IUD vs. the Pill

crystalfisher89
crystalfisher89 Posts: 196 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey you ladies out there, just curious if any of you have any experience of switching from the pill to the Mirena IUD? I read that some people have crazy weight gain or acne, then there are tons that have managed to lose more weight with an IUD and didn't have any side effects. What are your experiences? I am supposed to be having mine put in on in the next week. I'll be going to graduate school in a couple of years and may be facing not having adequate insurance for pills and what-not.

For any reference points that you may need, I am down to my last 10-15 lbs of weight loss, more focusing on losing body fat than anything. I eat anywhere from 1500-1900 calories a day as per my TDEE suggestion and workout 5-6 days a week- almost always a 500 cal burn or more.

Btw the my last 10-15lbs have been a B&$^%* to get off, I am borderline thinking the pill may be partially to blame....

Also, please don't insist condoms. I'm allergic to latex.

Thanks for the input!
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Replies

  • toodloo
    toodloo Posts: 58 Member
    I had a Mirena for about a year. Like you said, it gave me INSANE cystic acne, which I never had all through my teens or early 20s (I'm 26 now). I ended up going on accutane because I didn't realize Mirena was to blame. But once I put the pieces together and had it removed, the acne stayed gone even without accutane. Unfortunately I have tons of scars now. Obviously everyone is different so just because it happened to me, doesn't mean it will to you! But I do think it's a fairly common side effect. fwiw, the acne didn't develop until I'd had the Mirena about 6 months. I've heard it takes about a year to fully acclimate to it in terms of breakthrough bleeding, etc.
  • crystalfisher89
    crystalfisher89 Posts: 196 Member
    Thanks!! I already have bad acne and have been on medication since god knows when and I'm taking Biotin, which seems to have helped. I keep thinking that my pill was what made everything blow up on me. We shall see though. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed on this one!
  • ds1007
    ds1007 Posts: 67 Member
    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.
  • karenhray7
    karenhray7 Posts: 219 Member
    I had a really rough time with Mirena. After my second kid, I thought it would be great. But then every month, I felt like I was pregnant again. My doc said it was just my body going back to a "normal" menstrual cycle. Yeah, never felt like I was preggers when I wasn't taking the pill. I gained about 10 pounds. But then after I had it taken out, I gained 40lbs super fast. It was like blowing up a balloon!

    My sister, otoh, has had great success with it. So like everything else, it works different for each person.

    Good luck in grad school!!
  • crazegirl11
    crazegirl11 Posts: 1 Member
    I completely agree with the acne part! I never had acne as a high schooler, but in my 30's with an IUD it's been horrible! I have been using ProActive which has been a God send! I've had mine for 5 years and haven't noticed crazy weight gain (no more than usual). Overall, I like Mirena, just need to make sure that I always have my supply of ProActive!
  • jyynnie
    jyynnie Posts: 10 Member
    I've had my Mirena for 2.5 years now. I had it put in when my second child was 6 weeks old. It is the best thing I have ever done. I have had in 2.5 yrs maybe 3 days of very light spotting. No period, no cramps, no blahs. I haven't noticed anything regarding weight, but I don't think I would have noticed since I was freshly post partum. Good luck on whatever you decide to do!!
  • crystalfisher89
    crystalfisher89 Posts: 196 Member
    Thanks! According to my insurance, my IUD would only cost $10 because it's taken care of at the doctor's office. I figure $10 for 5 years is better than $120 a year for pills. My doctor didn't say anything about the failure rate, but I will definitely ask about that.
  • Shock_Wave
    Shock_Wave Posts: 1,573 Member
    How about have dude/s buy some condoms or just have dude/s just pull it out at the end... :wink:
  • rm7161
    rm7161 Posts: 505
    I've had copper IUDs. Was ok for a while, but then it started to cause heavy periods, which were no fun at all.

    Going to try Mirena soon. I cannot take the pill, as it causes hypercoagulability for me. *this is a bad, bad thing that put me in the hospital, some people cannot take the pill, and I am one of them.*

    Mirena doesn't have the hormone responsible for my issues (estrogen), and studies seem to indicate that it is actually pretty good for women with my problem as the hormone remains local and not taken up systemically.
  • sunshine11111
    sunshine11111 Posts: 48 Member
    I had the ParaGard (the copper IUD) for seven years and then had it removed. I didn't gain weight or get acne, but I did have very heavy periods. I didn't get pregnant either. I decided not to have the Mirena because it lasted a lot longer and didn't have the hormones like the birth control pills. I have a rough time with birth control and the hormones.
  • toodloo
    toodloo Posts: 58 Member
    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.

    True that some doctors won't put it in if you haven't had kids. My doctor was okay with putting it in even though I haven't had kids, but I imagine it's more painful because they have to literally pull open your cervix.. probably you don't have to tug at it as much if you've had kids. :) If you decide to do it, make sure you take a painkiller 30 minutes before the procedure! I forgot and it was... yikes.
  • kmshred
    kmshred Posts: 393 Member
    How about have dude/s buy some condoms or just have dude/s just pull it out at the end... :wink:
  • Justjamie0418
    Justjamie0418 Posts: 1,065 Member
    I have the Mirena. I haven't really been trying to lose weight, until about 3 weeks ago, and I have noticed it's not coming off as easily as it did before but it could be because 1. I'm doing insanity and 2. I am much closer to my goal weight now. I do get nasty acne sometimes with it, and its on my jawline/neck which indicates its all hormone. It sucks, but I have noticed an improvement using the Neutrogena Wave.
  • crystalfisher89
    crystalfisher89 Posts: 196 Member
    ^^^^^^ Toodloo THANK YOU. I have vicodine leftover from my wisdom tooth extraction if the pain is really as bad as what everyone says. Then again, I have a really high pain tolerance- i.e. I was up and cleaning my house the same day I had my three impacted wisdom teeth removed. Didn't phase me at all really. Hope that my pain tolerance can handle this. lol
  • crystalfisher89
    crystalfisher89 Posts: 196 Member
    How about have dude/s buy some condoms or just have dude/s just pull it out at the end... :wink:

    1) Allergic to latex and lamb condoms are expensive
    2) pull out method is only effective 30% of the time
  • Justjamie0418
    Justjamie0418 Posts: 1,065 Member
    I hope they were cracking a joke about the pull out method! It seriously is comical.

    I have 5 babies. 3 of which were ON birth control. I use the mirena AND demand a rubber or VCF sometimes. I'd love to close the factory down completely but its just so final!!!
  • anjiemr
    anjiemr Posts: 41 Member
    I gained about 15 lbs with Mirena for 3yrs...had taken out recently and no weight loss since.
  • chkn_WANG_Train
    chkn_WANG_Train Posts: 143
    I had the IUD put in about two months ago, and I'm healthy and looking forward to this whole 'no period' game. It was terribly painful to get put in, but they gave me laughing gas, which made it much more awkward. I've lost almost 10 lbs since I had it put in. No new ache, no hormonal mood swings. For the first month it was sort of painful to have sex.... as in I could feel the lil bugga. I was told by my doctor that during the middle of my ovulation cycle I will probably feel it since I did. I have dozens of friends who have the IUD and we are all very happy.
  • shrinking_cylon
    shrinking_cylon Posts: 33 Member
    I was on Yaz oral contraceptives for a while, and now I've had my Mirena IUD placed for a couple months now and I love it! Tbh, getting it placed was super painful for me, but I've experienced few unpleasant side effects (I get very sore breasts once a month, comparable to during a pregnancy) and, although my period still comes every month, it is MUCH lighter than before.
  • mamasmaltz3
    mamasmaltz3 Posts: 1,111 Member
    I have known two people close to me who had an IUD. One was my sister who had to have it removed because of a major infection it caused. The other person was a friend who got pregnant with it. I would not use it for those reasons and other personal reasons.

    I also don't use hormonal birth control because I personally don't believe in messing with our hormones.

    I've been married for 15 years and have used condoms and common sense to keep from getting pregnant other than the times that I wanted to.

    I hope you have done research and I pray you don't have complications.
  • littlebre33
    littlebre33 Posts: 318
    I was on Alesse (a low dose birth control) and I didn't seem to gain much weight at all, it helped decrease the heaviness of my period, but on the other hand I also got pregnant with my 5 month old son..lol..

    I now have the Copper IUD and so far the only issue i have is that you occasionally have some light spotting between periods, which is kinda awkward at times. I wanted to try the Mirena but my OB/GYN recommended the copper as I have had a child before.

    Good luck!! and at the end of the day..it may suck to gain a few pounds from a contraceptive but trust me you would gain 10 times more weight getting pregnant.. and the weight after the baby is sooooo much harder to lose :)
  • pamelalk
    pamelalk Posts: 70 Member
    hmm i have had mine for 2/5 years, was told it was painful to be put in, but actually except for a pinch, no big deal. have not gained weight or noticed any change in acne.. gone are the cramps and all the rest of the unpleasantness...but truly i think it works differently for every woman, i have had a side effect, but decided the side effect was easier to put up with than an actual period. research and hopefully you have a great doctor,
  • Buzymomof_3
    Buzymomof_3 Posts: 73 Member
    Done the pill since 14 (bad periods), did the IUD in my late 20's (removed because of infection). In my late 30s/early 40's it was the depo shot (loved that, no periods). Finally switched to Mirena Jan 2011. Have spotting, not enough even for a pad, but sometimes it's for 10 days in a row, then it's months with nothing.

    I've been heavy all my life, I've gained and lost with all the methods I've tried. I finally got serious this January and seem to be loosing appropriate to the effort I'm doing (diet and exercise). No acne. So I guess it just depends on you. Hopefully you'll have no issues.

    Good Luck!
  • chaffstealth
    chaffstealth Posts: 16
    Considering cost, I think it's worth a try. I'm currently rotating at OB-GYN clinic right now and I've heard good feedback from patients regarding IUD. Most providers recommend it too; they said overall they have seen the least side effects from the IUD. I should warn you about the pain, most women who never had kids had a tough time with it but since you said you have a high tolerance for pain I think you should be okay :) If in doubt, you may ask your provider for a low dose Cytotec to soften your cervix.

    If the IUD doesn't work for you for some reason, maybe try researching Nexplanon (implantable contraception) as that could be an option for you as well (good for 3 years).
  • Xmoiyax
    Xmoiyax Posts: 25 Member
    I'm 25, never had a child and no skin problems besides an odd pimple with the IUD, I've had it for about 4 years. I'm not going to blame my weight gain on it because I gained about 30lbs on the depo shot and had a minor stroke because of the hormones in the depo and the pill. Mirena was my only option for a birth control method.
  • theskinnyonme
    theskinnyonme Posts: 443 Member
    On my second IUD for 5 yrs. I had no issues with the 1 st and when time came up had second put in. I love it. I didnt have any acne and infact my periods disappeared all together. I had my first one put in in my late 20s after 3 kids. I am now 35 and i would recommend it.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    Contraception effects are just going to vary person to person. I know there are copper iuds that women whom have issues with hormonal issues can use as it's hormone-free. It makes the uterus a nasty environment for sperm so it's very effective. If you're that worried about hormonal side effects talk to your doctor about that.
  • SarahBeth0625
    SarahBeth0625 Posts: 685 Member
    I have had the Paragard copper IUD since October of 2011. I love it! It was a great "almost permanent" choice for me. I hated the pill, caused me to get 25+ migraines a month for 8 years. No hormones for this chica!
  • Doctorpurple
    Doctorpurple Posts: 507 Member
    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)
  • SarahBeth0625
    SarahBeth0625 Posts: 685 Member
    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)

    I agree. The IUD has a very high effective rate. It's at the top of the list after sterilization.

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