What Should I Know About Pregnancy After an IUD?

An intrauterine device (IUD) is a very popular method of birth control, since it requires little thought and is reversible. Most of the time, once the device is removed, pregnancy after an IUD can happen very quickly. Some types of IUDs, however, may prevent a woman from getting pregnant for a couple of months. By monitoring your ovulation and staying healthy, you can maximize your chance of a quick pregnancy after an IUD.

Before getting pregnant, a doctor must first remove an IUD. This is done by pulling on the strings that are attached to the device. If these strings are not visible to the naked eye, such as when they go up into a uterus, a doctor may need to resort to other methods of removal. He may need to use an ultrasound scan to find the IUD.

Once removed, a pregnancy after an IUD may happen at any time. In many instances, after the removal of a non-hormonal IUD, you could get pregnant almost immediately. It may take up to a couple of months to get pregnant after the removal of a progesterone IUD, however, since it may take awhile for your body to get rid of the hormones. Most doctors will recommend that you use other methods of contraception if you do not wish to get pregnant right after an IUD removal.

To increase the chances of pregnancy after an IUD removal, you can monitor your menstrual cycle. By doing this, you can have intercourse around the time that you ovulate, or release an egg. The few days surrounding this event is the time that a woman is most fertile.

Tracking ovulation on a calendar is one of the more traditional ways to find out when you are most fertile. To start, mark the first day of your menstrual period on a calendar, then mark the first day of your next period. This is considered to be a complete cycle. By subtracting 18 from the number of days of your shortest cycle, you can estimate your high fertility days. For example, if your shortest cycle was 28 days, you would subtract 18. From there, you would be able to estimate, starting with the tenth day after your period, your most fertile time, which will usually last up to two weeks.

Another way to increase your chances of a pregnancy after an IUD is by monitoring changes in your vaginal secretions, or cervical mucus. Typically there are a few days after a menstrual period that you will not have any vaginal secretions. This is followed by a white, cloudy discharge, then a clear, stringy discharge, which helps the sperm reach the egg. During this time, a woman is typically more fertile.