Skyla has not been officially recalled or pulled for safety reasons, but Bayer has largely stopped producing and distributing it, making it effectively unavailable in the United States. The most likely explanation is straightforward: Bayer’s own newer product, Kyleena, does the same job better and made Skyla redundant.
What Skyla Was Designed to Do
Skyla launched in 2013 as the first smaller hormonal IUD on the market. It was specifically designed for people who hadn’t had children or who had a smaller uterus, offering a more comfortable alternative to the larger Mirena. It contained 13.5 mg of levonorgestrel, releasing about 14 mcg per day initially and tapering down to roughly 5 mcg per day by the end of its lifespan. That lifespan was three years, the shortest of any hormonal IUD available at the time.
How Kyleena Made Skyla Redundant
Bayer introduced Kyleena in 2016, and the overlap with Skyla was immediately obvious. Kyleena has the exact same physical dimensions as Skyla (28mm x 30mm), targeting the same population of people who need a smaller device. But Kyleena holds more hormone (19.5 mg vs. 13.5 mg) and lasts five years instead of three, while still releasing a relatively low daily dose of 17.5 mcg that tapers to about 7.4 mcg by year five.
From a patient’s perspective, Kyleena offered a clear upgrade: same small frame, similar low-hormone profile, but nearly twice the duration. For Bayer, manufacturing two nearly identical small IUDs with overlapping markets made little business sense. Skyla had already experienced production delays and inventory shortages due to high demand shortly after its launch, with the company sending letters to providers about limited stock. Rather than maintaining two parallel production lines for devices that served the same niche, Bayer appears to have consolidated around Kyleena.
Skyla’s FDA Status
Technically, Skyla remains an FDA-approved product. Its drug labeling on DailyMed was updated as recently as March 2026, and the FDA has not withdrawn its approval. This is common when a manufacturer stops actively selling a product but doesn’t formally surrender the approval. It means Skyla wasn’t pulled for safety concerns or efficacy problems. The device simply became commercially unnecessary once Kyleena existed.
What This Means if You Had Skyla
If you currently have a Skyla IUD in place, there’s no reason to have it removed early. It continues working normally for its full three-year duration. When it’s time for removal or replacement, your provider will likely recommend one of the hormonal IUDs still actively manufactured.
Kyleena is the closest match to what Skyla offered. It’s the same compact size and uses the same type of hormone at a comparably low dose, just with a longer effective window. For people who specifically chose Skyla because they wanted the lowest possible hormone release, Kyleena’s daily dose is only slightly higher, and the tradeoff is two extra years of protection without needing a replacement procedure.
Current Hormonal IUD Options
The hormonal IUD market now centers on three main options, all made by Bayer:
- Kyleena: Small frame (same size as Skyla), lasts 5 years, lower hormone dose. The direct replacement for Skyla and the go-to option for people who want a smaller device.
- Mirena: Slightly larger frame, higher hormone dose, lasts up to 8 years. Better suited for people who also want to manage heavy periods.
- Liletta: Made by a different manufacturer (Medicines360/Allergan), similar to Mirena in size and hormone level, lasts up to 8 years. Often more affordable or available through public health programs.
The copper IUD (Paragard) remains an option for people who want to avoid hormones entirely, though it’s larger and can increase menstrual bleeding. For anyone who chose Skyla specifically because of its small size and low hormone profile, Kyleena is the most natural next step.