IUD / Mirena?

[GLC1968]

I totally LOVE my Mirena. LOVE it. I only wish I had done this at a younger age instead of taking pills all those years!

I got mine about 1.5 years ago. All the hormonal side effects I was having from the pill are now gone. After 25 years of my period, I'm finally finding out what a normal cycle is for me and lo and behold...it's regular! I did have some difficulty adjusting to being off the pill after having been on it for 20 years, but after about 3 cycles, my body was fine with it. My menstrual symptoms are light and predictable now, but I do not bleed (at all).

I have not had kids (don't plan to) but my doc said it's super easy to start trying. All you have to do is have it removed and you are immediately ready to start (no waiting a cycle or two, like with some pills).

Insertion was unpleasant, but quick enough that it really wasn't that big of a deal. I had one issue with the little wires that are used for removal. My H got 'poked' by them and it freaked him out. I went back for a shorter trim and it's not happened since.

I have 2 friends with the Paragard, and their experiences have not been as pleasant as mine.

[velogirl]

Anna, I just checked out your blog! Wow! Congratulations on your HUGE weight loss. What an amazing accomplishment.

Lorri

[Ladyrunner]

Anna, I just checked out your blog! Wow! Congratulations on your HUGE weight loss. What an amazing accomplishment.

Lorri

Thanks Lorri!!

[Grog]

I have not had kids (don't plan to) but my doc said it's super easy to start trying. All you have to do is have it removed and you are immediately ready to start (no waiting a cycle or two, like with some pills).

That's what I've been told by two or three different doctors as well. Good to know you heard the same.

I had one issue with the little wires that are used for removal. My H got 'poked' by them and it freaked him out. I went back for a shorter trim and it's not happened since.

I can't help finding this funny (although it musn't have been that funny when it happened!!).

Thanks for sharing.

[Ladyrunner]

I had one issue with the little wires that are used for removal. My H got 'poked' by them and it freaked him out. I went back for a shorter trim and it's not happened since.

Sorry, but that's really funny!!

[Dianyla]

I've had a Paragard (copper T) IUD for the last 9 years. Many doctors do not recommend IUDs for unmarried and childless women for two main reasons. First, a woman with a never-stretched uterus is more likely to have heavy periods, cramps, and slightly higher risk of expulsion of the device. Secondly, the IUD strings do pass through the cervix which can make it easier for an STD infection to travel upwards into the uterus, leading to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease.

These two reasons are real. However, it really drives me nuts when doctors discourage young unmarried childless women away from a good, cost-effective, reliable solution based on cultural assumptions that married women are not at risk of contracting an STD. Not to mention assumptions that unmarried women are somehow incapable of engaging in safe sex. (Don't get me started on this one!!! )

Anyway, I had mine inserted at Planned Parenthood, who were willing to respect my wishes, as a 20 year old nullipara nullihubby young woman looking for reliable non-hormonal protection. They also have a sliding-scale payment system which really helped me to afford the high upfront cost.

Insertion was unpleasant but bearable, with a few days of cramps afterwards. For the first year or so my periods were especially heavy and crampy. Since then, my periods have been basically the same as they were before the IUD (that is to say, "normal" heavy and crampy ). I've heard that most women who have already had something the size of a bowling ball up in there do not have nearly the cramping/discomfort problems.

I know a lot of women have benefited from the hormones in the Mirena, I just prefer to not use hormonal contraception. Also, bear in mind that the Mirena needs to be replaced every 3-5 years, while the copper IUDs have a 10-12 year effective lifespan. Also, while fertility is immediately restored with the copper IUDs, I don't know if that is the case with the hormonal Mirenas. In case future fertility is important to you.

[Torrilin]

These two reasons are real. However, it really drives me nuts when doctors discourage young unmarried childless women away from a good, cost-effective, reliable solution based on cultural assumptions that married women are not at risk of contracting an STD.

That bothers me too. Good birth control is important, and not every woman can remember to take a pill. And some women can't tolerate having their natural hormone mix altered.

In my case, the most important factors were not having to take a pill and getting the right hormone mix for my other problems. So I'm ok with a doctor refusing an IUD with hormones, and preferring a shot. If I needed non hormonal birth control tho, I'd be short on options.

[VeloVT]

I'm on Depo Provera and I really like it. No periods, no hormonal swings, (I used to have very irregular periods, but PMS), a shot every three months... I think I'm one of the lucky ones for whom Depo's chemistry is compatible -- my mood is MUCH more stable on it than off. Haven't had significantly more weight issues either.

But I've been on it long enough that they are trying to convince me to change (Depo suppresses estrogen & can thus lead to bone-density loss, particularly with prolonged use). I'm theoretically open to the idea, I just haven't yet been presented with an appealing alternative. Pills would make me very nervous. I don't want to get pregnant and pills, well, people have accidents on pills and I'm not sure I'm the best personality type for reliably taking them at the same time every day and not forgetting. While I don't plan on having children (ever), at 27 I'm not quite ready to get a hysterectomy either ... The patch, the ring, etc are all less appealing to me than Depo, more intrusive, and frankly, I LOVE not getting my period... That's perhaps the thing that's MOST important to me. I guess this thread is interesting to me because IUDs are an option I haven't considered very seriously and perhaps I'd do well to look into them. Especially if Mirena, as someone mentioned above, induces amenorrhea... Will be interested in hearing more experiences.

[Torrilin]

But I've been on it long enough that they are trying to convince me to change (Depo suppresses estrogen & can thus lead to bone-density loss, particularly with prolonged use).

My doctors are concerned about bone density loss (I'm heading into my 3rd year on depo). But they're more concerned that going off it would lead to bad things, since my menstrual cramps are severe. Not a little severe, ibuprofen intake measured in grams per day severe. My body handles ibuprofen well, but the intake I need to control pain is not healthy long term. Stomach bleeding, intestinal bleeding, drug rebound (where you get withdrawal headaches when you stop the painkiller), blood thinning... Lots of not good all 'round.

So to keep me as healthy as possible, my current doctor is encouraging weight bearing exercise. I'm getting better at doing weight work, and I actually need a bigger hand weight! I still need to get myself a jump rope (gotta stop procrastinating on that). Weight work is not fun the way biking or swimming is, but the payoff is. Some of the weight exercises help me hurt less on long rides .

[GLC1968]

Yeah, I laughed at the H getting poked with the strings thing...he didn't.


There are people whose bodies won't work with an IUD. I got mine after 3 d&c's, and 3 fibroid removal surgeries. My doc was concerned that if the fibroid returned again, it would force the IUD out of place, so we do check it periodically (due to the location of my fibroids). I'm sure there are other cases where it won't work with a woman's utereus shape.

I had some serious hormonal issues when I was on the pill (and during the fibroid years), and I was concerned about the hormones on the Mirena. My doc mentioned the Paragard (no hormones) but suggested that with my heavy and irregular periods, the Mirena would be a better bet. The hormones in the Mirena are a tiny fraction of those you get from any other form of BC. The pill, Depo, the patch..all of them work by putting the hormones into your body and allowing your bloodstream to carry them to your reproductive system. The Mirena secretes the hormones right there...so much, much smaller amounts are effective. This is why removal means immediate fertility, even with the hormonal IUD.

As I mentioned in my other post, the hormonal issues/side-effects I had on the pill and on Depo (yes, I tried that, too) are GONE on Mirena.

Oh, and I should mention that all the woman I know who have IUD's (7) are married and only two of them have children. The rest are like me - married within the last 5 years and not planning on having children but not ready to have that option taken away just yet. I didn't even know about the increased STD risk, but I guess my being married, my doc didn't feel the need to mention it? He should have, though. Of course, based on my history, that's a chance I'd be willing to take - even if I wasn't married.

[Tuckervill]

I had the Copper T in my 30s, after two kids. It was the WORST experience of my life. I remember cramps ruining a golf game on vacation one time--I was in such pain I had to lie across my husband's lap in the golf cart while he drove me back to the clubhouse!

We also had the problem with the wire poking, and the insertion wasn't pleasant, but not near as bad as an endometrial biopsy!

I do not tolerate the pill, so after that IUD we decided to have a child and then a vasectomy. (For a minute there I couldn't even remember how I've kept from getting pregnant for the last 14 years!)

Karen

I've had a Paragard (copper T) IUD for the last 9 years. Many doctors do not recommend IUDs for unmarried and childless women for two main reasons. First, a woman with a never-stretched uterus is more likely to have heavy periods, cramps, and slightly higher risk of expulsion of the device. Secondly, the IUD strings do pass through the cervix which can make it easier for an STD infection to travel upwards into the uterus, leading to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease.

These two reasons are real. However, it really drives me nuts when doctors discourage young unmarried childless women away from a good, cost-effective, reliable solution based on cultural assumptions that married women are not at risk of contracting an STD. Not to mention assumptions that unmarried women are somehow incapable of engaging in safe sex. (Don't get me started on this one!!! )

Anyway, I had mine inserted at Planned Parenthood, who were willing to respect my wishes, as a 20 year old nullipara nullihubby young woman looking for reliable non-hormonal protection. They also have a sliding-scale payment system which really helped me to afford the high upfront cost.

Insertion was unpleasant but bearable, with a few days of cramps afterwards. For the first year or so my periods were especially heavy and crampy. Since then, my periods have been basically the same as they were before the IUD (that is to say, "normal" heavy and crampy ). I've heard that most women who have already had something the size of a bowling ball up in there do not have nearly the cramping/discomfort problems.

I know a lot of women have benefited from the hormones in the Mirena, I just prefer to not use hormonal contraception. Also, bear in mind that the Mirena needs to be replaced every 3-5 years, while the copper IUDs have a 10-12 year effective lifespan. Also, while fertility is immediately restored with the copper IUDs, I don't know if that is the case with the hormonal Mirenas. In case future fertility is important to you.