Go to Content Go to Navigation Go to Navigation Go to Site Search Homepage

Someone asked us: Can a man feel an IUD during sex?

Most of the time your partner won’t feel your IUD — but it is possible. Here’s the deal:

All IUDs have strings on them so your nurse or doctor can pull it out of your uterus when you want it removed. When an IUD is in the right place in your uterus, about 1-2 inches of that string sticks out through your cervix — you may be able to feel it if you put your finger deep into your vagina and touch your cervix. 

Usually your partners won’t be able to feel the IUD string with their penis during sex, but every once in a while some people say they can feel it. If this happens and it bothers you or your partner, talk with your nurse or doctor — they may be able to trim the string so it doesn’t stick out as much. And IUD strings usually soften over time, so after a while it might not bother your partner.

Birth control shouldn’t cause problems with your sex life. So if you’re having any issues with your IUD, talk with a nurse or doctor — like the ones at your local Planned Parenthood health center.

Tags: sex, birth control, IUDs

Explore more on

Planned Parenthood cares about your data privacy. We and our third-party vendors use cookies and other tools to collect, store, monitor, and analyze information about your interaction with our site to improve performance, analyze your use of our sites and assist in our marketing efforts. You may opt out of the use of these cookies and other tools at any time by visiting Cookie Settings. By clicking “Allow All Cookies” you consent to our collection and use of such data, and our Terms of Use. For more information, see our Privacy Notice.

Cookie Settings

Planned Parenthood cares about your data privacy. We and our third-party vendors, use cookies, pixels, and other tracking technologies to collect, store, monitor, and process certain information about you when you access and use our services, read our emails, or otherwise engage with us. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences, or your device. We use that information to make the site work, analyze performance and traffic on our website, to provide a more personalized web experience, and assist in our marketing efforts. We also share information with our social media, advertising, and analytics partners. You can change your default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of required cookies when utilizing our site; this includes necessary cookies that help our site to function (such as remembering your cookie preference settings). For more information, please see our Privacy Notice.

Marketing

On

We use online advertising to promote our mission and help constituents find our services. Marketing pixels help us measure the success of our campaigns.

Performance

On

We use qualitative data, including session replay, to learn about your user experience and improve our products and services.

Analytics

On

We use web analytics to help us understand user engagement with our website, trends, and overall reach of our products.