Paraguard Iud a method of abortion?

Paraguard does not stop conception it stops the egg for implanting itself on the uterine wall. Mirena stops conception and implantation.

no way! its birth control?

Conception is the same thing as fertilisation and that is why I refuse to use hormonal or IUD contraception - because I believe life starts at conception and not at implantation.

For me, such contraception is a kind of early abortion but I understand why most people would not consider it so.

Personally no, I believe pregnancy starts at implantation not fertilization but I respect the fact that people who are pro-life would be uncomfortable with a method of birth control that prevents implantation as opposed to fertilization.

I agree that life begins at fertilization but I don't believe that I have aborted more than once, despite having had an IUS

Good point Moo. "Pregnancy" begins at implantation. You can't *technically* abort before pregnancy now can you? Personally, it's all coming down to semantics at this point.

I *think* most people agree that the fertilized egg is truly alive, but that actual pregnancy doesn't start until implantation. Still, since the fertilized egg is alive, it can be of course killed. Anything that prevents implantation will do this.

I do not consider that an abortion since abortions can't happen until pregnancy begins, but something still dies. I suppose that's the bottom line.

But isn't the main function of the paraguard IUS to prevent fertilization (conception) in the first place? I thought it killed sperm.

No, the paraguard IUD only prevents implantation. The mirena IUD works just like the pill (because it's hormonal), and protects sperm from entering the uterus, implanting, and ovulation. But the paraguard allows sperm to enter the uterus, can allow ovulation, but prevents implantation. Therefore, a fertilized egg may be prevented from becoming a pregnancy.

Some people would say that it is abortion. Personally, I don't think so. Many pregnancies end at the point of implantation before a woman even knows she's pregnant. This is really common, and you can't really say that all of these women are having abortions/miscarriages or that all of the babies are really dying. It's just another step that has to be completed before a pregnancy can begin. And it's not always successful.

Of course, it's up to you. It all comes down to where you decide 'life' begins, and if you're comfortable with it.

Here is some IUD/IUS information. Looks like IUDs are the non-hormonal ones, and IUSs are the hormonal ones.

http://www.e ndotext.org/female/female8/ch01s08.html


"Both medicated and nonmedicated intrauterine devices (IUDs) have multiple mechanisms of action that provide for contraceptive protection. Both medicated and nonmedicated IUDs can alter the uterine lining so that it becomes unfavorable for implantation. Release of copper ions also alters fluid in the uterine cavity in a manner that impairs the viability of sperm, thereby inhibiting fertilization. This mechanism may be responsible for the high efficacy of copper IUDs as emergency contraception.

IUDs can also alter both sperm motility and integrity. Medicated, or hormonal IUDs, can interfere with sperm motility by thickening cervical mucus. Sperm head-tail disruption has been reported in the presence of a copper IUD. IUDs, whether hormonal or non-hormonal, do not provide protection against sexually transmitted diseases. However, it is important to recognize that IUDs do not cause PID, and that the historical associations that both physicians and the lay public maintain between IUDs and PID/tubal infertility are false."

I don't think any IUD counts as an abortion (nor do I think Plan B counts as abortion), but for some who believe that life starts at fertilization I can understand how they would prefer to use a different method of birth control. That's a personal choice though.

What gets me is that pharmacists can refuse to dispense Plan B to a customer for personal reasons (i.e. if they believe plan b counts as abortion and disagree with its use). You better believe I would make a big scene if I needed plan b and a pharmacist refused to dispense it!!!!

OKAY, here is the DEAL!

BOTH IUD'S do not prevent ovulation, you do still ovulate.

COPPER is a potent spermicide, it makes their heads explode. The copper IONS inside of the uterus kill sperm. With this being being said, it also *can* prevent implantation.

I become pregnant on an IUD, and later had an abortion. Obviously it does not 'abort' all pregnancies, otherwise I would not have had a problem.

The MIRENA IUD thins the uterine lining and increases cervical mucousa. Thick cervical mucousa prevents sperm from being able to move upward through the cervix! NO sperm in uterus, no pregnancy...

The Mirena IUD only prevents ovulation in about 45% of women using it.

The Mirena IUD *can* also prevent implantation.

IUD'S MAIN action is always supposed to be either KILLING sperm, or ensuring that sperm cannot even reach the uterus in the first place.

OBVIOUSLY I have had an abortion, so I have no problem with abortion in general.

I personally do not care that IUD's *can* prevent implantation, for me that is even BETTER! At least you have a super effective bc method.

Even though I did become pregnant on an IUD, I still love them, and used them for a few years after that pregnancy.

You're right.

Yeah, it just depends on when you consider a fertilized egg to be a human life. I don't consider it to be a human life at the point of implantation, so I don't have a problem with it. But you're right that it is a tricky thing.

But you have to realize that many pregnancies end at this point, without any birth control at all, and the woman never notices. Would you consider this a miscarriage?