Frequently Asked Questions: IUDs
Learn more about the interuterine device, or IUD, from Katherine D. Pocius, MD, MPH, medical director of family planning in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Massachusetts General Hospital.
About Katherine Pocius, MD, MPH
Katherine D. Pocius, MD, MPH, is Medical Director of Family Planning for the Vincent Obstetrics and Gynecology Service at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Program Director of the Brigham and Women's/Massachusetts General Hospital Integrated Residency Program in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is an Instructor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School.
Kat completed her residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital Integrated Residency Program in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She completed a fellowship in Family Planning at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She also received a master’s from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. After completion of her training in 2015, she joined the faculty at Mass General where she provides clinical care, supervises trainees, and continues her scholarly activities.
Kat is passionate about reproductive health and committed to providing safe and equitable contraceptive, abortion, and obstetric care. Her clinical areas of expertise include: contraception, long-acting reversible contraception, intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUD’s), contraceptive implants, complex contraception care in women with medical comorbidities and potential medication interactions, early pregnancy loss, medical abortion, surgical abortion, and sterilization.
In addition to her expertise in Family Planning, she is committed to training and education. She has been involved with the Harvard Medical School (HMS) community and working with trainees and faculty from across Mass General since 2009. She currently serves as the Associate Program Director of the Brigham and Women's/Massachusetts General Hospital Integrated Residency Program in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Outside of work, Kat enjoys spending time with her husband and adorable 5-year-old son. They can be found playing dress-up, biking around the Boston area, and going out for ice cream.
Clinical Interests:
- Complex contraception
- Contraception
- Early pregnancy loss
- Family planning
- General obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN)
- Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) including IUD's and implants
- Medical Abortion
- Surgical Abortion
Treats:
- Adult
Locations
Boston: Massachusetts General Hospital
Mass General Obstetrics and Gynecology
55 Fruit St.
Yawkey Center for Outpatient Care
Suite 4F
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: 617-724-2229
Medical Education
- MD, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine
- Residency, Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Fellowship, Brigham and Women's Hospital
American Board Certifications
- Family, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Obstetrics & Gynecology, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Accepted Insurance Plans
- Aetna
- Beech Street
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare
- Cigna
- Commonwealth Care Alliance
- Coventry
- Fallon Health
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
- Humana
- Maine Community Health Options
- Mass General Brigham Health Plan
- MassHealth
- Medicaid ME
- Medicaid RI
- Medicaid VT
- Medicare
- Medicare ACO
- Multiplan
- Senior Whole Health
- TriCare
- Tufts Health Plan
- United Health Care
- Wellpoint
- WellSense
Note: This provider may accept more insurance plans than shown; please call the practice to find out if your plan is accepted.
Publications
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Pocius KD, Dutton CR. Update on hormonal contraception and obesity. Current Obstetrics and Gynecology Reports. March 2015; 4(1): 61-68.
Michaels AY, Washburn EE, Pocius KD, Benson CB, Doubilet PM, Carusi DA. Outcome of cesarean scar implantation pregnancies diagnosed sonographically in the first trimester. J Ultrasound Med. 2015 Apr; 34(4): 595-9. PMID 25792574.
Pocius KD, Mauer R, Fortin J, Goldberg AB, Bartz D. Early serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) trends after medication abortion. Contraception. 2015 Jun; 91(6):503-6. PMID: 25765358.
Brady PC, Pocius KD. Chapter 8: Spontaneous Abortions. In: Brady PC, ed. Handbook of Consult and Inpatient Gynecology. Ed 1. New York, NY: Springer, 2016
Brady PC, Pocius KD. Chapter 17: Induced Abortion. In: Brady PC, ed. Handbook of Consult and Inpatient Gynecology. Ed 1. New York, NY: Springer, 2016.
The team was amazing and kind. They cared for me and took me through the procedure with kind words.
We were so pleased with our care from Dr. Pocius and the MGH team throughout our pregnancy.
My husband and I really greatly enjoy our experience with Dr. Pocius.
Dr Pocius was so kind to me and my partner. We were there for a sad reason of a non-viable pregnancy and she was so empathetic. She was also very supportive during the painful parts of the cervical dilation which made it a lot easier. I was glad she even set up my partners chair for prime hand holding position which was so thoughtful! 10/10 ... Read More
Maggie and [redacted] are actual angels - I have terrible white coat syndrome and they treated me with kid gloves. Add on top of that they are the best in their field and I feel very lucky to be in their care.
my Doctor is always great. She always offered different solutions in different workaround to help you out. She listens carefully and paid attention to you make you comfortable. I love her.
Katherine Pocius is such a great doctor
She was easily the best OB-GYN I've worked with. Really, really smooth procedure and just really open, sort of, with the instructions prior to the procedure. And it left a lot of room for questions. Never felt judged or rushed. So, I would definitely recommend her to anyone.
Dr. Pocius has been my doctor for the last maybe three or four years and she's always been very kind and considerate and explains the science and puts me at ease, you know, and explains the risks, the work is not a risk and really puts everything in perspective. So I've really enjoyed going to her and I feel I'm in good hands with her. Thank you. ... Read More
Dr Pocius was so empathetic and gentle. She was considerate of my comfort and explained everything thoroughly. She went above and beyond and I have already recommended her to friends.