IUD vs. the Pill

Doctorpurple

If you don't want the hormonal size effects of the IUD (acne, weight gain, etc.) why not try Paragard (copper IUD). That's what I have and I really have no issues with it except maybe heavier periods.

KeepCalmNGetyaSweatOn

There are conveniences and draw backs for both. IUD is nice because you don't have to worry about it. It's there and constant. The pill is nice because you can stop taking it when ever you want and it doesn't take as long to clear out of your system (in the event you want to conceive.) I found the IUD to be very painful as I attempted to have it done numerous times and it kept coming loose and causing severe hemorrhaging. Like said pro's and con's for both. I wish the IUD had worked for me

crystalfisher89

Thanks everyone! I have done a ton of research and had a very long conversation with my doctor. I spoke with my boyfriend about our future plans for children and we are planning on trying to conceive in around 5 years- we want to get married next summer and me go to graduate school and get that completed, then start the new chapter in our lives with children. I'm not terribly worried about the acne since I am already on medicine for it, just from the research I've done, so many people complain about the weight gain, but I think that just pops up because people complain more than praise some things? What I am hearing overall from you all is that it's give or take, but most are pleased- minus the pain.

As for my OB/GYN- fortunately, his records are good, he's never punctured a uterus while inserting an IUD and almost all of his clients are pleased with the IUD.

AngelineTheBaker

After I had my son I got Mirena, and had it removed nine months later.

My doc told me that 50 percent of patients stop getting their period entirely. What he didn't mention is that the other 50 percent can have CONSTANT spotting. It was like having a light period for nine months.

After switching back to Nuvaring (which I have been nothing but thrilled with) I just feel better overall.

I swear that the IUD made me more emotional, and more hormonal, and I am not the only one to experience that -- if you read The Great Fitness Experiment blog, she had the same experience. I also gained weight even though I was eating well and running 40 miles a week.

Everyone is different, but for me, it was terrible, and worth the money to have it removed.

ElizabethKG1983

I found it just as easy (or hard lol) to lose weight on the pill and with the IUD. I had more side effects with the IUD though and ultimately got it removed. I know some people hate the pill and love the IUD and vice versa and I just happened to do better on the pill. Weight loss though was the same for me with both.

kr1stadee

I had the Mirena placed in September 2012. Same time I started here. It hasn't caused any weight gain what so ever.
Acne, I only get it the week before my period comes.
My period is my only complaint thus far. It isn't tapering off (yet- it's only been 6 months).. it's a little longer and heavier (sometimes) This month has been lighter but about 9 days long. Last month is was kind of hell, and 14ish days long.

When it was inserted, it did hurt (and I had 2 kids, both close to 10lbs, both were vaginally delivered). It was painful!!
I was crampy for about 2 days afterwards, spotted off and on during the first 30 days, then things went back to normal.

I love it (so far, like I said, it's only 6 months)
I was crazy on the BCP because I wouldn't take it the same time each day, and the hormone levels were dropping and spiking at crazy times. I was a mad woman!! Now, I'm a mess (total ***** mode) the day I start, and that's it. My hubby just hides that day LOL

Mia_RagazzaTosta

I had a Mirena for almost two years. I loved it at first; no period, no spotting, but about a year and a half in, I started having really bad cramps and started getting my period again. My husband was getting fixed anyway, so I had it taken out. MD said it had migrated out of its initial spot and that was probably why I was having pain and bleeding, etc.

My weight gain or lack of weight loss from any contraceptive was my own fault, not the pill's or the IUD's. I overate and didn't move enough. Just like there isn't a pill out there that magically makes fat disappear, there isn't one that makes fat magically appear.

scwilson38

I had horrible side effects with the pill. I had the Mirena put in after my third child and I love it. I have had it 3.5 years. Occasionally spotting for one to two days otherwise I am great. I used to have heavy bleeding so that is not a big deal for me. I have just started this weight loss journey and I have been losing weight and inches. I took an ibuprofen before the procedure and I had a little cramping but nothing major like everyone was telling me. No complaints with the Mirena. I love it!!

KittieLea

I switched from the pill to Paragard. The hormones made me CRAY so I wanted to try something that was hormone free.
Insertion hurt like a b!tch, but I was told it's more painful if you haven't had kids (which I haven't). Other than that, I have no complaints. I've had it since September 2011 and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

blably

the pill made me feel all wacky, and ruined my skin...and on top od it got me preggo lol so im for the n.ring all along i freakingly love it

blably

I switched from the pill to Paragard. The hormones made me CRAY so I wanted to try something that was hormone free.
Insertion hurt like a b!tch, but I was told it's more painful if you haven't had kids (which I haven't). Other than that, I have no complaints. I've had it since September 2011 and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

here you cant even get it before you have kids.

Jodycnd

I've had mine for three years now and haven't had any problems. When I stick to my diet and exercise regimen I lose weight, when I fall off the wagon, I gain. I lost about 45# after my 1st was born and after my 2nd I'm only down 15lbs, but I've been a lot less dedicated than I was the first time, so I wouldn't say Mirena had any effect on my lack of weight loss.

It has been about 2 1/2 years since my last period and that makes me happy. Both my daughters were conceived while I was on the pill so this gives me a lot of peace of mind! Like others have said, I don't think I'm ready for permanent bc, but this is a great alternative for me.

Edit: I don't remember that much pain when it was inserted. Maybe similar or a little worse to what it feels when I get my regular checkup done.

shellma00

I have had my Mirena for 4 years. I love it. No periods, No problems, No acne, not sure about the weight gain, but I am not having problems losing as long as I stay on track with my exercise and calorie goals. I do know that my Dr's office will also not insert a Mirena in women who have not given birth before, so you may want to talk to your Dr about that, just in case. I am a mother of 2 and my youngest just turned 7 so it was a few years after she was born that I got the Mirena.

Mia_RagazzaTosta

I switched from the pill to Paragard. The hormones made me CRAY so I wanted to try something that was hormone free.
Insertion hurt like a b!tch, but I was told it's more painful if you haven't had kids (which I haven't). Other than that, I have no complaints. I've had it since September 2011 and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

here you cant even get it before you have kids.

You can get Paragard before kids. It's Mirena that most providers won't place unless you've had a child.

meredith1123

I switched to the Mirena because I got pregnant while taking birth control pills due to not taking them RIGHT ON TIME each and every day.
I used the Mirena for 2.5 years. the first 3 months i had a constant cycle that slowly faded away. Per the REP from Mirena, i was told this is fairly normal as long as the cycle is tapering off little by little.
So, then after that i had a great experience with it for a year. After that, my cycles started acting up and next thing you know i'm back to having cycles a couple times a month and sporatically.
I never had a weight gain issue although I do hear that is a side effect. I also never had mood swings or any of the other side effects which is good because typically any medication gives me side effects.
So after 3 months of constant sporatic cycles, I scheduled to see my gyno. I ended up having to go for a vaginal sonogram. oh fun.... yea.... not.
turns out the darn thing SLIPPED and i had to have it removed.
So - before removing it - i consulted more with my gyno/dr of 12 years and after discussing why i wanted to have the Mirena in the first place, we realized the best thing for me would just go for a laparoscopic tubal because my point in the contraceptive for me in the first place was because i dont want anymore babies!!! So i went in for the surgery, and they removed the IUD while i was under since it would be a little uncomfortable anyway.

I dont recommend it with out doing serious research and discussing your concerns with your Dr. Also the insertion depends on the person. I would describe it as a papsmear times 50!!!!!

another friend of mine had one and she had it removed within a year due to cramping, illness, uncomfortableness with the actually IUD and mood swings.

SimplyDenyse

I had a nightmare experience with my IUD. I wanted it after my 2nd baby because i knew were were going to wait 3-5 years for baby #3. I thought it would be easy, cheaper in the long run ect..

Painful being put in, they couldn't find it 30 days later (looked with ultrasound). Tried for baby #3, 3 years later. After a year of trying had dye test done to see what was wrong and found it, had it surgically removed. Got pregnant, had etopic prgnancy, had right fallopian tube removed. Then got pregnant again but had an early miscarriage.

I would advise anyone who asks me to go with another plan. Nuva ring or pills but avoid the IUD. I see commercials now about law suits over it and I see the 'did this happen to you?' and I just wish i would have seen all that before i made that choice. Yes its rare to have issues but if you do have issue it sucks. Its been a year since all that happened to me, I was very depressed and gained a bunch of weight which is why i am now here

eliseofthejungle

I had issues losing weight while on the pill, and only lost it when I went of BC entirely. I have the copper IUD, not Mirena, so I can't comment on it specifically. BC hormones just make me crazy so I wanted to avoid them. I assume insertion is similar and I didn't have any discomfort or anything when mine was put it, but I have had a baby.

I also wanted to point out that the FDA has recently approved a hormonal IUD similar to Mirena (and, in fact, made by the same company) specifically for women who haven't had children. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/09/skyla-iud-intrauterine-device-_n_2442434.html

murphy612

I wanted to go onto an IUD and off the pill, as my husband and I pretty much don't want kids and I really don't want to have to think/worry about it. My doctor & her practice will not put an IUD in someone who has not given birth. According to her, and some research I've done, the failure rate is really high (70%) for women have have not given birth. Apparently your body isn't used to something way up in there (if you've had a baby, the IUD is way smaller than that, so the body ignores it) and long story short, your immune system treats it like an invader trying to get rid of it, hence why so many women (who have not given birth) have really bad side effects. Also, it's not cheap, so for what it costs and the failure rate, I decided to go with NuvaRing.

This is wrong by the way. This is an old school belief. Older physicians tend to shy away from using IUD to nulliparous women (never had kids) because of the bad reputation of IUD. The so called "high failure rate" is only due to rejection which happens in the first few months. Even amongst nulliparous women, the rejection rate is rather low. If the IUD stays in place the effectiveness is 99.7% whether the person had kids or didn't have kids before. The size of the uterus accommodates the IUD (its very very small) unless you have a abnormally shaped uterus. By the way, I never had kids and I've had the IUD now for about 6 years (I have the copper one which last up to 10 years)

^^^ Exactly. You wrote exactly what I was going to write but now I don't have to. :-) I hate when doctors are not currently informed and pass these old beliefs/myths onto their patients. Actually reading this thread has made me sad to see so many misinformed women regarding BC options :-(


I'm nulliparous and I've had the Paraguard for 8 years now without any complications. I will never go back to anything with hormones.

NutellaAddict

I pulled and prayed for years 30% effective? I think not.

petstorekitty

From what I understand the weight gain associated with birth control is related to the hormones. Mirena is the IUD with hormones. There is one without hormones. It is called ParaGard (Sorry if someone already said all of this, There were a lot of responses to sift through.

I've been on more variations of birth control than i can remember. Some made me gain weight, some made me crazy, some were fine. Low dose hormone is *less likely* to cause weights gain.

My doctor insisted on the non-hormone IUD for me because of a history of mood problems he thought were associatedwith the pill.
I know a couple people with the Mirena IUD who have no had any weight gain issues. One girl says her periods are way heavier, the other says they are non-existant. Mine are average.

Even though I have not had kids, I am 30, so they did not have a problem giving me the IUD.
I hear that a lot of doctors won't give it to a woman who has not given birth. I admit it was painful to have it put in, probably as a result of my space night being stretched out from babies, but it's a nice alternative.

My insurance covered it 100% and it's good for 10 years. I just have to go get checked once a year like you're supposed to anyway.

A number of my friends had trouble getting pregnant after taking the pill for years and then stopping. I donno if you want babies but that's something to consider also.

not having to deal with bc hormones has really changed my life so I'm a big fan.

lsmsrbls

I've had a mirena for 4 years and I am thrilled with it. I haven't had any problems losing weight on it. The only noticeable side effect I've had (no period) I really like.

I had a series of bad side effects with the various pills I tried.

sarahharmintx

Im also allergic to latex.

I had a Paragard IUD for almost 6 years. I loved that little thing and had zero side effects.

Took it out about a month ago to start baby making.

Tercob

I am on my second Mirena, never had any problems. I got my period once in 8 years, very light and only for 2 days. I already had weight problems so I wish I could blems it on that but no I was a known fatty. I have 2 cousins who are also on it and no problems. Good luck in your decision.

MrsB123111

My cousin had TERRIBLE cysts develop on her ovaries due to Mirena. It almost caused her to have to have a hysteretomy and she was only 23!

That is an extreme case, but I wanted to put it out there... I am on the Nuva Ring. Non-invasive, no pain, and it's free with my insurance! I only have to deal with it every 3 weeks.

AliciaStinger

How about have dude/s buy some condoms or just have dude/s just pull it out at the end...

You clearly did not read the original post, and should not have passed sex ed. If that's supposed to be funny, it's not.

Mia_RagazzaTosta

I pulled and prayed for years 30% effective? I think not.

*snort

meredith1123

I had a nightmare experience with my IUD. I wanted it after my 2nd baby because i knew were were going to wait 3-5 years for baby #3. I thought it would be easy, cheaper in the long run ect..

Painful being put in, they couldn't find it 30 days later (looked with ultrasound). Tried for baby #3, 3 years later. After a year of trying had dye test done to see what was wrong and found it, had it surgically removed. Got pregnant, had etopic prgnancy, had right fallopian tube removed. Then got pregnant again but had an early miscarriage.

I would advise anyone who asks me to go with another plan. Nuva ring or pills but avoid the IUD. I see commercials now about law suits over it and I see the 'did this happen to you?' and I just wish i would have seen all that before i made that choice. Yes its rare to have issues but if you do have issue it sucks. Its been a year since all that happened to me, I was very depressed and gained a bunch of weight which is why i am now here

If i hadnt already been down the Mirena road and read THIS ^^ story, it would be enough to say nevermind! no IUD for me. Your story isnt the first i've heard in regards to it just disappearing??? It's like What the...???
I was lucky i guess, mine slipped and they found it.

Resa52

I've had my Mirena for nearly three years. Was off the pill for about 11 months before that but prior to that time, had been a long time pill user (that sounds so bad) LOL

I've loved loved loved my experience with Mirena. Installation wasn't too painful, was a bit sore for a few days after and have never had any issues. No weight gain, no acne, nothing. I started gaining weight about 2.5 years after I got it, so I'm fairly confident that for me, it wasn't at all related.

JHarr454

2) pull out method is only effective 30% of the time

30% of the time it works every time!

Seriously though, I've had some luck with this method as long as you don't try to use it during high risk times of the month. Not for everyone. Also only used it at times the world wasn't going to end if we got pregnant.

SarahBeth0625

I had a nightmare experience with my IUD. I wanted it after my 2nd baby because i knew were were going to wait 3-5 years for baby #3. I thought it would be easy, cheaper in the long run ect..

Painful being put in, they couldn't find it 30 days later (looked with ultrasound). Tried for baby #3, 3 years later. After a year of trying had dye test done to see what was wrong and found it, had it surgically removed. Got pregnant, had etopic prgnancy, had right fallopian tube removed. Then got pregnant again but had an early miscarriage.

I would advise anyone who asks me to go with another plan. Nuva ring or pills but avoid the IUD. I see commercials now about law suits over it and I see the 'did this happen to you?' and I just wish i would have seen all that before i made that choice. Yes its rare to have issues but if you do have issue it sucks. Its been a year since all that happened to me, I was very depressed and gained a bunch of weight which is why i am now here

If i hadnt already been down the Mirena road and read THIS ^^ story, it would be enough to say nevermind! no IUD for me. Your story isnt the first i've heard in regards to it just disappearing??? It's like What the...???
I was lucky i guess, mine slipped and they found it.

The one thing to keep in mind, though, is that of course you will see the horror stories online because people don't go post onto forums, "My IUD is in place as it should be and working great!" but the majority of the time, that is the case. The instance where an IUD comes out is a rare one, and while it does happen, that is why it's recommended you check the strings once a month (as I do). So far, so good and we're 1.5 years into this thing. No surprises, and I am a fertile one (pregnant 5 times, with 2 miscarriages and 3 children here... before IUD, if we had sex during a fertile time, I would be pregnant, LOL).