Posted by For my project, I used paints to draw a uterus that visually compares the effects of a hormonal IUD. The painting shows half of the uterus with an IUD and the other half without and the subtle physical changes that go along with this type of hormonal birth control. Because the image is slightly blurry, I will list what the labels say and what they are pointing at in the diagram/ painting. On the left side of the uterus which is the uterus without birth control, the top label is pointing to a little ball that represents a zygote or fertilized egg. The bottom label, on the same side, is pointing to the thick uterine lining that was able to grow to hold the fertilized egg. On the right side of the uterus with the IUD, the top label is pointing to the hormone reservoir of the IUD. The middle label is simply pointing towards the IUD. The bottom label is pointing towards the surgical string that is attached to the IUD for easy removal upon removal of the IUD.
For this STEAM project there was the use of watercolors to depict an IUD in the female uterus. There is the two comparisons between one that is properly placed and one that shows a uterus without any birth control measures implemented. The hormonal IUD this project focuses on is Levonorgestrel, and it is released daily into the uterus. This is a progesterone hormone so it stimulates as if the body was producing the hormone itself.
There are four brands of IUDs available that use the synthetic hormone levonorgestrel to prevent the possibility of pregnancy. A normal uterus has a thick outer lining, but with the IUD the uterine lining is thinner. The normal uterus can release an egg during ovulation in the hopes of pregnancy but with the use of an IUD, it prevents the release of the egg due to the disruption of the menstrual cycle. The IUD gives the affect of being pregnant without the pregnancy and that is why the hormone levels are elevated such as during pregnancy.
Women still can have a menstrual cycle with an IUD but it is disrupted and can change in so many different ways depending on the person. The length of when an IUD is used is also another factor to this change in menstrual cycles. The most common change is spotting, the lighter flow.
The change of becoming pregnant with an IUD is extremely low due to the prevention of pregnancy it creates. They are known to be 99% effective.