WOMEN ONLY! IUD Question

bgrune131

**I'll BE happy with that.

Need to read before I post

Aviendha_RJ

Had one. Went into LABOUR with my first 3 periods because I've never had kids. My body was trying to expel it.

Hurt like a SON-OF-A-***** let me tell u, & there was nothing in there but that little piece of ribbon!

Apparently this is SUPER COMMON for those of us girls that get one who've never had kids yet. I also had cramping & problems the day of insertion & was never told to book the day off work. Trust me, do it. You'll want to spend the day at home with a heating pad. It SUCKED.

Also, mine slipped about 8 months in, & I had to have it surgically removed by D&C FOUR YEARS early. It had fallen against the uteran wall & was growing inside me. I had to have it CUT out of place. It happens about 20% of the time with these things that they slip inside, & have to be taken out by a surgeon.

I'd rather have my TUBES TIED.

kcmg0730

I'm thinking of going off of my BC pills (I've been on them for about 10 years), and I've been looking into getting Paragard. I feel like BC pills are not helpful in my wanting to lose weight, however I don't want to be pregnant either...so, I feel like a hormone-free IUD would be a good solution. Any thoughts? Does anyone have Paragard?

I've read on WebMD that it hurts to get put in...and that scares me a lot. I want to hear what people NOT on WebMD say though. I feel like I should've stayed away from that site....

This may not be a very pleasant thing for some to hear but.........The IUD does not prevent conception. It prevents a fertilized egg from implanting. Many people do not know this.

This is incorrect actually; it does prevent conception by changing the mucus in your cervix (and copper is a spermicide) so that sperm can't get to the egg effectively. This is in addition to preventing implantation. BC pills work in much the same way.

I have the copper coil, and I love it. It didn't hurt at all, have had no probs, no side effects, etc. I think I noticed more uncomfortable cramping in the first 2 periods after I had it, but since then, it's been fine.

Jen2ssaint

I have had paraguard for a year and a half. I took the rest of the afternoon off and I took about 3 ibuprofen when I got home. I was able to drive myself home and laid around for the remainder of the afternoon. I finally started feeling better once I had to get up and get moving to pick up my son from school. After that I was fine. My periods were a lot heavier afterwards and at one point lasted for 2 months straight. For the past 6 months they have been regular (still heavy for one day) and usually only last 4-5 days. Now that I stuck it out I am very happy with the paraguard.

lorification

I have the Paragard and I've had it for 2 years now. When I got it, I was 23 and never had children (and still don't). Some doctors are reluctant to give IUDs to childless women, something to do with the size of the uterus pre-birth. When you go in for a consultation, the doctor should discuss this with you. If they deny you based on age, marital status, or how many children you've had, go to another doctor. This should not be an issue.

The insertion DID hurt, but it was QUICK. I cramped afterward for a bit, but was completely fine by the next day. My periods are heavier and cramping is maybe a little worse, but I'm okay with this.

I believe the FDA recently increased the length of the ParaGard from 10 years to 12 years, so that's another bonus.

If you have any other questions, feel free to msg me!

Kate_UK

I have a plain copper IUD (not sure of the brand name) and I love it. It was no more uncomfortable than having a smear test to put in and its been great for the last 3 years. I did have 2 pretty heavy periods after it was first done, but was told to expect that. I'd definitely recommened one x

scuret12

I have Paragard the insertion was a bit uncomfortable but not painfull I when to work right after the md visit. The only issue I had with mines was the horrible cramps and Heavier blood floow to the point that the first 5 months I had accidents cause I was not used to just a heavy flow plus know I get my period for 7 days and before paragard I only had it for 3 days. Know that it has been 10 whole months I still get some cramps but there not horrible and the flow is not as heavy neither. It has worked for me good luck

IndigoVA

I was just wondering, have you been off of hormones long enough to know what a normal period would be like for you? I was considering Paraguard after the birth of my 2nd child, since I was done having kids and my hubby didn't want to get snipped. I asked my gyn about it, and she said that she wouldn't recommend for me because I already have very heavy, very painful periods and copper IUDs only make that worse. I had to stop taking hormones several years ago when I found out there was a blood clotting disorder in my family, and periods on BCPs vs. periods without is all the difference in the world. So if you haven't already, I would strongly recommend waiting 6 months or so without hormones to see if you won't mind having heavier, more painful periods.

bgrune131

I know what my periods were like before I had BC pills, and I will be fine. I don't want to go off of BC pills without having something else in its place. If it doesn't work out for me, then it doesn't. I won't know until I try it for myself and see how my own body reacts. I think that I will be perfectly fine.

veganbaum

NFP is NOT for everyone, but neither is hormonal birth control. You should follow three signs of fertility and it can only be relied upon if you have a regular cycle, if you don't, or if you are unwilling to track all three signals, then yeah, it's not for you. If you can and do, then it can be as effective as BCP. So, no, not for everyone, but not something to be pushed aside without learning more about, either, especially if one is looking for non-hormonal birth control methods. One should educate themselves on all the options.

Don't get me wrong, I don't recommend hormonal BC either. It just seems like with NFP, from what I've gathered, that you shouldn't have sex for about 13 consecutive days of the month. Which seems like a lot. And easy to mess up. While using the program to be more diligent about using more than one type of birth control during your more fertile time is a great idea, I don't think NFP is enough protection to recommend to someone that absolutely does not want a kid.

It does seem like the combination of NFP+paragard+condoms would make it nearly impossible to conceive though, but overkill.

Any birth control method can fail, the important thing to look at is the failure rate. There's method failure rate and there's user failure rate. So, each person accepts that by having sex you are accepting a certain level of risk of pregnancy, you just have to choose which risk is acceptable to you. For those who absolutely do not want to have children, the truth has always been the same - the only thing 100% is abstinence (or true infertility/sterilization). Used correctly, the failure rate using three signals of fertility is about the same as BCP, provided that both are used as intended. Typical number of days to avoid sex are around 9 to 10 if you want to be really, really safe (like soccerella said, you can actually get it down further than that) - so about a week and a half a month where you can't have sex without some other protection (true NFP is not day counting and all that crap - that is NOT reliable and is typically what people think of when they hear NFP). A week and a half is completely acceptable to me in order to avoid hormonal birth control or an IUD that I have no control over. But that's what I am willing to accept, not all people would be. I just don't think people know enough about NFP and go off of myths and rumors and dismiss it, and tell others to dismiss it. Just like any method, people should learn about it and weigh the pros and cons of each. I think too many young women jump immediately to birth control pills because it's so common they feel safe. I think non-hormonal IUDs are better than hormonal birth control, but I still wouldn't use them, that's just my choice (and they're more environmentally friendly than hormonal birth control). As a woman, I think it's important to understand our own bodies and have control over them. Know your bodies, know your options (and research them yourself - don't just go off of what you hear), then make a choice - that's all I'm saying.

megmay2591

I had Mirena for only 6 months before I had it removed. It was very painful after insertion, 5x worse than my menstrual cramps, and the pin was obviously in my uterus. My boyfriend could feel the "strings" hanging down, and I would often get very bad cramps in my uterus at random times of the month.

I would not recommend it, but it seems other women seem to like it.

daisynsunshine

it says in your own post that it prevents the egg from attaching to the wall, well it already fertilized duh, and I never said the copper went into the blood stream. So make sure you read a post correctly before trying to tell someone they are spreading wrong info:)

Hyperspace

It does hurt like absolute hell when they put it in-- no lies. But then you're done for 10 years.

Tzippy7

yea GET OFF BC PILLS. All my problems began with bc pills and im still working that weight off. I have a copper paraguard. I like it alot becuase its better than anything else i have tried. It has its issues though. I get cramps REALLY BADLY around and during my period. and i spot alot.

ktbia

Whew. A lot of replies!
I have the paraguard! I love it. It's been almost 4 years, my now-husband and I are very "active" and no babies!
I had the mirena and the hormones made me moody and gave me horrible migraines!

I have had children, but all csections. So i am not sure if my cervix was any different. It only hurt a bit.

I do have heavy periods.. but when i told my obgyn, she actually didn't think it was heavy at all. So maybe they aren't as bad as I think.

Anyways, I am sure I will keep my paraguard in for 10 years, I love it.!

Oh, and my dr wouldn't do the paraguard. Are you sure yours will? Mine only did Mirena and I ended up having to go to planned parenthood of all places!

bgrune131

Yes, my doctor will do the Paragard. I already made the appointment. Only a couple of weeks until I go in! She is the one who suggested to it me because I hate the side effects of BC pills!! I think that I'm definitely making the right decision and I cannot wait to get my Paragard! No regrets!

bahacca

I have the Mirena and am actually having mine removed/replaced as my 5 years are up. I wanted no hormones as well, but opted for Mirena after discussion with my doctor about increased flow and cramps which are often common with Paragard. I have HORRIFIC cramping and very heavy flow, so the thought of INCREASING what was already a crappy time wasn't in my best interest. I've not had a full period in years and am very happy.
Take a few advil about 30 minutes before your appointment to help with the cramping, etc. My insertion wasn't THAT bad-after all, I'd giving birth med free at home to 2 kids already;-)

bahacca

Oops-double post

elusivezero

I'm so desperate to get something like this done, also. I'm rather frightened about it but reading through this forum, I feel a lot better about it - still nervous, but I guess that's just how it goes with this sort of thing. I'm currently getting the depo jab every three months at the moment, and since the first shot I've gained a LOT of weight - of course, I don't blame it on the jab entirely, but I couldn't help but notice the extreme increase in appetite : /

brits111383

I have been on NuvaRing for 3-ish years and have really liked it, but (maybe due to stress, hormone build-up, whatever ... ) I didn't have a period for two months. It suddenly became really inconvenient and scary to take pregnancy tests every few weeks while on birth control. The 99% effective rate for NuvaRing sounded awesome at the time .... I started thinking about other BC options that are at least as reliable as NuvaRing, and so I've been thinking about IUDs and Implanon (the arm implants).

The thing is, I'm 28 and I haven't had kids, and I'm a really avid cyclist. I just started racing, and it's not uncommon for there to be crashes at races, especially in the newbie category. I've probably done 3-5 races, and already had one very soft fall during a crit (just a scraped elbow). It's enough food for thought, though.

Is there a risk of an IUD piercing my uterus if I were to fall in a particular way, especially considering that I would have a small uterus due to not being pregnant in the past? What about Implanon -- is that flexible enough that it wouldn't cause injury if I fell? I should have asked my doctor when I was in her office, but I forgot. I might have been distracted by the fact that she suggested that I stay on NuvaRing for a while to see if my cycle starts up with the 3 mos in/1 week out plan, despite the fact that she herself just told me that she had a new baby bump from forgetting to stay on the NuvaRing schedule! Yikes! (Luckily, I have a reminder set up on my calendar, and, to be fair, I got the impression that she wasn't totally worried about a surprise, unlike I would be.)

This month Old Flo was back, so I will be staying on NuvaRing unless I start skipping again. Still, I would love any thoughts on certain physical activities that could potentially put us at higher risk of complications.

One other thing -- is a pierced uterus something that women can recover from and have kids? At normal rates, or through extraordinary efforts?

Thanks, ladies!