WOMEN ONLY! IUD Question

answer: i have the mirena. the hormones are contained within the uterus and the effects are simply marvelous. lighter to nonexistent periods.

it DOES hurt to get put in... for about an eighth of a second. and then it's just like menstrual cramps for an hour or so, and it's all over. five years later, i get a new one. if you go with paragard, you're good for 10 years, but will have normal to heavier periods.

edited to say part of the reason it hurt for me is because i've never been pregnant/given birth. i hear it hurts less for women who have. also, talk with your doctor. they're very skilled at distracting you and will give you a pain pill about a half hour before insertion in some cases and that helps with the cramping.

I had three kids before getting my Mirena in 2010 and it still hurt like hell. But, only for a minute or so and then cramping for a day or so after. Totally worth it. Love, love, love my Mirena and not really getting a period anymore.

I have had Paraguard for the last 3 years straight. So far no problems. My flow is heavier (not a big deal 2 kids later), and I remember insertion being unpleasant. Wasn't terrible enough to remember well though. Hormone free is so much nicer to my body then pills ever were, good luck.

Although, it does kind of scare me that some people say that they got pregnant while on Paragard. I do not want a child right now. Although, I know that people also get pregnant on BC pills. So, that may play a factor too.

There was someone just recently on the board I linked to who got pregnant on the Mirena so it happens (though very, very rarely) with both. Both IUDs are considered as or more effective than sterilization, so it's pretty much as safe as you can get! Those who get pregnant with either IUD usually have had it move out of place. Personally I don't advocate trying to check string length, I just make sure there's no plastic bit poking out of my cervix and that I can't feel the knot at the top of the string about once a week (when I remember).

Hi, I had an IUD about 7 years ago. It doesn't hurt too bad getting put in just a lot of pressure. Also, when it was time to get it taken out I had to have mine surgically removed because I have a long uterus. I liked the IUD but have heard many stories of ladies not knowing that it fell out and they got pregnant.

I've had the mirena IUD since November of 2005, and even had the old one removed (about a year early) and a new one put in. There was cramping involved, and it only lasted for about 3 or 4 days. Knowing that I'm 98% protected from an unwanted pregnancy at this stage of my life is totally worth it.

I got the paraguard about 5 years ago after a blood clot scare. It was recommended I go off of hormonal birth control.

I'm seriously the world's biggest wimp when it comes to pain and I found insertion "mildly uncomfortable". I had given birth before and insertion was done during my cycle, which apparently is the time to do it.

I've had no issues with heavy bleeding or anything since having paraguard. It has been great.

I don't think that I'd go with the Mirena simply because of the hormones. Paragard has zero hormones and that's what I'm wanting. I can't go completely off of BC because I'm not ready for children with my husband yet. So, it's either stay on the low dose BC pill I'm on currently (& paying $45/mo.)...or get the Paragard IUD which will last me at least 10 years, but can be taken out when I want to start having children.

I already have anxiety, but that's just my personality. LOL.

Before you have an IUD inserted check with your insurance company because some won't cover the cost of the insertion or the device

I am on the Copper IUD, and have never had any issues with it. It was a bit of a pinch going in, but honestly, it probaly has to do with your Dr. on how much it hurts. I have had a papsmear hurt worse than getting the iud put in, and it was just the difference in the Dr. You should just check it when you are showering to make sure its there and hasn't fallen out. The chances are slim that it would but it does happen. I have had mine for about 3 and 1/2 years. The great thing about it is that it doesn't have hormones that make you gain weight and if you are a really forgetful person like me, you don't have to worry about birth control at all for 10 years.

I have had two different IUD's. They both hurt slightly. I bled a little after both. They hurt a little to very uncomfortable for the first year. I cut down on the caffiene a lot and that really helped. I did fine after insertion of both. Check to see if you insurance will pay for it though. Mine did not pay for the Merina.

I have the Mirena IUD. I had one for five years, then got a new one two years ago. Its been wonderful. I didn't experience pain when it was put in - just felt like a pelvic exam. Maybe a little cramping afterwards. After ninety days, I had NO MORE PERIODS and haven't had any in seven years, which has been absolutely wonderful.

I personally use a diaphragm cause I've heard horrible things about both paraguard and mirena..no hormones involved so no weight gain, no side effects, and no pain.. and I've had 100% prevention on it.

I have Merena! No problems. It didn't hurt and I have no menestral craps and no cycle. Love it!!!

I really think I want to change from Copper to Merena.

I got Mirena after the birth of my twins 3 years ago. I will not be getting a new one when it expires in 2 years. It took over a year for my bleeding to stop. I litterally bled at all times for over a year. I got rashes from it being continually damp in that area because the bleeding wasn't enough for a tampon so I continually had to wear pads. After the year mark my ob put me on a birth control pill in hopes that it would regulate my period. It took 3 horribly hormonal months but it got it figured out. Now I have a week and a half period and approx 2 and a half weeks of non bleeding. I hate it and can't wait for it to be over. The only thing good was that I don't have to worry about getting pregnant again until I am ready. And the only reason I haven't had it taken out is because it cost me 400 bucks to have it put in with insurance and to have it removed costs 300 bucks. I am getting my 700 bucks out of this stupid form of birth control if it takes all five years. As for my husband he felt it poking him for 2 years. Made him not want to continue and "gun shy" in a way which also sucks. Hope this helps you.

Sounds like they trimmed your strings too short if they were poking your husband for that long. Mine were left long enough to curl around the cervix and I've never had that issue. Had your Dr done many insertions before?

I can't believe they're charging you that much to take it out. All they have to do is pull the strings with forceps - unless it's a more complicated removal (i.e., the strings disappeared back up into the cervix, etc.) that's ridiculous.

I've had intermittent bleeding ever since I got my Mirena, and my acne came back a little, but I had so many issues with pills that I'm sticking with the IUD.

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 actually a very common misconception about IUDs. IUDs work by stopping sperm from reaching eggs. No sperm = no fertilization.

http://www.fhi360.org/en/RH/Pubs/Network/v20_1/NWvol20-1IUDsperm.htm

When a foreign body is in the uterus, the endometrium reacts by releasing white blood cells, enzymes and prostaglandins; and these reactions of the endometrium appear to prevent sperm from reaching the fallopian tubes. In addition, copper-bearing IUDs release copper ions into the fluids of the uterus and the fallopian tubes, enhancing the debilitating effect on sperm.

Evidence for these mechanisms includes physical examination of women's eggs. When an ovum is fertilized, it begins to produce human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) near the time of implantation. A 1987 study to monitor hCG production in 40 women using IUDs found only one probable fertilized egg among 107 cycles. "Whatever the IUD's specific mechanism of action, it appears that the IUD effectively interrupts the reproductive process before implantation," the study concluded.4

Another way researchers have documented the IUD's mechanism of action is to recover an ovum during a woman's fertile period. Using this approach, researchers recovered ova from 115 women using no contraception and 56 women using IUDs.

Half of the women using no contraception who had intercourse during the fertile period had ova that were consistent in appearance with fertilized eggs. In contrast, none of the ova taken from copper IUD users who had intercourse appeared to be fertilized. Also, no ova were found in the uterus of any of the copper IUD users. "IUDs exert effects that extend beyond the body of the uterus and interfere with steps of the reproductive process that take place before the eggs reach the uterine cavity," concluded Dr. Frank Alvarez and colleagues.5

The levonorgestrel IUD, called an intrauterine system, uses different mechanisms. Like other progestin methods, this device prevents pregnancy primarily by thickening cervical mucus, which inhibits the ability of sperm to enter the uterus.

You're WAY more likely to have a fertilized egg fail to implant or implant and then miscarry if you're not using an IUD.