Getting Pregnant with an IUD: The True Story of Luana Di Carlo

In her profession, she has to excel at planning. But there was one thing she hadn't anticipated: getting pregnant with a copper IUD, despite the statistics. Luana Di Carlo, a content creator known as @luana_dicarlo on Instagram, shares her testimony: that of an IUD pregnancy that defied the odds. From the panic in the emergency room facing the risk of an ectopic pregnancy, to her final "obvious truth," she tells us, unfiltered, how one welcomes a life that wasn't planned.

Hello Luana!
Two lines on the test, and that copper IUD perfectly in place. What was your first thought, right after the positive test?

"It was bound to happen" (laughs). My fiancé had been convinced for several days that I was pregnant; I just thought I had a late period. And the next thought: panic on board. I had done my research, I knew that an IUD pregnancy could be ectopic. We went straight to the emergency room to get checked, and luckily, the gestational sac was well-positioned.

Your body caused a device designed to win almost every time to fail. You're part of the less than 1%. How did you feel about your body at that moment? Betrayed? Or, on the contrary, invincible?

Honestly, neither. My fiancé and I were already talking about having a baby, so I assume that life, or my body, chose its moment. However (and I'm no longer talking about my case here), I felt angry at this contraception, because I've received far too many similar testimonies. The problem is that the vast majority of these women didn't welcome the news as I did. And rightly so.

The copper IUD is one of the most effective contraceptives, with over 99% success rate. Before you got pregnant, had you thought about that 0.6% chance?

Not at all. And beyond that, I thought I wasn't very fertile. So, I never worried about that percentage.

You say that this baby offered itself to you. Did this way of seeing it come immediately, or did it develop later?

A mix of both. Once we knew the pregnancy was well-located in the uterus, healthcare professionals recommended removing the IUD (which was also my wish). But I was told that this removal could lead to a 50/50 chance of miscarriage. My fiancé and I couldn't rejoice or cry: at that moment, the choice wasn't ours. We spent ten days wondering if the pregnancy would hold. When my gynecologist told us it was still there and asked if we wanted to continue it, we looked at each other, and it became an obvious choice.

You say your fiancé let you decide alone. Did that freedom relieve you or weigh on you?

I wouldn't say he let me decide alone (on the contrary, he was ready to support me no matter what I chose). I knew he wanted a baby very soon; he knew that, for me, everything was still very blurry. He set aside his personal desires to support me. He's the best (laughs).

You went through one of the most uncertain weeks of your life, after the emergency room and the IUD removal (especially because the removal could cause a miscarriage). What was going through your mind during that wait?

Strangely, I was praying for the pregnancy to hold. Yet, I had never felt this need to be pregnant, to carry my child. Since I was little, my wish was to adopt and only adopt. When I met my fiancé, we talked about it a lot, and we came to the conclusion that we would do everything possible to procreate and adopt. But when I learned the news, I completely let go. I took it as a sign of life. I was counting down each day that separated us from the delivery ultrasound.

You insist that this is not an accidental baby. What does that word touch in you when you read it in comments on your social media?

I prefer to say "surprise baby." I find the term "accident" quite pejorative: as if we had poorly received the news, when it's quite the opposite. We hadn't planned it, but we are delighted that it's happening. Surprise is more accurate.

What has it changed in your relationship with the idea of controlling your fertility? How do you see contraception after this?

That's a big question... and no answer. Naturally, I no longer trust this device. And at the same time, there's no way I'm going back on hormones because I took the pill from age 16 to 22. So, there you have it. A mystery.

One day, your child might ask, "how did I get here?" What do you imagine telling them?

That your dad and I loved each other too much.

If you could say a word to that IUD, what would it be?

You'll have to review your skills list, but no hard feelings!

This testimony relates a personal experience and does not constitute medical advice. For any questions about your contraception or an unexpected pregnancy, consult your doctor or midwife.