My doctor asked if I wanted to keep my IUD of 9 years to wear as jewelry – turns out this is a weird trend

When getting my IUD birth control replaced in my doctor’s office, it wasn’t the pain that shocked – it was the question I was asked following the procedure.

‘Would you like to keep it?’ New York-based OB/GYN Dr Yuliya Boruch inquired as she held the device she just removed from my body up for me to see. 

Assuming she was joking, I awkwardly replied ‘no’ (I had no desire to carry it home on the New York City subway) and studied her eyes waiting for her to crack a smile – but no, she was deadly serious.

Dr Boruch revealed an increasing number of her patients ask to take the T-shaped device – a long-term form of birth control inserted into the uterus – home where they fashion them into wearable pieces of jewelry.

‘Several of my patients have also framed them and put them on their walls at home,’ she added.

Dr Boruch told me she now asks all of her patients if they would like to keep their IUDs as she has noticed the emerging trend.  

A quick Google search shows ‘IUD jewelry’ is indeed a thing to ‘celebrate femininity’ and ‘spread awareness about birth control.’

‘I’m clearly behind the times,’ I thought.  

An IUD is inserted into the vagina via a small tube and passes through the cervical opening and into the uterus

One of the top results that came up was a Reddit post titled ‘I made my old IUD into a necklace.’

In the post, the Redditor explains how she had an IUD for five years and had a great experience with it: ‘No major cramping, less weight and mood fluctuation than being on the pill, and a very sparse/almost nonexistent period.’

When she had it removed and replaced she asked her OB/GYN if she could keep it. 

She continued: ‘I took [my IUD] home, soaked it in hot dish soap water and scrubbed it VERY well, then went to a friend’s house who taught me how to make resin jewelry.

A photo of her IUD pendant shows the device encapsulated in resin, with small flowers and butterfly motifs surrounding it.

An IUD is one of the most effective forms of birth control, with more than a 99 percent success rate at preventing pregnancy.

There are two types of IUDs – copper and hormonal. The first releases a small amount of copper into the uterus, which creates an inflammatory response that is toxic to sperm and eggs.

One creative Redditor shows how she made her IUD into a resin pendant with flowers and butterflies framing it

Many women reveal on social media how they have been creative with their old IUDs 

The latter releases a small amount of the hormone progestin, which thickens cervical mucus and makes it difficult for sperm to reach an egg. It may also stop an egg from being released from the ovaries. 

According to the 2023 National Health Statistics Reports on contraceptive use – the latest year available – 20 percent of sexually active women between 15 and 49 years old reported ever using an IUD between the years of 2015 and 2019. 

But there is no information on how many women save their IUDs.  

Getting an IUD is a minor procedure during which a doctor inserts a speculum into the vagina and uses a small tube to pass the IUD through the cervical opening and into the uterus. 

To remove the device, a doctor will pull on small strings attached to the bottom of the IUD through the vagina. 

It is after this removal when people apparently request to take their IUD home with them.  

Further into my search on TikTok, I found dozens of other women who had taken their IUDs home to make jewelry and décor. 

Content creator @i.love.almondbutter shows how she made an earring with her old IUD, while @claraburke42069 turned hers into a necklace and asked her followers if it was appropriate to wear to work.

TikTok user Camille Schim filmed herself going to a craft store for supplies to turn her old IUD into wall art

Schim washed her IUD in the kitchen sink and showed off her framed device

Kicking creativity up a gear, @adrienneog took her old IUD home in a medical specimen cup and turned it into an accessory for her car. She spray painted it gold, attached it to a chain and hung it from her rearview mirror. 

Meanwhile, @camilleschim took her followers on a trip to a craft store to buy a shadow frame to make her IUD into a piece of wall art. 

She filmed herself washing her IUD in the kitchen sink and then showed off her device in a frame surrounded by pink flowers.  

‘We were besties these last five years,’ the TikToker wrote in the caption. 

While commenters have deemed these repurposed IUDs ‘cute’ and ‘adorable,’ others call these projects ‘gross,’ weird’ and added: ‘ I hope you don’t wear it. Kinda weird.’

One Reddit user contemplated taking it home, but said her old IUD was ‘covered in uterine gunk.’  

Dr Boruch told me the devices are completely safe to hold on to, but ‘they should be cleaned with soap, water and alcohol wipes, as after all, they have been sitting inside the uterus for a good number of years… in some cases a decade.’

The gynecologist added: ‘Surprisingly they come out fairly clean, but there are always a few drops of blood following the removal.

‘The out of pocked cost for an IUD is $1,200 to $1,500 depending on the brand if you don’t have insurance, so it certainly makes for an expensive piece of jewelry!’

No matter public opinion or doctor recommendations, I’m glad I turned the offer down. 

RIP to my IUD – it was nice knowing you.