Advocate
Systems change, by audience.
The project’s call to action, broken out for the people who can move it — clinicians, manufacturers, regulators, and supporters.
The current campaign
The project’s goal is to decrease complicated IUD removals. Its central public ask is one device-level change: mark IUD strings in 1-centimeter increments, so string length becomes an objective, visual, enduring measure.
It is deliberately narrow — in the project’s own words, the easiest and most understandable fix.
The ask
Treat complicated-removal risk as part of informed consent before every placement — and document string length.
For clinicians
The contributing factors are systemic, not personal: instructions for use differ by brand, professional resources differ again, and unmarked strings force every cut to be a visual approximation.
What helps now: discuss complicated-removal risks openly before placement, document string length at placement and checks, and resist the trim-shorter reflex when a partner feels the strings — short strings are how routine removals become complicated ones.
Professional perspective — including disagreement — makes this project better. The professional contact lane is reviewed by a person; patient details don’t belong in it.
The ask
Mark the strings in 1 cm increments, and put evidence-based string-length guidance in the IFU.
For manufacturers
String length is a design and instructions question, and both are in manufacturers’ hands: mark the strings so length can be measured, and give clinicians consistent, evidence-based guidance for how much string to leave.
The project also asks for truthful disclosure of complicated-removal risks in advertising and marketing materials — no minimization or omission of how common, painful, and costly these removals can be.
The ask
Investigate string length and complicated removals, and standardize the guidance.
For policy and regulators
The project’s call to action asks the FDA and other regulatory bodies to investigate the relationship between string length and complicated removals through rigorous clinical studies, and to establish evidence-based string-length guidance across products.
Complicated removals are also likely underreported — better reporting and post-market attention are part of the ask.
The ask
Sign when the petition opens, share the campaign, and report real experiences through official channels.
How supporters can help
The most useful support is concrete. Sign the petition when it goes live and share it with people who care about contraceptive care.
If you have experienced a complicated IUD removal, reporting it through official channels is one of the most powerful things you can do — regulators and manufacturers act on reports. Patients can report a device problem to the FDA themselves using MedWatch Form 3500B: online, by mail, by fax, or by phone at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Two practical tips from the project’s own reporting experience: consider the print-and-fax route for MedWatch (the project encountered garbled text submitting the word “strings” online), and put manufacturer complaints in writing rather than phoning — Bayer, for example, accepts complaints via its contact page or by email at mps.bayer@bayer.com — so there is a record.
Take the next step
The petition is the campaign’s front door; contact reaches the team.