficacy -- and why more doctors aren't prescribing them.

"We're using these less effective contraceptive methods on women, when we really should be turning to these highly effective, long lasting alternatives," says Goodman, who adds that the World Health Organization recently deemed IUDs completely safe for women who've never had children or those who’ve had ectopic pregnancies, PID, or an STD. And because IUDs last anywhere from 5-10 years once inserted by a physician, "It's a highly forgettable form of birth control." Which many couples in this country could benefit from, given that out of the six million pregnancies in the U.S. each year, more than half of them are unplanned.

While 18 percent of gynecologists use IUDs themselves, many doctors and their staffs aren't properly trained on how to insert the device in their patients. And those who are often require their patients to come back for a second appointment before they'll insert an IUD, which many women never return for, says Goodman.

If you're worried about the cost, don't be: Many insurance companies cover the insertion fee (anywhere from $200-500) and even if they don't, think about how much you'll spend on the Pill or condoms over the next 5-10 years. The two most popular IUDs on the market right now are Paraguard and Mirena. Ask your doctor about them. And if they aren't open to starting the dialogue on IUDs, find an OB who is.

Think of it this way: Once you have an IUD, you won't need to ruin the moment between you and your partner by stopping to figure out your birth control. What's not to love?