The INSIDER Summary:
• IUD (intrauterine device) is a long-acting form of birth control.
• IUD prescriptions and insertion appointments were up 19%.
• The spike occured after the November election.
• IUDs are becoming a popular birth control method for women.
After President Donald Trump's win in November, women in the US started encouraging one another over Twitter to get long-acting birth control.
And it appears that encouragement sprang women into action in the months that followed.
Between October and December 2016, IUD prescriptions and insertion appointments were up 19%. In 2015, no such spike was observed, according to data from AthenaHealth, a company that provides electronic health records to medical practices.
The data comes from the offices of 2,500 doctors on AthenaHealth's platform, Vox reports, so it's just a snapshot of the entire country.
An IUD, short for intrauterine device, is a long-acting form of birth control that's better at preventing pregnancies than the pill or condoms. There are a few different kinds of IUDs that last between three to 10 years.
The spike in visits happened in both counties that voted Democrat and counties that voted Republican, AthenaInsight reports.
This isn't the first time the spike in IUD placements has been noted. In December Planned Parenthood of Illinois had seen appointments for them up 82% since the election, The Chicago Tribune reported.
The Affordable Care Act covers the device, as well as other forms of contraception like birth control pills. But under legislation that comes as part of Trump's repeal and replace plan, future coverage is now less certain, meaning women could be on the hook for much higher costs.
