In a woman's quest for the ultimate in birth control, she will most likely come across the IUD.  What she will find, however, is a bit confusing.  Copper or hormone? 5 years or 10 years? Bad period pain or possible side effects? I can't tell you which to choose if you do decide on using an IUD but maybe we can talk this out a bit and see if there is method in the madness.

The copper IUD, called ParaGard in the US, is a tiny T shaped thing made of 'soft flexible plastic wrapped in natural copper designed to fit comfortably in the uterus.'  It can stay snuggled inside your uterus for up to 10 years (good lord that's a decade!) and is 99.4% effective. Since it contains copper, it does not need to use hormones and is a great option for people with a bad history with hormone fueled contraceptives. Another drug free bonus is the ability to breast feed (should you have popped out a baby prior to your IUD of course).

The other option is Mirena which is a 'levonorgestrel-releasing intrautine system.'  Which means yes to progestin and no to estrogen. The fact that it is estrogen free is great news because it now becomes an option for women with pesky problems like high blood pressure.  This little marvel of science is also T shaped and made of that soft flexible plastic the manufacturers are so quick to boost about. Mirena is good for up to 5 years (good lord that's half a decade!) and is 99.9% effective. A nifty little bonus here is that your period may decrease or go away altogether while using it. (ok so it's a big huge earth shattering bonus!)

Downsides? ParaGard might make your normal pain-in-the-you-know-where period into a period straight from hell with a extra dose of pain plus duration. This is reported to go away within the first 6 months.  Mirena meanwhile has issues like mood swings, weight gain, acne, decreased sex drive, back pain and breast tenderness. These are supposed to be a distant memory after the first 3 months. Of course some women experience every side effect and some experience none.

Talk to your gyno before making your decision. Especially since even by the time this blog is posted, science and research may be changing things around already. And don't forget, there is no such thing as safe sex, only safer sex. While an IUD helps out with the no baby wish, it does nothing for the diseases and infections out there. You definitely still need a condom for that.