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Please tell me these cramps subside  I'm already taking the 800mg of Ibuprofen 3x a day and using my heating pad and they're incredibly uncomfortable (like a 5-6/10 on the pain scale). I'm barely even bleeding anymore. Is it just from my uterus freaking out over what's in there? I'd imagine it's probably pretty angry Please calm down, uterus.
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Feb 22, 2012 17:55
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Shnooks posted:Please tell me these cramps subside It's cranky because of the insertion. I think it took a few days before the insertion cramps went away for me (I, too, never cramped before this). The second and third days were the worst, only because the cramps never let up. No bleeding, either. I got some mild, random cramps throughout the time between my insertion and next menstrual cycle as well. It improves, I promise. I'm on my 4th cycle after my Paragard insertion and it is definitely improving over time. Sometimes I still get hit with kinda lousy cramps, but I soldier onward. Regular exercise seems to help the most in preventing and improving my symptoms. Definitely heavier periods, but they seem to be inching back toward my old cycle as far as length.
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Feb 22, 2012 18:15
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TotallySmurfedHer posted:I want to get my groove on with my new dude and would never do so without being on birth control. I haven't been on birth control for 4 years and when I was I had to go through like 8 of them because of the severe nausea it caused. Has anyone else had problems with birth control making them so nauseous that they have been unable to stay on it? I've taken the anti-nausea medication for the first few weeks while taking the meds and it still doesn't do anything. I'm not partial to the idea of having sex sans birth control. And yes, before anyone puts two and two together, this means I haven't had sex in like 4 years. I was with a guy who was a virgin and waiting till marriage for sex. I was willing to deal with that because I loved him and we didn't end up breaking up because of that. It was the horribly mentally abusive crap he would do that ended our relationship. Thanks for your help! How many different pills did you try? I've had reactions ranging from mild nausea for a few days at the start of taking the pill, to so sick I was unable to get out of bed without puking for 3 days when starting it, followed by constant nausea that caused me to lose 15lbs starting ~3 months in. Different pill...different reaction. The only thing that ever let me get away from the nausea altogether was getting a Mirena IUD instead of using the pill. Several of the pills I tried had a totally manageable level of nausea though (usually a couple days when first starting or if I had to take two pills at once because I missed one). It was that they also gave me migraines and did nothing to help my periods that caused me to get the Mirena.
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Feb 22, 2012 20:51
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Shnooks posted:Please tell me these cramps subside I'm about 2 weeks past my first period with the copper IUD and it wasn't until that ended that I stopped cramping. I was crampy on and off till then, which was poo poo. What helped with the discomfort as well as my mood was lots of hot bubbly baths, and of course Ibuprofen. I'm SO happy with my IUD now! Actually come to think of it, they said to schedule a check-up after 6 weeks, but... can I not? I don't know if I have time.
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Feb 22, 2012 21:44
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Ceridwen posted:How many different pills did you try? I've had reactions ranging from mild nausea for a few days at the start of taking the pill, to so sick I was unable to get out of bed without puking for 3 days when starting it, followed by constant nausea that caused me to lose 15lbs starting ~3 months in. Different pill...different reaction. I took like 4 different ones and the nausea kept getting worse with each next one I took until I vomited so much on one that I broke two ribs. Not fun. The nausea may have been magnified by the antidepressants I was on at the time, which is no longer an issue. So things may go easier this time around.
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Feb 22, 2012 22:00
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Medium Blue posted:I'm about 2 weeks past my first period with the copper IUD and it wasn't until that ended that I stopped cramping. I was crampy on and off till then, which was poo poo. What helped with the discomfort as well as my mood was lots of hot bubbly baths, and of course Ibuprofen. Mine was after 3 months. It would be better if you do get it checked out. The highest chances for issues are within the first couple of months. Better safe than sorry. TotallySmurfedHer posted:I took like 4 different ones and the nausea kept getting worse with each next one I took until I vomited so much on one that I broke two ribs. Not fun. The nausea may have been magnified by the antidepressants I was on at the time, which is no longer an issue. So things may go easier this time around. What have you been on before?
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Feb 22, 2012 22:25
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I have IUD questions too! Regarding the sliding scale cost for an IUD at Planned Parenthood, does insurance factor in? If I have insurance will it cost me the full amount, even if my income is low? My insurance has a $300 deductible and only covers 80% of the cost, so I'm looking at around $400 to $500 if I go to some in-network obgyn. For you ladies on Paragard, did the heavier periods and worse cramping side effects lessen after some time? It's the only thing that's keeping me from seriously looking at finally getting this thing since I already want to spend the first day or two in the fetal position. I'm kind of suspicious about my periods for reasons I won't go into; if there is something wrong, would having an IUD make diagnosing it harder? Should I go get stuff ruled out beforehand? I haven't pursued it because $35 office visits add up and because every obgyn has poopoo'd my concerns away. (The last one, who also made me stop giving a poo poo, had to Google what constitutes a heavy period. I was like, lady, I already did that.  ) Sorry if these exact questions have been asked before; I know there has been a lot of IUD discussion in this thread.
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Feb 22, 2012 22:39
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Yes insurance will factor into the sliding scale, but we have no way of telling how much. If you think something's up with your ladyjunk, get it checked out. There is absolutely nothing we can tell you about your situation without information, and even with information, we'd tell you to see a doctor. If you already have heavy periods, I wouldn't go for a Paragard personally... A Mirena (  ) would be more likely to help with that, while a Paragard might make it worse.The side effects will depend on you as a person, so people's anecdotes can't do much but give you a baseline for comparison. (I think I sound a little terse here but it is not meant to be so. Smiley faces of goodwill  )
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Feb 22, 2012 23:05
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Eggplant Wizard posted:A Mirena ( Hormones tend to make me batshit insane so I'd prefer to stay away from them completely. Otherwise I'd go for the Mirena. Paragard seems like the best non-hormonal choice? (Didn't sound terse at all, no worries! )
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Feb 22, 2012 23:13
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Paragard is the best non-hormonal choice in terms of efficacy, yes. I would definitely talk to a doctor about it before you get too gung ho on it though, just because you say you have heavy periods otherwise. Not knowing what you've been on before, I can't promise you the Mirena would or wouldn't be better than the other hormonal things you've tried, but it does have only one kind of hormone (as opposed to most pills & other hormonal methods), and it has a very very small amount of that hormone since it is able to work more or less directly on your ovaries. It's definitely an option to think about. Implanon is the same deal, though it has more hormone than Mirena (still much less than other methods, though, and much less painful to insert/remove).
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Feb 22, 2012 23:27
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Eggplant Wizard posted:Paragard is the best non-hormonal choice in terms of efficacy, yes. I would definitely talk to a doctor about it before you get too gung ho on it though, just because you say you have heavy periods otherwise. I've tried only birth control pills (Levlen, Tri-Levlen, Sprintec, Tri-Sprintec, and Mononessa - in that order) and Plan B (once). Mononessa made me insane for the month and a half-ish I was on it, and Plan B made me crazy for a week or two after taking it. For the others I was already depressed and some seemed to make it worse. I'm also leery of hormones due to their possible negative effect of strength and muscle gains (I'm about to start competing in powerlifting.) although I can't remember if it's because of estrogen or progesterone or both. I want to say it's the progesterone, but I guess nobody even really knows for sure; I wish there were more studies. I think there's one. In any case, I will talk to a doctor first. My periods got heavier when they started getting painful, so maybe that's all related.
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Feb 22, 2012 23:57
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Well, I know Schroedinger (sp? something like that) does lifting and posts in here sometimes, so perhaps she can chime in on that issue. Good luck with the doctor!
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Feb 23, 2012 00:01
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muscat_gummy posted:I have IUD questions too! Four months out, things are improving. However, I had painless, 4 day periods with one "heavy" day before I got Paragard. Now I have cramps that annoy me rather a lot for at least a day or two and it lasts for 6ish days with at least one truly heavy day. If you already have heavy flow & bad cramps (and that turns out to not be caused by something fixable), I would not recommend it.
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Feb 23, 2012 00:45
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muscat_gummy posted:
Yeah, about the eight month mark things really calmed down for me.
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Feb 23, 2012 04:35
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fine-tune posted:Four months out, things are improving. However, I had painless, 4 day periods with one "heavy" day before I got Paragard. Now I have cramps that annoy me rather a lot for at least a day or two and it lasts for 6ish days with at least one truly heavy day. If you already have heavy flow & bad cramps (and that turns out to not be caused by something fixable), I would not recommend it. I had horrendous cramps before my paragard and with paragard they were pretty much exactly the same for the first 4 months and after 6 months the cramps actually lessened and now i'm a year out, perfectly regular, and my periods are actually shorter! But only by about a day but man its nice and it plays well with my diva cup and my acne is doing better than it was on hormonal bc. Paragard was easily the best decision i've ever made and I really can't screw it up which is awesome.
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Feb 23, 2012 07:37
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TotallySmurfedHer posted:I took like 4 different ones and the nausea kept getting worse with each next one I took until I vomited so much on one that I broke two ribs. Not fun. The nausea may have been magnified by the antidepressants I was on at the time, which is no longer an issue. So things may go easier this time around. You might have an easier time with a progestin only pill or the Nuvaring. It's worth talking to your doctor about. Figured I should post an update to my IUD freak out from a couple of pages back. I had an ultrasound last Friday and the IUD is positioned right where it should be in my uterus. I stopped bleeding heavily pretty quickly, but am still having light spotting and cramping now, which is kind of odd since I've only spotted for 2 or 3 days total in the last 18 months. Unfortunately, since the strings are not visible I'm in for another not-so-fun removal. I've been referred to the OB/GYN office in town and have an appointment for March 16th to have it removed (which will almost certainly involve dilating my cervix). Not sure why my uterus feels the need to suck the strings up inside it every time. The last removal (same situation) was very painful and I'm not looking forward to this one at all. At least I know to have them numb my cervix right off the bat instead of trying to get the IUD for ten minutes w/o numbing it first.
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Feb 23, 2012 07:45
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Eggplant Wizard posted:What have you been on before? I've been on the patch, Yaz, the ring and the last was too long ago to remember. I'm not sure I gave the ring enough of a chance. I was in a show at the time and kept vomiting in the back stage bathroom so I had to take it out because I'm a good actress, but there's almost no way to redeem yourself if you vomit onstage. The funny thing is the past 2 times I've taken Plan B, back when I was even more of a youngin' and made a lot of mistakes, I had almost no problems and none of them were nausea.
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Feb 23, 2012 08:11
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Sorry to hijack this thread, but have any of you done/heard of this "ibuprofen method" they talk about on IUD_Divas? Basically you take 600mg of Ibuprofen every 6 hours and it's supposed to reduce your menstrual bleeding. Cramps are gone, luckily (enough that I could move and use heavy equipment around today) but my bleeding is getting heavier and it's making me cranky.
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Feb 24, 2012 01:16
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Shnooks posted:Sorry to hijack this thread, but have any of you done/heard of this "ibuprofen method" they talk about on IUD_Divas? Basically you take 600mg of Ibuprofen every 6 hours and it's supposed to reduce your menstrual bleeding. I've never heard of it myself, but it seems like if anything ibuprofen would have the opposite effect since it is a (mild) blood thinner and vasodilator. It might help reduce your cramps, which I guess could slow down the flow? I'd also be a bit concerned about taking that much ibuprofen in a day personally, but I can't find a clear answer on how much is considered too much so take that with a grain of salt.
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Feb 24, 2012 01:38
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My doctor told me to take 600mg of ibuprofen per day for my knee, so that at least sounds ok. Per 6 hours may be too much, though.
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Feb 24, 2012 01:41
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Shnooks posted:Sorry to hijack this thread, but have any of you done/heard of this "ibuprofen method" they talk about on IUD_Divas? Basically you take 600mg of Ibuprofen every 6 hours and it's supposed to reduce your menstrual bleeding. The doses that were studied were much lower than that: 200-400 mg of ibuprofen every 8 hours (so 600-1200 mg total per day).
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Feb 24, 2012 01:55
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NaturalLow posted:I've never heard of it myself, but it seems like if anything ibuprofen would have the opposite effect since it is a (mild) blood thinner and vasodilator. It might help reduce your cramps, which I guess could slow down the flow? The OBGYN who inserted my IUD said that the ibuprofen would actually decrease my flow. I think only Tylenol is a blood thinner? Drei posted:My doctor told me to take 600mg of ibuprofen per day for my knee, so that at least sounds ok. Per 6 hours may be too much, though. It's not for pain, it's for reducing menstrual flow. Really weird. The ladies on IUD_Divas also swear by Vitamin E.
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Feb 24, 2012 01:56
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Shnooks posted:It's not for pain, it's for reducing menstrual flow. Really weird. I was referring to the post above, about whether it was a safe dosage. Just adding my personal experience with doctor recommendations for a safe dosage being more than what the bottle says.
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Feb 24, 2012 02:04
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Shnooks posted:The ladies on IUD_Divas also swear by Vitamin E. A really quick literature search only found a single study from 1983 looking at vitamin E for heavy menstrual bleeding, but I couldn't gain access to it. If it were me, I would try the more well-studied treatments before going with the vitamins, especially since vitamin E itself is not harmless. I understand the irony in this statement, but you really shouldn't rely on an online forum for medical advice.
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Feb 24, 2012 02:06
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DRP Solved! posted:A really quick literature search only found a single study from 1983 looking at vitamin E for heavy menstrual bleeding, but I couldn't gain access to it. If it were me, I would try the more well-studied treatments before going with the vitamins, especially since vitamin E itself is not harmless. I'm not, that's why I'm asking before I do anything. I figured someone here would know :| Edit: I poked around PubMed and found these papers. I'm not a scientist and the results aren't huge dealbreakers, but it's still interesting Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for heavy menstrual bleeding Role of prostaglandins in IUD-associated uterine bleeding--effect of a prostaglandin synthetase inhibitor (ibuprofen) This one looks like it looked at all of the studies on PubMed, and did a study on it...Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for heavy bleeding or pain associated with intrauterine-device use Shnooks fucked around with this message at 02:19 on Feb 24, 2012 |
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Feb 24, 2012 02:09
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Shnooks posted:The OBGYN who inserted my IUD said that the ibuprofen would actually decrease my flow. I think only Tylenol is a blood thinner? Aspirin is the big one to watch out for, but ibuprofen will also thin your blood a bit. Tylenol/acetaminophen does not have that effect.
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Feb 24, 2012 02:27
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Shnooks, if you're concerned about your bleeding, call a doctor and ask! I know you got it at PP, so call them. They'll be able to tell you what's normal. I do not remember how much I bled when I got my IUD... I know I was crampy for a day or two afterward and gross stuff came out, but I don't remember astonishing amounts of blood. TotallySmurfedHer posted:I've been on the patch, Yaz, the ring and the last was too long ago to remember. I'm not sure I gave the ring enough of a chance. I was in a show at the time and kept vomiting in the back stage bathroom so I had to take it out because I'm a good actress, but there's almost no way to redeem yourself if you vomit onstage. The funny thing is the past 2 times I've taken Plan B, back when I was even more of a youngin' and made a lot of mistakes, I had almost no problems and none of them were nausea. Well, my advice would be to get a doctor's appointment or go to PP and talk to them about your history. They might have you try a pill, but you could also ask about doing a mini pill (tend to be progestin only, MUCH more sensitive about what time you take it than the other kind of pill). I suggest that because it might be that it's the estrogen/higher levels in general that bothered you with the other methods (NOT A DOCTOR). If you're okay on just progestin, you could look into Implanon or Mirena, which are more reliable than a mini pill (no user error). I wouldn't probably go straight for one of those given the seriousness of your nausea previously... if it turns out they also make you nauseated, it's harder for you to get rid of the IUD or the implant, and they're also expensive. Implanon would be less of an issue than Mirena, though. Other options are of course condoms or the copper non-hormonal IUD (Paragard). Read up on the things I've suggested (mini pill, Mirena, Implanon, Paragard). You'll get a sense of what each one is and how it works-- since they're all rather different-- and be able to ask better questions when you see your doctor. The most important thing is to make sure your doctor/PP/whatever is aware of your previous history with BC and with the severity of your nausea. Lots of people get nausea on birth control, so your healthcare provider might be inclined to blow it off if you do not specify "I barfed forever and broke a rib" (okay with less hyperbole) (maybe).
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Feb 24, 2012 02:28
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Shnooks posted:I'm not, that's why I'm asking before I do anything. I figured someone here would know :| That is fair, though theoretically we (this thread) are no more reliable than the ladies at IUD_Divas, so a real-life doctor or pharmacist or physician would be the most appropriate person to confirm that information for you. With that said, I did give a recommendation for an ibuprofen dose just a few posts above!
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Feb 24, 2012 02:38
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When I was worried about my bleeding (turned out to be my period) I was told that if you soak a super absorbent pad or tampon in an hour, you need to go to urgent care. I'm guessing less than that and you should be okay. If you're concerned though, a trip to the doctor may be worth it just to ease your mind.
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Feb 24, 2012 05:12
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Can different generics of a pill cause different side effects? I've been on Ocella for the last few years without any issues, but in the last month, I switched drugstores and this one carries Syeda, and ever since I started taking it, I've been having terrible mood swings. Granted, I'm getting off the pill once I finish this pack, so it's not a huge deal, but I was just wondering.
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Feb 25, 2012 04:46
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lambeth posted:Can different generics of a pill cause different side effects? I've been on Ocella for the last few years without any issues, but in the last month, I switched drugstores and this one carries Syeda, and ever since I started taking it, I've been having terrible mood swings. Granted, I'm getting off the pill once I finish this pack, so it's not a huge deal, but I was just wondering. Yes. It seems the inactive ingredients in generic birth control can cause side effects they didn't have on the name brand in some women.
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Feb 25, 2012 04:54
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lambeth posted:Can different generics of a pill cause different side effects? I've been on Ocella for the last few years without any issues, but in the last month, I switched drugstores and this one carries Syeda, and ever since I started taking it, I've been having terrible mood swings. Granted, I'm getting off the pill once I finish this pack, so it's not a huge deal, but I was just wondering. Yup. I used to be a pharmacy technician and people would have problems with switches between both. Take comfort in the fact that they are most likely what is causing the mood swings and not some outside issue.
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Feb 25, 2012 08:00
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Holy gently caress my strings are ridiculously long. Can I get them cut short sooner than a month D:? I've had to start using my menstrual cup because I'm too poor to buy tampons anymore. I figure if I take it slow and stop if I feel any tugging I'll be ok. I only empty it twice a day. I'm so nervous because the strings are so long...I want to believe it's lodged up in there good
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Feb 25, 2012 16:23
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Shnooks posted:Holy gently caress my strings are ridiculously long. Can I get them cut short sooner than a month D:? My strings are pretty long, too (need to get them trimmed), so I just make sure they're tucked up as much as possible. I do that every time I empty my cup and go slowly & break suction when I remove it. So far, so good!
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Feb 25, 2012 21:45
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Aaaaand tonight they're like short as hell. I swear, my cervix travels more than I do.
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Feb 26, 2012 02:42
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I've posted before about my BC problems. It's long and complicated, but to make a long story short: I have PCOS and a bicornuate uterus. I also have migraines with aura. I need to take estrogen to counteract the PCOS. I can't take estrogen because of my headaches. I can't use an IUD because of my bicornuate uterus. I've used Implanon and minipills, but that does nothing to help the PCOS. I could do Essure, but that would just stop me from getting pregnant. I'm at the end of my rope. If I were to get a hysterectomy, would that effectively take care of my PCOS? I recognize that it's drastic, and that it's not the first line of defense, but I'm not having children anyway, so would that be an option? Anyone had it done?
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Feb 26, 2012 06:22
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I had an IUD placed last week, and had sex last night. I'm sore and crampy feeling again, like how I was for a few days after having the IUD put in, and I've had a tiny amount of bleeding. It's probably because things got jostled around, right?
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Feb 26, 2012 06:38
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Soooo does anybody have any good advice as to where I can get Yasmin for <$90+ a month? I'm an international student here so I don't have any insurance. My old prescription / packs from back home ran out and the Planned Parenthood here doesn't carry them (although I can get a prescription written if I want) I got put on something 'similar' called Desogen but I don't like it at all. Yasmin was the pill that I finally liked after trying a bunch of them over the years and I'd really like to stay on it if I could! Is it a Bad Idea to buy online? And what are these "Internet Drug Coupons" that I see around the 'net? Do those even work? Help!
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Feb 26, 2012 08:31
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oishii posted:Soooo does anybody have any good advice as to where I can get Yasmin for <$90+ a month? I'm an international student here so I don't have any insurance. My old prescription / packs from back home ran out and the Planned Parenthood here doesn't carry them (although I can get a prescription written if I want) Check Yasmin's website for a coupon, a lot of birth controls offer various coupons that are basically unlimited.
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Feb 26, 2012 08:45
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Skywriter posted:I've posted before about my BC problems. It's long and complicated, but to make a long story short: I have PCOS and a bicornuate uterus. I also have migraines with aura. A total hysterectomy will remove uterus and ovaries both. This will "take care" of your polycystic ovaries, but you might continue to have hormone issues (just different ones) because you'll lack ovaries. Normally a patient whose ovaries are removed will go on estrogen therapy, but if you can't take estrogen, you may experience a rapid shift into a basically post-menopausal state. It may really, really suck. There are progestin-only treatments that are believed to be safer for migraine with aura patients, but I haven't seen that much info on them. Then again, if you have a family history of non-awful menopause, you may be just fine with no added hormones. Having just the uterus out will prevent you from becoming pregnant, and of course you won't have terrible periods from the PCOS, but you will probably still experience some of the whole-body issues you're currently experiencing because your ovaries will still be in there loving things up. I know a couple of migraine with aura sufferers who also have PCOS, and one of them did choose to have her ovaries removed. Her migraines went away almost immediately. I'm not sure how much (if any) HRT she might have done after the surgery, though. There's some kind of connection between hormone issues and migraines that doctors still haven't quite figured out. Hopefully you have a good endo, and if you aren't seeing a neurologist for your migraines you might consider that as well. Definitely talk to your endocrinologist about the possibility of a hysterectomy, it sounds like you have enough going on that the easiest route might just be to remove everything and deal with the set of issues that come with that because they're more straightforward than the issues you have.
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Feb 26, 2012 20:47
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