Women Are Encouraging Each Other to Get IUDs Before Trump Is Sworn In

Women on social media are encouraging each other to get intrauterine devices (IUDs) before president-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office on January 20, 2017, over fear that reproductive health options will be limited under a Trump administration.

Ladies please look into long term birth control. Implants are good for three years, IUDs good for 5-7 years depending on the type.

— tres leches (@juIietagarcia) November 9, 2016

talking to my mom on the phone & i told her how many women i know are looking into IUDs because we fear roe v. wade will be overturned

— jessie lochrie (@jessieflux) November 11, 2016

There are many reasons, beyond preventing pregnancy, why women use birth control. For women with reproductive health conditions, like endometriosis, birth control is often prescribed for health reasons.  

I have endometriosis and having an IUD has really helped my quality of life– if ur considering getting one do it before trump is elected — dylan gelula (@DylanGelula) November 9, 2016

I don’t care about being judged anymore. I have an IUD and I take the pill. They make me better. #birthcontrol #endo #pcos #adenomyosis

— Robyn Atcheson (@randomrobyn) November 10, 2016

In 2012, an Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandate was passed requiring all insurance plans to cover birth control pills, implants and IUDs at no cost to the consumer. According to Vox, once in office, Trump can repeal the Obamacare mandate without the permission of Congress. That’s because birth control isn’t protected by the Affordable Care Act, whereas preventative health services for women are. To remove the mandate, all Trump would need to do is ask the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to change how they define preventative services for women.

Ladies! Please get your IUDS, breast cancer screenings, and all reproductive health done before January 20th. — Shayal ॐ (@Shhaallll) November 9, 2016

While women won’t lose access to IUDs and low or no-cost birth control immediately, reproductive care specialists recommend women considering IUDs act sooner rather than later. “This isn’t something to put off, and if you’re on corporate insurance sometimes it takes a while for IUDs to be ordered,” Dr. Anne Davis, consulting medical director for Physicians for Reproductive Health, told NPR. “If you need a long-acting form of birth control, you need to take care of that now.”

The Mighty will continue covering healthcare under the Trump administration and will provide more information as soon as it becomes available. For updates, you can follow Jordan Davidson, our news editor, on The Mighty, as well as on Twitter, for updates when news articles come out.