Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow to CheckFrequencyWhy You Can’t Feel StringsWhat to Do NextLong StringsFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How to Check
Frequency
Why You Can’t Feel Strings
What to Do Next
Long Strings
Frequently Asked Questions
When you have anintrauterine device (IUD)placed, your healthcare provider will walk you through how to check your IUD strings each month. These are the two plastic threads that hang from the device. You cannot see IUD strings, so you must insert a finger and feel for them.
Most of the time,missing stringsaren’t a sign of anything concerning. Missing strings can mean your IUD fell out or is out of position, meaning you’re no longer protected against pregnancy. It can also mean that the IUD pushed through (perforated) the uterine wall—although this is very uncommon, occurring in only one of every 1,000 insertions.
This article explains how to check your IUD strings to ensure your IUD is correctly in place.
Checking Your IUD Strings
Verywell / Emily Roberts
When your healthcare providerinserts the IUD, the device is left inside the uterus and the strings of the IUD hang out of thecervix, resting up high in the vagina.
A healthcare provider can see the strings when doing a pelvic exam, but you cannot see them during a self-check.
Here’s how to check for your IUD strings:
Things to Avoid
To avoid moving the IUD out of place and the potential for complications, such as infection and internal tearing:
What Happens During a Pelvic Exam?
How Often Should You Check IUD Strings?
As for checking your IUD strings yourself, you should do so once a month, between periods. (You may want to track when your period would normally be, as some people with IUDs do not bleed during menstruation.)
Since there is a greater chance that your IUD can slip out during your period, also check your pads or tampons (if applicable) to make sure that your IUD hasn’t come out.
IUDs that move out of place often do so in the first few months after insertion or during a menstrual period.
Reasons You May Not Feel Your IUD Strings
You may have difficulty finding your IUD strings for several reasons, such as:
What to Do if You Can’t Find Your IUD Strings
If you can’t find your IUD strings, make an appointment with your healthcare provider. In the meantime, use backup birth control.
Your healthcare provider may have you take a pregnancy test, if you haven’t already.
If your strings can’t be located during a pelvic exam, an imaging test may be ordered. A pelvic ultrasound is often used to locate the IUD (if it hasn’t been expelled).
Once the IUD is found, your healthcare provider can remove it and, if you desire, replace it with a new one.
When IUD Strings Are Too Long
There is no danger in having long IUD strings. Unless they dangle into your vagina, you won’t feel them when going about your day. A partner might feel them if they insert a penis or finger into your vagina, however.
Some say their partner’s IUD strings “poke” them. Feeling the strings may be bothersome, but it should not cause any pain and is not otherwise harmful.
flocu / Getty Images
You can request that they be trimmed more later on, if you desire.
Summary
IUDs are a safe, reliable form of birth control. However, there are risks and downsides to all methods of birth control. One of the concerns with an IUD is that they occasionally can move out of place. Routinely checking your IUD strings can help you know if your IUD has moved.
If you can’t find your IUD strings, or if the strings seem to be in a different place than the last time you checked, contact your healthcare provider to have it checked out. Never try to remove or re-insert your IUD yourself. And until you can get in to see your healthcare provider, be sure to use a backup method of birth control.
Learn MoreAll About Tampons
Typically, IUD strings are trimmed to be just long enough for you to feel a small piece when doing a self-check. They may be left long enough to grab them. But if they are, you should still only feel for them to ensure they are there. Never grab or tug your IUD strings.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Rowlands S, Oloto E, Horwell DH.Intrauterine devices and risk of uterine perforation: current perspectives. Open Access J Contracept. 2016 Mar 16;7:19-32. doi: 10.2147/OAJC.S85546Kailasam C, Cahill D.Review of the safety, efficacy and patient acceptability of the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system.Patient Prefer Adherence.2008;2:293-302.Prabhakaran S, Chuang A.In-office retrieval of intrauterine contraceptive devices with missing strings.Contraception. 2011;83(2):102-6. doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2010.07.004Anthony MS, Zhou X, Schoendorf J,et al.Demographic, Reproductive, and Medical Risk Factors for Intrauterine Device Expulsion. Obstet Gynecol. 2022 Dec 1;140(6):1017-1030. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000005000Higgins JA, Ryder K, Skarda G, Koepsel E, Bennett EA.The sexual acceptability of intrauterine contraception: A qualitative study of young adult women.Perspect Sex Reprod Health.2015;47(3):115-22. doi:10.1363/47e4515American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Can I use a tampon with an IUD?
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Rowlands S, Oloto E, Horwell DH.Intrauterine devices and risk of uterine perforation: current perspectives. Open Access J Contracept. 2016 Mar 16;7:19-32. doi: 10.2147/OAJC.S85546Kailasam C, Cahill D.Review of the safety, efficacy and patient acceptability of the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system.Patient Prefer Adherence.2008;2:293-302.Prabhakaran S, Chuang A.In-office retrieval of intrauterine contraceptive devices with missing strings.Contraception. 2011;83(2):102-6. doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2010.07.004Anthony MS, Zhou X, Schoendorf J,et al.Demographic, Reproductive, and Medical Risk Factors for Intrauterine Device Expulsion. Obstet Gynecol. 2022 Dec 1;140(6):1017-1030. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000005000Higgins JA, Ryder K, Skarda G, Koepsel E, Bennett EA.The sexual acceptability of intrauterine contraception: A qualitative study of young adult women.Perspect Sex Reprod Health.2015;47(3):115-22. doi:10.1363/47e4515American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Can I use a tampon with an IUD?
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Rowlands S, Oloto E, Horwell DH.Intrauterine devices and risk of uterine perforation: current perspectives. Open Access J Contracept. 2016 Mar 16;7:19-32. doi: 10.2147/OAJC.S85546Kailasam C, Cahill D.Review of the safety, efficacy and patient acceptability of the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system.Patient Prefer Adherence.2008;2:293-302.Prabhakaran S, Chuang A.In-office retrieval of intrauterine contraceptive devices with missing strings.Contraception. 2011;83(2):102-6. doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2010.07.004Anthony MS, Zhou X, Schoendorf J,et al.Demographic, Reproductive, and Medical Risk Factors for Intrauterine Device Expulsion. Obstet Gynecol. 2022 Dec 1;140(6):1017-1030. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000005000Higgins JA, Ryder K, Skarda G, Koepsel E, Bennett EA.The sexual acceptability of intrauterine contraception: A qualitative study of young adult women.Perspect Sex Reprod Health.2015;47(3):115-22. doi:10.1363/47e4515American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Can I use a tampon with an IUD?
Rowlands S, Oloto E, Horwell DH.Intrauterine devices and risk of uterine perforation: current perspectives. Open Access J Contracept. 2016 Mar 16;7:19-32. doi: 10.2147/OAJC.S85546
Kailasam C, Cahill D.Review of the safety, efficacy and patient acceptability of the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system.Patient Prefer Adherence.2008;2:293-302.
Prabhakaran S, Chuang A.In-office retrieval of intrauterine contraceptive devices with missing strings.Contraception. 2011;83(2):102-6. doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2010.07.004
Anthony MS, Zhou X, Schoendorf J,et al.Demographic, Reproductive, and Medical Risk Factors for Intrauterine Device Expulsion. Obstet Gynecol. 2022 Dec 1;140(6):1017-1030. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000005000
Higgins JA, Ryder K, Skarda G, Koepsel E, Bennett EA.The sexual acceptability of intrauterine contraception: A qualitative study of young adult women.Perspect Sex Reprod Health.2015;47(3):115-22. doi:10.1363/47e4515
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Can I use a tampon with an IUD?
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