Early Signs of Pregnancy After IUD Removal
You may be wondering, “What are the early signs of pregnancy after IUD removal?” Finding out that you’re pregnant might seem like a great thing.
However, if you weren’t prepared for it or don’t want to become pregnant right away, this can be a stressful experience. The good news is there are several ways to tell if you’ve conceived after having your birth control removed.
Knowing what these signs are can help provide some reassurance. It can also give you time to prepare for pregnancy and/or consider other options.
Early Signs of Pregnancy After IUD Removal
If you’ve had an IUD removed and are experiencing any side effects, you might be wondering if these are pregnancy symptoms. To clarify, below are the early signs of pregnancy following IUD removal.
1. Missed Period
Missed periods are a common early sign of pregnancy. If your period is late or absent, take a pregnancy test as soon as possible and then another in two weeks.
If the test is negative but you still haven’t had your period yet, consult your doctor for an exam and further testing.
There may be another reason why you haven’t started menstruating—like a hormonal imbalance or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
2. Tender Breasts
Tender, swollen breasts are another common early sign of pregnancy. However, they can also be a symptom of hormone imbalances, cysts or fibroids, infection, or even heartburn.
If you have no other signs of pregnancy and your period is due in the next couple of days, this could just be a normal part of your cycle.
3. Nausea
Nausea with or without vomiting can start as early as six weeks. Although it’s a common sign of pregnancy, it can also stem from a stomach bug or other medical conditions.
It’s worth noting that you can also experience nausea and vomiting as a side effect of IUD removal. Keep on reading, we’ll get into that later.
4. Increased Urination
Increased urination is a common early sign of pregnancy. You may start noticing it as soon as early a couple of weeks in.
This is because your body’s estrogen levels are rising, which causes your kidneys to work harder. As a result, you may want to go to the bathroom all the time.
However, increased urination can also be caused by other things—like a urinary tract infection (UTI) or kidney infection.
So, if this symptom happens in addition to any others that worry you (like bleeding), go see your doctor immediately.
5. Fatigue
Fatigue can happen as early as one week after conception. However, it can be a sign of other things as well, like anemia or depression.
If you experience prolonged fatigue that interferes with your daily routine and causes you to feel sleepy during the day, this could be a sign that something’s off with your health. But it could also mean you’re pregnant.
If this happens to be the case, remember that feeling tired all the time is usually temporary. Once your body adjusts to being pregnant, life will go back to normal.
How Long After Removing an IUD Can You Get Pregnant?
You can get pregnant immediately after removing an IUD. There’s no need to wait before having unprotected sex as long as your partner doesn’t mind getting pregnant right away. Or, if you’re okay with having a baby right now!
The National Library of Medicine conducted a study and found the following:
At three, six, 12, and 18 months after IUD removal, 61.5%, 87.9%, 92.3%, and 96.7% of women became pregnant. Therefore, the average time between IUD removal and pregnancy is 4.4 months. The total range is one to 18 months.
If you’re not ready for a baby yet after IUD removal, consider using other types of contraception like birth control pills or condoms.
Condoms are still a great option because they’re effective at preventing both pregnancy and STDs/STIs.
Pregnancy Immediately After Mirena Removal
If you’ve had an IUD inserted, you could be fertile immediately after removal. According to Mirena, approximately eight out of 10 women who want to conceive will become pregnant.
This will most likely happen within the first year of Mirena removal.
When the IUD is removed, the hormones that prevent pregnancy are also removed. Without the IUD, you might become pregnant during your first cycle.
In some cases, however, your body may require a couple of weeks to go back into its regular cycle before you can conceive.
Trouble Getting Pregnant After IUD Removal
In most cases, difficulties becoming pregnant after IUD removal are unrelated to the IUD. In general, birth control techniques have little effect on fertility.
According to Healthline, you may have trouble becoming pregnant if you have underlying fertility issues. These include heavy and irregular periods, pelvic pain, or ovulation irregularity.
Scarring caused by the IUD itself in the uterus is another factor that might contribute to your inability to conceive following IUD removal.
The chances of this happening are higher if you have any of the fertility issues mentioned above.
When to Remove Your IUD If You Want to Avoid Pregnancy
If you want to avoid pregnancy, it’s best to remove the IUD before it is due to expire. Generally speaking, most IUDs will protect you from pregnancy for three to 12 years.
However, your doctor or nurse can remove it earlier if you’d like.
If you want to prevent pregnancy immediately, it’s best to use another form of contraception until you’re ready.
As always, consult with your doctor to find the right birth control method for you. Some contraception options include:
- Birth control pills
- Birth control implant or shot
- Condoms
- Spermicide
- Patch
- Ring
- Diaphragm
- Cervical cap
What Are the Side Effects of Having an IUD Removed?
If you’ve just had your IUD removed, you may feel completely normal and have no discomfort. However, don’t be surprised if you experience some side effects after the removal.
It’s perfectly normal and you’re not alone. That being said, below are some of the side effects of IUD removal.
1. Spotting or Bleeding
After the IUD removal, it may be likely that you’ll experience some bleeding. It’s generally lighter than usual periods.
This is normal and usually goes away in a few days. However, if you have severe pain or bleeding that doesn’t improve within 2 weeks of removing your IUD, contact your health care provider right away.
It could be that the bleeding is related to an infection that needs treatment with antibiotics or another medication.
2. Cramping
Another post-IUD removal symptom you may experience is cramping. Your uterus tightens up when your insert the IUD and when you have it removed.
Considering that your uterus is a muscle, this is a normal reaction. Furthermore, pulling on the string when removing an IUD exerts pressure on the cervix.
For the IUD to be removed, your cervix must expand. This is why you experience cramping afterward.
The pain can range from mild to severe and may last for a few days or weeks. It may be worse when you cough, sneeze or suddenly move.
Your doctor may prescribe pain medication, but it’s a good idea to keep your own supply handy. Lastly, the pain may subside or persist for a few days. If it stays longer than that, consult your doctor.
3. Fatigue
Fatigue is another side effect of IUD removal. You may find it harder to do everyday things, like walking or climbing stairs.
This is normal and should improve over time. In the meantime, you must rest for a few days after your operation to help your body recover from the procedure.
If you’re still tired once your recovery period is over and all symptoms have gone, book an appointment with your doctor.
Do IUDs Cause Any Future Pregnancy Complications?
No studies support the theory that an IUD causes future pregnancies to be more complicated. However, there’s a small risk of miscarriage with IUDs. There’s also a rare risk of infection or failure of the IUD in place.
Pregnancy complications are more likely to happen if you become pregnant while using an IUD, which is very rare.
The hormones in progestin-releasing IUDs can prevent your body from releasing an egg each month (ovulating). This makes it less likely that you will get pregnant.
The copper in copper IUDs may also affect sperm motility and decrease the chance of fertilization.
If you do become pregnant while using an IUD, there’s an increased risk that the pregnancy will not be viable. This risk is higher for women who have never been pregnant before or who are older than 35 years old when they get pregnant.
Wrapping Up
Whatever the reason is that you’ve decided to remove the IUD, there’s no doubt that you’ll be wondering if you’re able to get pregnant right after removing it.
In addition, you may be wondering about the early signs of pregnancy after IUD removal. Fortunately, we’re here to tell you all about it.
We hope that the information found in this article has been helpful. As always, make sure you get in touch with your doctor if you experience anything out of the ordinary.
My name is Louise and I am the Digital Marketing and Administrative Assistant at MyBump2Baby. I have been writing in the parenting niche for over 2 years specialising in fertility, pregnancy, baby and baby name support articles.