iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Online searches for long-lasting birth control devices spiked significantly in the hours after the presidential election ended.
Many women took to social media to advise other women to get an intrauterine device (IUD) which can “outlast” a conservative presidency.
The posts began over concerns that Trump and the Republican-held houses of Congress will repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Under the ACA, insurers participating in the healthcare marketplace aremandated to provide coverage for contraception without any co-payment or coinsurance, allowing many more women access to birth control.
In the hours after Donald Trump was declared the winner of the 2016 presidential election, Google searches for IUD spiked exponentially, according to Google Trends.
Under related queries, the top two rising search terms were “iud Trump” and “get an iud now.”
The IUD is a small implant that, when placed in the uterus, acts as a continuous form of contraception. It is a reversible form of birth control that can be removed any time before it expires and is considered to one of the most effective contraceptive methods available. According the CDC, IUDs have less than one percent failure rates.
Depending on the type of device — either a copper “T” or hormone-releasing implant — an IUD can provide approximately three to 10 years of greatly reduced pregnancy risk, potentially outlasting even a two-term Trump presidency.
On Twitter, multiple users advised women to get an IUD now so that their birth control would be covered before Trump takes office on Jan. 20, 2017.
Copyright © 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
