Your care provider will likely offer you a follow-up appointment about a week after your insertion to make sure your IUD is still in the right spot. "We do this exam with either a speculum to directly see the strings, or sometimes an ultrasound to see that the IUD is in the right place inside the uterus," said Jenn Conti, MD, an ob-gyn and co-host of the V Word podcast. This is also a great chance to ask any questions you might have about the IUD and side effects.
You can also check on your IUD strings yourself, something you can do as soon as you're up to it after the insertion. To do so, wash your hands and insert your first two fingers into your vagina, as far as they can go. "Move them around until you can feel something that feels like super fine fishing line," Dr. Conti said; those are the strings. "They're often curled up around the cervix, so you may have to sweep behind or in front of it with your fingers a little."
Dr. Conti recommended checking your strings about once a month. If you can't feel them, let your doctor know; it might be that they're curled too tightly or have receded a bit into the cervix. If you could previously feel the strings and can't anymore, that's a reason to schedule a check-up, Dr. Conti said. It's possible that your IUD has moved around in your uterus or perforated the uterine wall. You should also schedule a check-up if you notice a sudden change in your bleeding pattern, Dr. Conti said. (For example, if you had lighter periods on a hormonal IUD and they've suddenly gotten heavier.)
As for how long it takes for IUDs to prevent pregnancy (aka how long you should wait to be sexually active again), Dr. Conti told POPSUGAR that the copper IUD is effective right away. If you had your hormonal IUD (such as Mirena, Liletta, Kyleena, or Skyla) inserted within seven days of the start of your period, it's also effective immediately. "Otherwise you should use a back-up method like condoms for the first 7 days," Dr. Conti said.
Image Source: Getty / Spike Mafford