You can get an IUD inserted at most OB/GYN offices, Planned Parenthood health centers, community health clinics, and many primary care practices. The actual insertion takes about seven minutes, and the full office visit is typically under 30 minutes. Finding the right place depends mainly on your insurance situation, your comfort level, and how quickly you want to get in.
OB/GYN and Primary Care Offices
The most common place to get an IUD is your gynecologist’s or primary care provider’s office. If you already have a doctor you see for annual exams or reproductive health, calling that office is the simplest starting point. Many can schedule you within a few weeks, and some offer same-day insertion if you come in for a consultation and meet the basic requirements.
IUDs can be placed by physicians, nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives, and physician assistants. Research confirms that trained nurses and midwives perform the procedure with safety and complication rates comparable to physicians, so you don’t need to see a specialist. What matters is that the provider has experience with insertions, not their specific title.
Planned Parenthood and Family Planning Clinics
Planned Parenthood health centers are one of the most accessible options, especially if you don’t have a regular gynecologist. Most locations accept insurance, and many offer sliding-scale fees based on your income. If cost is a concern, you can call your nearest center to ask about free or reduced-price birth control, even without using insurance.
Federally funded Title X family planning clinics are another strong option. These clinics exist specifically to provide affordable reproductive health care, including IUDs, and they’re located across the country. You can find the closest one using the Title X clinic locator at reproductivehealthservices.gov, run by the HHS Office of Population Affairs. Title X clinics serve patients regardless of ability to pay.
College and University Health Centers
If you’re a student, your campus health center may offer IUD insertion on-site. Some university clinics, like Columbia’s Student Health, provide insertions and removals directly, with no charge if you carry the school’s student health insurance plan. Even with outside insurance, many campus clinics can order the device and place it for you. Call your school’s health center to ask whether they offer the service and what insurance they accept.
What It Costs With and Without Insurance
Under the Affordable Care Act, marketplace health insurance plans must cover FDA-approved contraceptive methods, including IUDs, with no copay or coinsurance when you use an in-network provider. This applies even if you haven’t met your deductible. That means the device itself and the insertion procedure should be fully covered if your plan is ACA-compliant and you stay in-network.
Without insurance, the total cost for the device plus insertion has historically been around $800 or more. Prices vary by clinic and by which type of IUD you choose, so if you’re paying out of pocket, a Title X clinic or Planned Parenthood will almost always be cheaper than a private practice. Ask about payment plans or assistance programs before your appointment.
What Happens Before Insertion
You don’t need extensive testing to get an IUD. The CDC classifies only one exam as essential before placement: a pelvic exam where the provider checks your cervix and uterus. Blood pressure screening is considered optional, and most patients don’t need additional STI testing at the time of insertion. If you have risk factors for gonorrhea or chlamydia and haven’t been recently screened, your provider can test you at the same visit without delaying the procedure.
A pregnancy test is standard to confirm you’re not currently pregnant. You do not need to schedule your appointment during your period. While some older guidelines suggested insertion during menstruation, current practice allows placement at any point in your cycle as long as pregnancy has been ruled out.
What the Procedure Feels Like
The insertion itself, from speculum in to speculum out, takes a median of about seven minutes. For younger patients it may run slightly longer, closer to eight or nine minutes, but the difference is small. The total office visit will be longer once you factor in paperwork, a brief consultation, and a few minutes of rest afterward.
Pain during insertion varies widely from person to person, but providers now have several options to help. The CDC’s 2024 guidelines note that a numbing injection near the cervix (a paracervical block using lidocaine) can reduce pain during and after placement. Topical numbing gel, cream, or spray applied to the cervix is another option that may help. Some clinics also offer oral pain medication or mild sedation. Before your appointment, ask what pain management options your provider offers so you can make a plan together. Taking an over-the-counter pain reliever like ibuprofen beforehand is a common recommendation, but it works best combined with the provider’s own pain relief options.
Cramping after insertion is normal and can last a few hours to a few days. Spotting for the first several weeks is also common, particularly with hormonal IUDs.
Follow-Up After Placement
No routine follow-up visit is required after IUD insertion, according to CDC guidelines. Your provider may suggest you come back for a quick check to confirm the IUD strings are in place, but this is optional rather than mandatory. You’ll be taught how to check the strings yourself by reaching inside the vagina to feel for them. If you ever can’t find the strings, or if you experience severe pain, heavy bleeding, or signs of infection, that’s when to contact your provider rather than waiting for a scheduled visit.