IUD / Mirena?

[Grog]

Wow! Thanks everyone for your stories.

There is a clinic here in Vancouver where that's all they do, one night a week. They also have an ultrasound machine to check that the IUD is properly inserted. If you're in Seattle, you may want to check it out (PM me).

In Europe very many women, married or not, have IUDs. It seems to be in part a cultural thing NOT to have them much in North America. The risks that Dianyla mentions are indeed real, but they by no way should be thought to be limited to unmarried women!!

My main reason for wanting to switch is to reduce the quantity of hormones I take. I have been extremely good with taking the pill on time, I've forgotten maybe two over ten years.... But well it's been ten years and I don't think it can be that great for me to keep going. I am thinking of a Mirena because the hormones mix is much less than the pill, and doesn't travel that much in the body. I am firmly against getting Depo-Provera for myself. I'm happy it works for some of you, but the perspective of having six months of misery if doesn't work for me just doesn't cut it.

I'll keep thinking about it, I may even take an appointment with that clinic to see what they think about it (although I know already they have no issues with unmarried, nulliparra women).

Thanks a lot!!!

[Dianyla]

In Europe very many women, married or not, have IUDs. It seems to be in part a cultural thing NOT to have them much in North America. The risks that Dianyla mentions are indeed real, but they by no way should be thought to be limited to unmarried women!!

Oh, and another thing... in Europe they also offer a smaller petite sized IUD that works much better for women who have never been pregnant. I have IUD Envy!!!

I think the US is culturally biased against IUDs because of the Dalkon Shield incident. More than once when I've told people what I use they get a shocked look on their face and say "I thought those IUD thingies were banned years ago!!!".

Not to mention, I have some personal conspiracy theory beliefs that IUDs are simply not as profitable to the Big Pharm companies and therefore they are not marketed and sold as aggressively. Think about it... $500 for a device that lasts 12 years? Compared to how much revenue for monthly oral contraceptive refills? Hmmm...

[Ocultica]

I just had my Mirena removed and got a new one the same day. I love it. I don't bleed anymore and I'm not an emotional rollercoaster. The pill really messed me up, and my Doc doesn't do Depo shots. ( too many bad side effects) I had the option of the new IUD or a tubal and I took the IUD.

[sarahlou]

I've had a mirena in for nearly 4 years and think it is great. I've never had kids but had it inserted in Australia where my doctor didn't seem concerned about that. It is soooo much better than the pill. My only (maybe) problem with it is that I've developed some darkening above my upper lip in recent years that comes on with UV exposure. I've heard that this can be a result of birth control but I don't really know that it is linked to the mirena. Anybody else with this problem? Any solutions to it (other than copious amounts of sunscreen and a hat)?

[three]

Bringing back this thread (thanks Grog) and hoping those of you with the Mirena, or other IUD, will return with additional information.

With the experiences listed on this thread, things seem a little less scary than the vast horror stories I found online.

I am wondering, however, if those of you with the Mirena have experienced: loss of libido, acne breakouts, weight gain or mood swings.

Hoping to gather any additional information possible...

Thanks!!

[Blueberry]

Bringing back this thread (thanks Grog) and hoping those of you with the Mirena, or other IUD, will return with additional information.

With the experiences listed on this thread, things seem a little less scary than the vast horror stories I found online.

I am wondering, however, if those of you with the Mirena have experienced: loss of libido, acne breakouts, weight gain or mood swings.

Hoping to gather any additional information possible...

Thanks!!

I had mine for ~6 months, I would guess. I didn't experience any of the above. I think since the hormones are more localized, you're much less likely to have side effects. Of course, my body then rejected mine...

[roadie gal]

I had IUDs for almost 15 years. I LOVED them. I hated the thought of putting hormones into my body and I can't remember to take pills, so the IUD was ideal.

The insertion was painful and the first few months I had worse cramps. After that, though, my cramps were much less than before I had the IUD. If I still had to worry about birth control, I'd still be using the IUD.

[GLC1968]

I had mine for ~6 months, I would guess. I didn't experience any of the above. I think since the hormones are more localized, you're much less likely to have side effects. Of course, my body then rejected mine...

I think CA is exactly right. I've had mine for exactly 3 years now (weird timing!) and I can say that I still have MUCH less hormonal issues than I had with the pill. I had some serious facial discoloration from the homones in the pill and that's all gone now. I also had pretty wicked mood swings and those are definitely a thing of the past. My acne is the same as it was prior to going on the pill. Many women report worse acne on an IUD, but the same women would likely also report worse acne for just going off the pill. The pill regulates your hormones so that acne flare ups tend to be less. Remove those hormones, and old acne issue often arise. I don't think you can blame the IUD for that, though.

I do question whether or not I'm seeing a loss of libido and weight gain. I have no way to link these two things to the IUD specifically or if they are just related to my current situation. Because I did not notice these things right away after insertion, my guess is that they are NOT related to the Mirena. I plan to have mine removed in January (or shortly thereafter) so if I find that my weight gain reverses and my libido returns, then I'll start pointing fingers. Until then, I'm reserving judgement.