![]Jessica Simpson and Maxwell Drew Johnson](https://hollywoodlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/jessica-simpson_2.jpg?quality=100&w=314)
“I’m not pregnant,” Jessica Simpson told Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show on May 22. “We got an IUD, nothing’s gonna get in that uterus…I have two beautiful children, and I’m not having a third.” YAY for IUDs! I’m about to get real personal guys — I had an IUD for 10 years, and I would definitely recommend it to any woman looking for a long-term birth control option. Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, I’m just a regular person, and this is my opinion. Check with your doctor for your best birth control option. There are many different types of IUDs, but I will generally speak about the ParaGard, which is the one I had. I was on the birth control pill in college, but because of a medical reason, I was advised to stop taking the pill and explore other options. As far as non-hormonal birth controls are concerned, there are pretty much three options: condoms, a diaphragm, and a copper IUD like the ParaGard. I actually tried a diaphragm for a while as a 22-year-old single gal, and let me tell you — I was not a fan. I felt like I was living in the ’80s. It was messy, time-consuming, and a huge headache
I was on the birth control pill in college, but because of a medical reason, I was advised to stop taking the pill and explore other options. As far as non-hormonal birth controls are concerned, there are pretty much three options: condoms, a diaphragm, and a copper IUD like the ParaGard. I actually tried a diaphragm for a while as a 22-year-old single gal, and let me tell you — I was not a fan. I felt like I was living in the ’80s. It was messy, time-consuming, and a huge headache.
I decided to get the ParaGard in 2007, after I graduated college. The ParaGard is over 99 percent effective at preventing pregnancy (note: does not protect against STDs) and lasts 10 years. As far as I was concerned, it was my best option. The insertion process is done at your gynecologist’s office and takes just a few minutes. Unfortunately, those few minutes are incredibly painful. I literally cannot remember the pain — I think my mind erased the memory on purpose — but my mother says I was sobbing. After a couple days of cramping, you’ll feel much better. With an IUD, there is NO MAINTENENCE. There is no pill to take (or forget to take). There is no human error, as there is with a diaphragm and condoms. No one knows you have an IUD unless you tell them. You cannot feel it at all, and neither will your partner. It’s the rotisserie chicken of birth control — set it and forget it.
Like anything, there are pros and cons. On the PARAGARD website, the side effects COULD include “anemia (low blood count), backache, pain during sex, menstrual cramps, allergic reaction, vaginal infection, vaginal discharge, faintness, or pain.” I did have severe-ish cramps, but they were usually for just one or two days a month, and I still think it was worth never having to think about “taking my birth control.” My IUD worked to prevent pregnancy for 10 years, and I kept mine for the full 10 years. Almost to the day. I would have kept it longer but the clock is ticking and I’m not getting any younger, as they say. Thr removal process was NOTHING like the insertion — it took seconds, a deep breath, and it was over. I had no side effects after the fact.
Since I couldn’t have added hormones in my body, I went with the PARAGARD. If that’s not an issue for you, you could look into other IUDs, like the Mirena, which lasts for 5 years and has different benefits versus the PARAGARD. To each their own, but having an IUD was the best option for my busy lifestyle and sometimes forgetful brain. At the very least, I think it’s definitely worth a conversation with your doctor.
HollywoodLifers, would you follow Jessica Simpson’s IUD lead and get one to prevent pregnancy?