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Tigntink posted:This is America. I had insurance through a very large high tech company when I got Paragard and it still costed me over $350 out of pocket. That's the thing. I'm American too. 
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Jan 24, 2012 09:15
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I have what most people would consider is "very good" health insurance, and they don't cover anything gynecological basically unless I'm dying of cervical cancer (but they don't pay for the pap smear to check). Its incredibly frustrating and insulting. Then, add on that in Massachusetts everyone theoretically has insurance, so planned parenthood expects $500 up front the day of insertion, no payment plans, nothing. If I had Massachusetts state health care I guess it would cover it? Going to planned parenthood is just as expensive as going to an obgyn here - $200 for an annual exam either way. Luckily they have a program that's $60 for a clothes on consultation for birth control, which my boyfriend helped pay for me. My prescription plan makes birth control pills/patch/ring only $10-15. Basically I'm just whining. Luckily I adore my nuvaring when it hasn't given me side effects so i just keep on trying with it. Shnooks fucked around with this message at 10:30 on Jan 24, 2012 |
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Jan 24, 2012 10:26
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Shnooks posted:Basically I'm just whining. I think it's totally OK to whine about basic loving healthcare being so damned expensive.
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Jan 24, 2012 16:18
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I know Mirena is great for periods, but how is it for crazy bad PMS? I do get some acne and mood swings, but the main problem is I get so bloated it fucks with my digestion and makes me feel sick a lot. It's extremely uncomfortable and also pretty noticeable. I've been on LoSeasonique for almost 9 months, and while it worked great the first 3 months, it's been losing its ability to control my PMS symptoms ever since (and after those 3 months, it gave me month-long bleeding/spotting every other month). My doctor wants me to switch to Seasonale because it's stronger, but I'm wondering if the same thing will end up happening after a certain amount of time. I'm definitely still going to try it, but since so many people in this thread have said great things about Mirena, I've been thinking about that too. I do also have heavy, painful periods so the Mirena would be a huge help in that department since the pills don't seem to do poo poo for that, but I haven't heard anyone say about its usefulness for anything other than controlling periods.
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Jan 24, 2012 16:40
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It'll be about as good as any other hormonal birth control, but like the rest mileage varies from person to person. I've read Minera can cause acne problems, but this also varies.
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Jan 24, 2012 17:07
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Kerfuffle posted:It'll be about as good as any other hormonal birth control, but like the rest mileage varies from person to person. I've read Minera can cause acne problems, but this also varies. I don't think this is quite true. I'd expect the Mirena to be quite a bit better as it's much better at controlling periods without the major spotting that occurs with most other hormonal methods (even seasonale and seasonique are very prone to the spotting issue). A lot of the bloating and digestive discomfort I experienced with my periods is gone now with the Mirena, and has stayed gone pretty much the entire time. It faded with the lightening of my periods and went away all but entirely when they did. The only time I've had it occur again is when my first Mirena started to get old and my periods started to creep back in. That said, I'm pretty sure I've got a bit of increased acne from Mirena relative to being on the pill, but it's more of an all the time than a cyclical thing and is pretty well controlled with normal anti-acne stuff.
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Jan 24, 2012 17:18
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BigGayLogan posted:I'm still on my parents' insurance, and my Mirena was covered through them. I paid a total of around $35, including the copay. Even though IUDs are meant to last for several years and require minor surgery, for lack of a better term, I'm somewhat surprised at what some of you had to pay even with insurance! That's just not right... I'm still on my parents' insurance too. Paragard would have been covered completely, with me only paying $25 copay for the visit, but the student health center here doesn't take my insurance so I had to go to the hospital's OB-GYN clinic. I suppose I could have looked for a non-hospital doctor, but I knew the clinic would be super happy about giving my nulliparous 23-year-old self an IUD. Unfortunately I had to pay hospital billing, which ended up about $350.
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Jan 24, 2012 18:49
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BigGayLogan posted:That's weird. Couldn't you have lied and said you wanted an IUD for your period? Because that's the reason I'm on any type of birth control and my doctor actually encouraged me to get an IUD. Plus on Mirena's website and commercials and other media, they say that it's also approved for heavy/painful periods. I wish I had known ahead of time. I only spoke with insurance after picking up my Mirena - We pay up front and then fax them a copy of the prescription and the receipt in order to get whatever money they cover. They told me that Mirena was not covered due to my lack of heavy periods, and at that point obviously it was too late to call my doctor and be like "Uhh I lost my prescription for Mirena... and although for the past zillion years I have told you that my periods are normal, they are actually horrendously heavy, so can my prescription reflect that?" If I had known beforehand, I just would have lied.
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Jan 24, 2012 19:08
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uptown posted:I wish I had known ahead of time. I only spoke with insurance after picking up my Mirena - We pay up front and then fax them a copy of the prescription and the receipt in order to get whatever money they cover. They told me that Mirena was not covered due to my lack of heavy periods, and at that point obviously it was too late to call my doctor and be like "Uhh I lost my prescription for Mirena... and although for the past zillion years I have told you that my periods are normal, they are actually horrendously heavy, so can my prescription reflect that?" No harm in asking your doctor. At worst case scenario, they say no. Best case, you can now get Mirena and have it covered.
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Jan 24, 2012 19:38
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Too late, as I posted on the last page, I have a Mirena and do not plan on getting another one after the 5 years.
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Jan 24, 2012 21:01
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Geolicious posted:I think it's totally OK to whine about basic loving healthcare being so damned expensive. Then I don't feel bad about whining about the loving ridiculous time I've been having to get my insurance company to pay for my Implanon. I called before making the appointment to make sure it's covered, months later I get a bill from the Drs office saying I owed $680, the exact cost of the implant, minus my $20 copay. The insurance company decided to cover everything but the device itself. I wrote them a letter to appeal the decision after talking with a few different people, and they got it but haven't said anything either way yet. I was told they'd have a decision in 30 days and it's been almost 2 months I think. It's gonna suck if they decide not to cover it and I'm SOL because I just graduated and have no real job prospects right now.
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Jan 25, 2012 01:53
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Ceridwen posted:I don't think this is quite true. I'd expect the Mirena to be quite a bit better as it's much better at controlling periods without the major spotting that occurs with most other hormonal methods (even seasonale and seasonique are very prone to the spotting issue). Yeah, they are. I didn't have any issue with random spotting/bleeding when I first started LoSeasonique (my doctor wanted me to try it because she thought it would work better at controlling my PMS/bleeding, which was true at first!), but after 4 months it started becoming a real pain. I also started having my period every month whether I'm supposed to or not, which causes even more problems. I don't know if it's just my body getting used to this pill or what, which is why I'm on the fence about whether or not switching to Seasonale will help in the long run. Can't hurt to try, in any case. Good to know about your experience with Mirena, though! I know everyone's body is different, but a lot of people in this thread seem to have a good deal of success with it compared to pills which is why I was curious. I'll see what happens with the Seasonale, but Mirena is starting to sound like a better option in the long run.
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Jan 25, 2012 19:33
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I feel like I should know this, but in the two years I've had my Mirena, I've never had to take antibiotics so this is a first. Do antibiotics decrease the effectiveness of the Mirena? The NP I saw today wasn't sure, so I was going to ask the pharmacist. I just wanted to get a pre-answer! I'll be taking a 4-day z-pack, if that helps.
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Jan 25, 2012 21:35
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Aceofblue posted:I feel like I should know this, but in the two years I've had my Mirena, I've never had to take antibiotics so this is a first. Do antibiotics decrease the effectiveness of the Mirena? The NP I saw today wasn't sure, so I was going to ask the pharmacist. I just wanted to get a pre-answer! I'll be taking a 4-day z-pack, if that helps. I had to be on antibiotics for 10 days and they didn't say anything about interactions to me. Honestly, half of the way your Mirena works is physical: it's a thang in your uterus saying "no babies allowed because I'm living here."* You should be fine. I didn't even spot or anything (which I did last time I was on BC and antibiotics, but that was Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo which is quite different in composition etc.). *okay this is vastly oversimplifying a mode of function that I believe isn't even entirely understood scientifically, but whatever. It works.
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Jan 25, 2012 22:23
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So the Nevada Division of Insurance got back to me today saying the only reason an insurance provider offering coverage within Nevada could deny BC coverage (drugs or devices) was for religious affiliation. I'm trying to get them a copy of my policy, but my insurance might be busted on this one. Though, my hopes aren't too high, I have a feeling there's some loophole. Also, I do not know if this has been posted but here as a link directing to contraceptive equity laws in 26 states: http://www.nwlc.org/resource/contraceptive-equity-laws-your-state-know-your-rights-use-your-rights-consumer-guide-0 Edit: Oh wow. The NDI told me to ask about getting a different IUD rather than Paraguard or Mirena and maybe my insurance will cover that. Apparently her knowledge of IUDs is slim. *sigh* Geolicious fucked around with this message at 23:39 on Jan 25, 2012 |
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Jan 25, 2012 22:46
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Aceofblue posted:I feel like I should know this, but in the two years I've had my Mirena, I've never had to take antibiotics so this is a first. Do antibiotics decrease the effectiveness of the Mirena? The NP I saw today wasn't sure, so I was going to ask the pharmacist. I just wanted to get a pre-answer! I'll be taking a 4-day z-pack, if that helps. From what I remember from a pharmacy goon posting in here, only a handful of antibiotics actually reduce effectiveness. The other kinds can cause vomiting/diarrhea which physically reduces effectiveness if the pill was recently taken, which is why back up is recommended. Some kinds like Nuvaring aren't effected at all, it wouldn't surprise me if Mirena was the same since it also directly delivers a hormone dose. It never hurts to ask your pharmacist if you're worried though. 
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Jan 25, 2012 23:33
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Eggplant Wizard posted:I had to be on antibiotics for 10 days and they didn't say anything about interactions to me. Honestly, half of the way your Mirena works is physical: it's a thang in your uterus saying "no babies allowed because I'm living here."* You should be fine. I didn't even spot or anything (which I did last time I was on BC and antibiotics, but that was Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo which is quite different in composition etc.). That's what I thought, especially since most of the literature says that even if a pregnancy were to occur, it would never keep due to the physical barrier. My fiance made sure to still ask the pharmacist though, since he's just as anti-baby as I am.  Pharmacist told us that the Z-pack isn't one that they even warn pill-takers about and said we shouldn't worry.
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Jan 26, 2012 00:43
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I think my IUD came out. I can feel the strings way the gently caress down at the entrance of my vagina. Made an appointment, but I have to wait for tomorrow morning. They said if my bleeding is bad enough to soak a thick pad over the course of an hour I need to go into urgent care. Freaking the gently caress out, you guys.
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Jan 26, 2012 02:26
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uberwekkness posted:I think my IUD came out. I can feel the strings way the gently caress down at the entrance of my vagina. Made an appointment, but I have to wait for tomorrow morning. They said if my bleeding is bad enough to soak a thick pad over the course of an hour I need to go into urgent care. Freaking the gently caress out, you guys. Are you bleeding? More than you have been since insertion? Are you in pain? I think you would have felt it if your IUD had somehow slipped through your cervix. It is a REALLY small hole. Remember, your cervix moves around during the month, and your vagina changes in depth depending on arousal etc. It is possible that your strings feel lower down because your junk is in a slightly different configuration, or perhaps the IUD has settled somewhat low in your uterus so the strings feel longer. I would try to take deep breaths and not freak out unless you are bleeding big time. If you are bleeding big time, then yes, go see a medical professional ASAP.
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Jan 26, 2012 03:00
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I am bleeding, kind of like a heavy period. But I can't tell if it's to do with the IUD, or if it's actually my period. Not really in any pain. A friend freaked out and got me an appointment in a few hours with Oregon Medical Group, so I'll see how it goes. Edit: Wooowwwww never mind. My friend is a dumbass and thought I was in my hometown (2 hours away). Guess I'm waiting until 11 tomorrow. uberwekkness fucked around with this message at 03:30 on Jan 26, 2012 |
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Jan 26, 2012 03:09
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uberwekkness posted:I am bleeding, kind of like a heavy period. But I can't tell if it's to do with the IUD, or if it's actually my period. Not really in any pain. If you're not in pain, you are like 99% for sure okay. You would KNOW if your IUD had expelled.  You will be just fine.Probably yes, you are on your period and your junk moved around a bit so your strings feel longer, and you're probably bleeding a little extra heavily because you got a thing shoved up in there recently and your uterus is all "WHAT THE gently caress MAN, I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS."
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Jan 26, 2012 14:01
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Eggplant Wizard posted:"WHAT THE gently caress MAN, I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS." I had to laugh at this. I'm pretty sure if my uterus said that, I'd ask her where she ever got that idea from. IUD front: I have to first try to file an appeal with my insurance, but if that doesn't work, the Nevada Division of Insurance will step in.
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Jan 26, 2012 16:24
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Not that I'm going to do this, but I was wondering about removal of the IUD... and whether it can be done by oneself. I went and did some casual Googling and there are all these women who couldn't get a doctor's appointment for some reason or another, and were all 'I just waited till the end of my period and grabbed the strings!'  Everything is excellent on the sex front; I think possibly the numbing agent was to blame for the initial meh-ness of getting it on: my partner said very diplomatically that on the day after my fitting I felt 'more dilated than usual and very soft... but nice' on the inside. Also, I didn't realise quite how tidy condoms made everything. So much post-coital clean-up necessary now.
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Jan 26, 2012 23:41
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uberwekkness, any updates? How did your doctor's appointment go?Medium Blue posted:Not that I'm going to do this, but I was wondering about removal of the IUD... and whether it can be done by oneself. I went and did some casual Googling and there are all these women who couldn't get a doctor's appointment for some reason or another, and were all 'I just waited till the end of my period and grabbed the strings!' 
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Jan 27, 2012 00:29
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Eggplant Wizard posted:More like 
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Jan 27, 2012 00:54
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Eggplant Wizard posted:uberwekkness, any updates? How did your doctor's appointment go? Sorry for the wait. Was with my mom, then found out my grandpa's dying, so I had to pack a lot and go home with her. Anyway, everything's fine. Gyno checked me out and said the strings are just where they should be. It was pretty much what exactly what you said. Cervix was likely in a weird spot, and the bleeding is just my period showing up in confusion because there are no pills telling it when to come over anymore. Thanks for the reassurance, and concern.
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Jan 27, 2012 08:22
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uberwekkness posted:Sorry for the wait. Was with my mom, then found out my grandpa's dying, so I had to pack a lot and go home with her. Yikes not an easy couple of days for you. I am glad it was nothing, but I'm sorry about your grandpa. 
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Jan 27, 2012 13:55
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The emotional side-effects go away eventually, right...right?  I am praying my Nuvaring treats me as well as it did two years ago.
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Jan 28, 2012 15:16
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Shnooks posted:The emotional side-effects go away eventually, right...right? Eh, I was nuts on the ring from about a month after starting it until I stopped using it 11 months later.
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Jan 28, 2012 18:08
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Trip Report! I had a Mirena put in yesterday - thanks to all the previous posters I made sure to take Ibruprofen beforehand and took the whole day off work. I was really expecting the fitting to hurt like hell, but weirdly it didn't - I haven't had children so my cervix certainly isn't used to having things shoved through it, but the sounding and placement of the device itself wasn't painful as such, just uncomfortable and quite frankly, felt bloody odd. On a side note, does anyone else always worry that they're going to fire the speculum across the room? That may be just me. Anyway, after the legs akimbo, hands all up in my junk business, I get dressed and sit down for the end of consult. And promptly fainted. After a few minutes I was back to normal, but my thighs were cramping like hell - felt like the worst period pains I'd ever had. I got a taxi home, more painkillers and curled up in bed with my electric blanket on full. It took about 8 hours for the cramps to ease. Today I'm supposed to be back at work, but I've taken the day off as I was still hurting this morning. Now I just have to wait and see if the Mirena deals with the 10-day-plus periods that seem to be the norm for me now. Overall though, one and a half days of discomfort for five years of little to no periods and being baby-free is a pretty good deal.
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Jan 28, 2012 19:12
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Shnooks posted:The emotional side-effects go away eventually, right...right?
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Jan 28, 2012 20:03
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I think Shnooks maybe is talking about her recent Plan B experience? Could be wrong, and if so yeah, 3 months is usually the amount of time to wait to see if side effects are going to stick around. If it's Plan B-related, I would think it would clear up sooner than that.
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Jan 28, 2012 21:02
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Oh I thought she was off Nuvaring after using it previously, my bad.
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Jan 28, 2012 21:31
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Our insurance rep I am talking to says my insurance follows all federal mandates. I told her I am talking state mandates and trying to explain to her what contraceptive equity laws in the US mean (I'm dealing with Canadians here) and how they don't just apply to policies issued within the state (at least not in Nevada). She did say, though, that sometimes they aren't aware of all the state specifics until someone brings it to their attention. What does this mean to you guys?: NRS 689B.0376 Policy covering prescription drugs or devices to provide coverage for drug or device for contraception and of hormone replacement therapy in certain circumstances; prohibited actions by insurer; exceptions. 1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 5, an insurer that offers or issues a policy of group health insurance which provides coverage for prescription drugs or devices shall include in the policy coverage for: (a) Any type of drug or device for contraception... Subsection 5 is a religious exemption. No where in the code have I found anything that says Nevada policies only. Should I just stop trying to fight it and pony up? I don't know that I have the energy to fight these people.
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Jan 28, 2012 22:05
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Eggplant Wizard posted:I think Shnooks maybe is talking about her recent Plan B experience? Could be wrong, and if so yeah, 3 months is usually the amount of time to wait to see if side effects are going to stick around. If it's Plan B-related, I would think it would clear up sooner than that. No, it's about my Nuvaring. What happened was I was on Nuvaring for about two years but stopped a year ago when I suddenly started having excessive discharge from it. I loved it, I was legit so disappointed to have to stop taking it. Then about two weeks ago I had my Plan-B experience and I decided to go back on birth control. I talked about my options with the doctor I saw at Planned Parenthood, and based on cost + lifestyle, we decided to try Nuvaring again. Meanwhile I'm like depressed and moody as gently caress, and it's only getting worse as I get closer to my period, but I'm unsure if it's the ring that's causing it or my life - I have been having a difficult time lately and it frankly could be either one or both at the same time, I don't know. I just really, really want it to work  I know with SSRIs they say after 3 months the side effects should subside, I wasn't sure if it was the same with birth control. Edit: This will be my 2nd period this month, maybe that's what's making me nutty.
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Jan 29, 2012 04:31
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Shnooks posted:No, it's about my Nuvaring. What happened was I was on Nuvaring for about two years but stopped a year ago when I suddenly started having excessive discharge from it. I loved it, I was legit so disappointed to have to stop taking it. It could be the bc, your life, or a combination of the two. :/ I'm personally on my second rag of the month as well (just a week in between), but I'm on Implanon and I've reconciled the inconvenience of irregular bleeding for the benefits of 3 years of worry-free protection. Implanon does have a lower hormone dose than Nuvaring (I never got the mood swings/depression from Implanon that I had when I was on Depo) so perhaps it's just your body readjusting to the hormones and you'll even out. Try to stick it out for at least 3 months: if you're still having negative side effects you can try something else. I can't praise Implanon highly enough; I do have the irregular bleeding but the benefits way outweigh the costs, and it's a good method for those of us who don't want to bite the IUD bullet.
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Jan 29, 2012 05:45
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Shnooks posted:No, it's about my Nuvaring. What happened was I was on Nuvaring for about two years but stopped a year ago when I suddenly started having excessive discharge from it. I loved it, I was legit so disappointed to have to stop taking it. I still love my Mirena. I especially love that I won't have to deal with insertion for ~5 years. Hopefully, since I'll be 30 at that point (  ), I can get permanently sterilized.
ladyweapon fucked around with this message at 20:10 on Jan 29, 2012 |
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Jan 29, 2012 06:46
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2508084 posted:Hopefully, since I'll be 30 at that point ( If you find someone who will do it, you let me know and I'll fly goddamned anywhere to get it. I'll be 30 in October and I still have not found a doc who will agree to do it. I still get the 'ole "oh you'll change your mind" routine. I only recently (August) found one who OK'd the IUD.
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Jan 29, 2012 06:56
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You ladies need to move to the PNW. I got my paragard at 22 with no fight at all. It was fantastic.
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Jan 29, 2012 23:39
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Hi, thread. I've been on Yasmin for the last four or five years, and while I've had very few problems with it, I've had an increasingly hard time remembering to take it and would like something a little less hands-on. I originally was looking at Devo, but the experiences of people on it here and elsewhere have made me a bit , so now I'm looking at Impalon or Mirena instead. However, I've had recurring yeast infections for the past year (which nothing seems to help more than a few weeks, even Diflucan ), and the booklet my gyn gave me for Mirena says not to use it if you have or have had multiple vaginal infections. I found some results for that on Google too, so now I'm unsure if getting an IUD would be a good idea at all, and wanted to know if anyone had any knowledge about this. Granted, I know hormonal BC side effects is pretty much a crapshoot, but I would like to steer clear of more yeast infections/UTIs if possible. My gyn didn't mention anything about this with the IUDs, just that it wouldn't be a good idea for me to get the Nuvaring because it can cause infections.
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Jan 30, 2012 05:55
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