Good call, ladies! IUD use is up in the U.S.

When a lot of people start doing something new—say, using an IUD for birth control instead of the pill—it takes a few years for researchers to catch up with them. That’s why we’re just hearing now, thanks to the latest analysis of the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), that way more ladies aged 15-44 were using IUDs in 2009 than in 2007 (8% versus 3%). At the same time, there were small decreases in the number of women using sterilization (from 34% to 32%), other methods of birth control (52% to 50%), or no method at all (12% to 10%). The overall picture? More U.S. women are using the most effective reversible methods.

But the increase in IUD use wasn’t across the board—young women without kids are still much less likely to use an IUD than those who’ve had a baby. So we hope you’ll bear with us as we say it one more time: IUDs are a great option for most women, regardless of parental or relationship status. If someone tells you otherwise, tell them to take it up with the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists.