The device is attached inside the uterus by a doctor or qualified medical practitioner, it cannot be properly fitted or removed without qualified help. As such it is inside the woman all of the time.
The device works by having two copper wires which fit into the fallopian tubes. This prevents the proper passage an egg each month into the uterus during menstruation?. The device is not as reliable as other devices as a contraceptive, and as it is not a barrier method, cannot prevent the transfer of sexually transmitted diseases.
In addition, the device may be uncomfortable to wear, and can make the woman more vulnerable to infections of the uterus.
A study of women found that those using an IUD had up to twice the normal levels of copper in their blood-stream. This had leached directly from the device into their circulatory systems. Although not at levels known to be acutely poisonous, and thus immediately damaging to health, the effects of long-term exposure to elevated levels of copper are unknown.
![[Home]](wikipedia.png)