By Lara Briden N.D., Medically reviewed by Wendie Trubow, MD
Last updated December 17, 2019 - Mind body green Health

“…. there’s something not entirely natural about putting a copper and plastic device inside your uterus. It can cause the well-known side effects of pain and heavier periods. It can also cause the lesser-known side effect of an altered vaginal microbiome. Here's what you need to know.”
“The scientific link between the copper IUD and bacterial vaginosis.
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is an overgrowth of normal vaginal bacteria that causes the symptom of watery, fishy-smelling vaginal discharge. It affects almost one in three women and is typically treated with antibiotics.
The link between the copper IUD and BV is not new. Women have reported the problem since the IUD was first invented 50 years ago. Scientists finally looked at it last year and discovered that yes, copper IUDs double the risk of BV 3 .
The effect is attributed to the heavier and longer menstrual flow of IUD users, which depletes Lactobacillus and permits the overgrowth of Gardnerella and other bacterial species associated with BV.
I suspect there’s more to the story than just heavy flow. Copper IUDs may have additional direct effects on the microbiome that we have yet to discover. For example, the devices have been shown to foster the growth of bacterial microfilms 4 and to transfer yeast cells from the vagina to the uterus .”