Had a Mirena 5 years and never checked the strings. It hurt to put in, and I thought I made a mistake the first couple of months. But after that, all cramping ended, my periods stopped and it took me all the way into menopause. Favorite birth control ever!

I've had an iud for about 4 years and I've never checked the strings. IMO it's not something you absolutely have to do. The issue would be it coming out and you can just check the toilet for that.

Anonymous wrote:My birth control pills are also free. I'd much rather have to remember to take a little pill every day than to worry about looking for a string inside my uterus or the device wandering.

Um...you know the string isn't inside your uterus, right? And the lower localized hormones rather than systemic hormones mean much lower risk of blood clots. Ever seen a 30 year old with multiple pulmonary embolisms? No thank you.

My birth control pills are also free. I'd much rather have to remember to take a little pill every day than to worry about looking for a string inside my uterus or the device wandering.