The intrauterine device (IUD), a small, flexible plastic frame that a specifically trained provider inserts into a woman’s uterus, provides very effective, safe, and long-term—yet quickly reversible—protection from pregnancy. IUDs can be one of the most cost-effective contraceptive methods because modern IUDs can be used for many years—for at least 12 years for the copper-bearing TCu-380A IUD, and up to 5 years or possibly longer for the hormonal IUD (commercially marketed as Mirena®).
 
This toolkit is for health policy makers, program managers, and service providers who are interested in adding new IUD services to their family planning programs or in improving existing IUD services.  The toolkit also contains information related to the importance of ensuring access and availability to long-acting and permanent methods (LA/PMs)—IUDs, implants, female sterilization, and vasectomy.
 
Browse for links to resources by using the horizontal navigation tabs at the top of every page. They include information on: Essential Knowledge, Policies and Guidelines, Training, Logistics, Program Management, Service Delivery, Communication, Country Experiences, and Tools. The last tab contains information about the hormonal IUD.
 
Of particular interest is the Country Experiences tab which includes links to a rich body of information on experiences with revitalizing the use of IUDs from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Honduras, India, Kenya, Mali, Nepal, Pakistan, Uganda, and Zambia.

If you have an experience to share about the introduction or provision of IUDs or other LA/PMs, we invite you to tell us about it on the discussion board, at the top of any page, where you can also suggest new resources.

The 16 members of the IUD Subcommittee of USAID's Maximizing Access and Quality (MAQ) Initiative developed this toolkit, which was subsequently updated under the leadership of EngenderHealth, FHI, the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Information from 23 publishers is included.  Go to the About link at the top of any page to find more detailed information about this and other K4Health eToolkits.

 

Learn more about the IUD: Take the Global Health eLearning course. (Free registration required.)

 

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