IUDs for petite women

[Michelle]

There's a thread on Metafilter some of you may be interested in by a fellow petite woman looking for an IUD that will fit:

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Why don't they make a special IUD that's a better size for nulliparous women? Is there anything I can do about the fact that I'm too small?


I am just under 5' and a tiny person all around, never been pregnant, and was told after a manual exam that I am not a candidate for Mirena, unless I am "very motivated." My doctor is a huge believer in IUDs in general, but says for me, the chance of expulsion and perforation is really high, and the thing might just be impossible to place, period. I am guaranteed pain and discomfort if I try. She says if I really want she'll take a shot, but that there's a really high chance that the device won't work as intended. This sucks, because I was all excited about the effectiveness and convenience and not worrying about anything for 5 years.

Should I go for it despite the chance of failure?

And more importantly, why isn't there a special size of IUD for nulliparous women?! Given that most women wait longer now before having kids, and many have no kids, ever, it seems absolutely foolish that no one has addressed this. Is there something in the works with the FDA, or available anywhere outside the US? I'll go on taking the pill, but I want my Mirena, damnit!

[swetmb01]

Hi, just letting you know, in case anybody else is petite and wants an IUD, that I strongly suspect the reason a Mirena is not the best option for this woman is not because she is small but because she is nulliparous (ie has not had any children).
I'm a medical student, studying for my gyne exams at the moment, so I'm hoping I'm right, otherwise I'm in trouble tomorrow! I've seen LOTS of mirenas inserted and never seen a dr tell a patient they were too small for one. Its just more difficult to insert one in a women whos cervix has not been stretched a little bit by carrying a baby.

[Michelle]

Thanks for the clarification swetmb01, hopefully that will help petite women considering an IUD