what do you think? if you have it.

[nytemist]

 

[upgrading mama]

??

 

[nytemist]

Sorry! What I wrote didn''t post.

Long, long ago, probably in August or something like that. I asked what should I do about birth control. I had asked everyone''s opinion about what you like, dislike and what is working for you. After clearing up an annoying spotting issue (sorry if that''s TMI) and plenty of thought, I decided on the IUD. I''ve had it for a week and a half and I''m still getting used to it.

Does anyone else have insight to how long it took them to get used to it? Or if they had problems?

 

[Skippy123]

Gosh, I had a friend wh had a problem with hers and had to get it taken out and then put back in. I never had one. I wonder how common they are as an alternative to birth control?

 

[nytemist]

My aunt had a problem with hers, but it was way long ago when they had to be taken off the market. They are completely different now. My GYN has placed about 200 in her career and not one woman she has seen has had a problem. I''m hoping mine is just as agreeable.

Because of the stigma of past issues, they aren''t really widely used in the US, but common in Europe.

 

[ephemery1]

I always thought it sounded like a great birth control option... the risks of the old ones are virtually gone from the newer versions, and it is SO low-maintenance. But I was under the impression it is a better option for a woman who has already had a baby, so I always assumed I''d just wait until I''d had my children before going that route....

Hope it works out for you, Nyt!

 

[SuzyQZ]

Date: 2/1/2007 8:03:58 AM
Author: ephemery1
I always thought it sounded like a great birth control option... the risks of the old ones are virtually gone from the newer versions, and it is SO low-maintenance. But I was under the impression it is a better option for a woman who has already had a baby, so I always assumed I''d just wait until I''d had my children before going that route....

Hope it works out for you, Nyt!

Yes, this is what I was told also.

When I was in my early 20''s I had a copper 7 put in even though I had not had any children. I NEVER got used to it. I always felt it and it was just something that I "knew" was there, can''t really explain it, not painful at all, just something foreign in my body.

I had it removed about 10 months later because I developed cysts in my ovaries that required surgery. The doctor said that the copper 7 didn''t contribute or generate the cysts in any way, but I was never convinced that that was the case.

I think that an IUD is a better option for some women than others. If it is something that you need to "get used to", then your body is saying "not for me"

. Just MHO.

 

[dancingqueen]

I have the copper kind (Paragard). I''ve had it for about a year now and I love it! I''ve had absolutely no problems. I had non-stop issues with the pill/hormones and went through about 5 different brands including nuvaring.

I''ve also never had children and my doctor did an ultrasound and "measured" my uterus. Based on that, he thought I was a good candidate and it''s worked out great.

 

[SuzyQZ]

Once I reread my post I want to clarify, lest someone misunderstand that I'm recommending against an IUD.

I actually was really disappointed that it didn't work for me. It would have been the perfect solution. My doctor never did an ultrasound or measured to see if I was a good candidate. Maybe if he had I would have been marked as not a suitable candidate.

I'm all for any form of birth control. Everyone is individually suited better for some kinds vs. others. I was just sharing my experience. I am saying "listen to your body" when it comes to your personal health care. I really feel that if I had given my own feelings more weight than my Doctor telling me that this sort of birth control takes time to settle in, I probably could have avoided 10 months of uneasiness because of it. I was young and not very confident. I felt that the doctor knew more about my healthcare than I did.

 

[partgypsy]

I''ve never used an IUD, and it may be irrational, but I don''t think I ever would, the main reason is that it often makes periods heavier, and my periods are heavy enough, thank you. The second is the horror stories. My mother in law got pregnant with one, and the fetus basically grew around the IUD so it was not viable, but it was before Roe vs. Wade, so she had to WAIT, with the unviable fetus growing in her until it endangered her life before she could have an abortion. Okay, you say, older version.

Second story, modern IUD. 5 years ago a good friend gets an IUD for birth control, unfazed by my paranoia. she misses her period but is busy with school, etc. She did not even realize she was pregnant for the entire first trimester! because of course she cant be pregnant, she is on birthcontrol. She finds out shes pregnant. But because of the location of the IUD irritating the ammniotic sac she goes into labor early (25 weeks) and they cannot stop it. Thankfully the baby was able to pull through, but he was in the hospital for 3 months. Not a good way to have a child.

(husband going in for a vasctomy this month) partgypsy

 

[goldengirl]

I got my Mirena put in the first of December. I'm used to it now -- I definitely understand what SuzyQ means about being aware of it, as I was just very "conscious" of it for the first three weeks or so -- but it doesn't bother me at all now. I am spotting periodically, which is obnoxious, but I'm also still in the transitionary phase so who knows if that'll clear up.

I like the hassle-free-ness of it. And I put on about 25 pounds with Depo, so no way was I going back to that. =P

I just want to clarify for partgypsy that the copper IUD can make your periods heavier, but the Mirena usually makes them lighter and/or disappear completely.

Also, you do still have to check it to make sure it's in place and hasn't shifted - if your girlfriend didn't, her IUD could have moved and would not have been effective. And why didn't they remove the IUD? If a pregnancy occurs when an IUD is in place and the pregnancy isn't ectopic (most likely type of pregnancy with an IUD), they remove the IUD to prevent future harm to the fetus. I think perhaps your friend just didn't have a very knowledgable doctor. =/

 

[sevens one]

Date: 2/1/2007 3:38:26 PM
Author: goldengirl
I got my Mirena put in the first of December. I''m used to it now -- I definitely understand what SuzyQ means about being aware of it, as I was just very ''conscious'' of it for the first three weeks or so -- but it doesn''t bother me at all now. I am spotting periodically, which is obnoxious, but I''m also still in the transitionary phase so who knows if that''ll clear up.

I like the hassle-free-ness of it. And I put on about 25 pounds with Depo, so no way was I going back to that. =P

I just want to clarify for partgypsy that the copper IUD can make your periods heavier, but the Mirena usually makes them lighter and/or disappear completely.

Also, you do still have to check it to make sure it''s in place and hasn''t shifted - if your girlfriend didn''t, her IUD could have moved and would not have been effective. And why didn''t they remove the IUD? If a pregnancy occurs when an IUD is in place and the pregnancy isn''t ectopic (most likely type of pregnancy with an IUD), they remove the IUD to prevent future harm to the fetus. I think perhaps your friend just didn''t have a very knowledgable doctor. =/

Sorry to Hi-Jack

Hello Golden Girl. Haven''t seen you around these parts in a while.
I hope all is well with you.

 

[partgypsy]

I probably shouldn''t diss a form of birth control I have not used, just my prejudice from my limited experience with it.

My friend''s doctors did not remove her IUD because by the time her pregnancy was discovered it would be more dangerous to remove it than leave it where it was. I think her care was excellent, and they actually went above and beyond for her premature son. Her doctors say it was a freak accident that she got pregnant, but the fact that I know 2 people it happened to, that''s enough for me.

 

[VegasAngel]

I personally have never used one. On my 2/2006 baby board one womans Mirena perforated through her uterus, and is in the surrounding tissues. She has to get surgery. I dont know if that is a common thing to happen though. A few women have also become pregnant while using it mind you they just had babies 2/2006 & are due again in 2007

.

 

[nytemist]

The kind that I have is the Mirena. This one does usually make the periods lighter since the hormones in it make the lining thinner. I decided against the Paraguard for that reason; it making them heavier. I wanted to ask people here because I don''t know anyone personally who has one. I''ve read up on them so much and I know everyone is different, but I wanted to know real life experiences. I''ve been feeling pretty good; i don''t have the actual physical awareness now, just the mental "wow, something is in there".

The old way of thought is that they preferred to place them in women who had had a child so that the uterus would be more stretched out, for lack of a better term. It can still be placed in a woman who hasn''t been pregnant, but those women have to be more watchful for expulsion or preforation. My GYN has told me to be aware in the first six months but not to go overboard with worry.She thought it was a good choce for me since I have no desire at all for children. Add it to the fact that I don''t ovulate as I should, she thinks it''s even a smaller chance I''ll ever get pregnant.

 

[diamondfan]

Not to be too forward, but if you do not want to have kids, and are sure, why not a tubal ligation? Then you have nothing in you, no hormomes to take...I did it, after I was done having kids, and I have no regrets, since the pill made me terribly sick and the diaphragm was not a viable option to me...

 

[Blenheim]

I''ve had a Mirena since early December. My doctors and I agreed that hormonal birth control really wasn''t working with my body. Granted, the Mirena does have some hormones in it, but 1% of what the pill has and it''s much more localized.

I was pretty crampy for the first week, but it went away and I haven''t noticed it since. My doc told me that the risk for expelling it is highest in the first couple of months, although she hasn''t had any patients expel theirs. And while there is the risk of preforation, it''s really low and she hasn''t had it happen to any patients.

Like you, I did a ton of research first. Actually, my gynocologist told me that the questions I was asking were really refreshing, as they showed that I had really done my research beforehand. Just to address a couple of points -

My impression was that the reason they''ve historically wanted to put them in women who have had children was twofold. First, their cervixes have been stretched out by childbirth, so that it''s easier to put them in. However, it''s completely possible to put them in women who have never given birth (myself included). I think that more and more doctors feel comfortable doing it now. Second, some of the older IUDs had strings that could cause infections to spread to the uterus, ultimately causing infertility. They wanted to make sure that you were able to have kids if you wanted to, before exposing yourself to an increased risk of infertility. Not a problem with the new ones.

As with any other method of BC, some people become pregnant with them. However, if you look at the percentage of women who use different methods as prescribed/directed, the Mirena IUD is more effective than I think any other. Less than 1% of users get pregnant within a year, whereas (according to planned parenthood) 8% of women who are on the pill get pregnant within a year.


Also, I think that it''s awfully telling that a much larger percentage of female gynocologists have IUDs than the general female population. My gyno and my regular doctor both have them in...

 

[nytemist]

I thought about tubal ligation once before. I had to have abdominal surgery a long time ago (for something very different) and really didn''t want to have surgery again. I was one the phone with my doctor today and she told me as long as I''m not feeling anything, I should be good. I haven''t felt crampy the past 2 days, so i think my adjustment has passed. It''s just god to have the real world experiences from others.