intrauterine device
noun
plural intrauterine devices
: a device inserted into and left in the uterus to prevent conception
specifically
: a T-shaped device containing either progestin or copper that is inserted into and left in the uterus to prevent conception by blocking ovulation, thickening cervical mucus, or interfering with sperm motility
Women can choose from a variety of contraception options such as pills, patches, implants and intrauterine devices. —
Sarah Barton
Sarah Barton The most effective types of birth control, like an intrauterine device, tend to come at the highest upfront cost … —The Canadian Press
The Canadian Press called also intrauterine contraceptive device, IUCD, IUD
Examples of intrauterine device in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Hormonal intrauterine devices can stem bleeding by anywhere from 79% to 98%.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
During the nineteen-sixties and seventies, Danish doctors inserted intrauterine devices in thousands of Inuit girls and women, often without their consent, allegedly to control Greenland’s birth rate—an effort that Prime Minister Egede has described as an act of genocide.
—Louise Bokkenheuser, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2025
The White House also objects to funding a University of Texas at Austin project to create personalized alternatives to commercial intrauterine devices that would be distributed to women in developing countries.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2025
Same goes for having an intrauterine device (IUD); research suggests that copper ones, specifically, might restrict the growth of good bacteria relative to bad guys, predisposing you to BV, while portions of any IUD could also act as spaces for yeast to multiply.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intrauterine device
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kristen Rogers, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
During the nineteen-sixties and seventies, Danish doctors inserted intrauterine devices in thousands of Inuit girls and women, often without their consent, allegedly to control Greenland’s birth rate—an effort that Prime Minister Egede has described as an act of genocide.
—Louise Bokkenheuser, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2025
The White House also objects to funding a University of Texas at Austin project to create personalized alternatives to commercial intrauterine devices that would be distributed to women in developing countries.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2025
Same goes for having an intrauterine device (IUD); research suggests that copper ones, specifically, might restrict the growth of good bacteria relative to bad guys, predisposing you to BV, while portions of any IUD could also act as spaces for yeast to multiply.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intrauterine device
Cite this Entry
“Intrauterine device.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intrauterine%20device. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share