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Geolicious posted:Having the foreign object in there produces leukocytes, which attack other foreign cells like sperm. And just having something else in there can discourage something else from moving in, which is why when fertilization does occur with an IUD, rare as it is, it's more likely to be ectopic. So, in all likelihood, it's a combo of all those things making it effective. But poo poo, you could tell me it was magic, and I'd still use it if it meant no babies. Yeah, I just meant that's the popular idea but when you look around, technically even scientists still don't know for an absolute fact exactly how IUDs prevent pregnancy. Most think it's what you described (and in the case of Paragard, the copper it contains). But I'm like you, I love my IUD even if it runs on magic or something. I think it pretty much just passed the best test I could throw at it - I realized a few days ago I had sex right around my most fertile window recently but just like clockwork I'm having a period. The the migraines have gone way down in frequency/severity and I just feel like myself again (as woo woo as that probably sounds). I can deal with a few extra cramps for that.  Eggplant Wizard posted:Dayum. Mirena or Skyla sounds good for you, yeah. Skyla is even lower hormone and it's 3 years rather than 5. Please talk to a gyno Yes this definitely! I'm afraid I've gotten a bit preachy spreading the word about IUDs to people I know and the internet, but definitely talk to your doctor. Either to ask about Mirena specifically or at least to see what your options are. It can be a scary thing to do (I was terrified before I got my IUD!) but it really has been the best thing I've done for myself in a long time. There's no point being miserable when you don't have to be. If money is an issue, there's the Arch Foundation that will donate a Mirena if you and your doctor send in the qualifying paperwork. Kimmalah fucked around with this message at 16:12 on Apr 27, 2013 |
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Apr 27, 2013 16:06
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I just finished off a prescription of anti-biotics for laryngitis. My doctor didn't tell me how long it would be before my birth control pills could be trusted again. Is there any way I can figure that out?
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Apr 29, 2013 04:29
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Eggplant Wizard posted:I'm just like that, yep. Same with the not having real periods for a couple months and then woop back to having a cycle. It isn't a huge inconvenience for me so I have been just dealing with it- still better than babies! Alright. Thanks for the peer support, I'm glad to hear it's unusual and should subside. Here's to hoping it'll normalise by summer. All in all, I would pull serenades on street corners for Mirena, If I could sing. Or be generally musically inclined.
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Apr 29, 2013 12:50
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cuntvalet posted:I just finished off a prescription of anti-biotics for laryngitis. It probably depends on the specific antibiotic you're taking, as different drugs will metabolize in different amounts of time. You could try looking it up online, but I had a lot of trouble finding reputable sources for this at least. Probably the easiest thing would be to contact the pharmacist that dispensed the antibiotics and ask or check with your doctor. If it makes you feel any better it's really only a few antibiotics that have actually been proven to cause an interaction with birth control, but I can understand why you would want to be sure about it. We used to have a pharmacy goon that posted in the thread a lot, but I haven't seen them in a while. On my own personal note, I think I'm finally reaching that "settled in" point with my Paragard. Things are still on the heavy side but better and most importantly I'm not having the mega cramps I normally get with my period. I haven't had to touch a heating pad since it started and just barely any ibuprofen. It's actually kind of weird (but cool  ), since even before the IUD I had more cramps than I've had this time. The only downside is I get a major backache like the day before now. I'm coming up on almost 5 months now, although I think this is technically my fourth Paragard period.
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Apr 29, 2013 14:59
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Filigree posted:I just want to come in and gush about how much I love my Mirena. I'm coming up on one year since insertion (and one year period free). I had been on OBC for eight years, so my gyno decided that although I was single, had never been pregnant, and live in one of the most religiously conservatives areas in the US, that she'd let me get Mirena anyway. This is so weird. I was coming here to ask almost this exact question. I have had my Mirena for just over a year and I have loved it. In the last couple of months I have been training for a race, and for the last month I have been in a state of nonstop premenstrual symptoms. My breasts are huge and sore, I'm spotting - a little a day, nothing solid, but definitely ongoing, I have cramps off and on and my moods are horrible. When I first had the Mirena put in, I had a month of cramps and bitchy bleeding, and then it has since been fine except for a few spots now and then, with a bit of breast tenderness and some cramps. I called those my "mini periods", and the total symptoms lasted for maybe 4 days. But now it won't stop. Other than the running, nothing else has changed. I have not had a significant weight loss, no other medications. Is it worth going back to my doctor?
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Apr 29, 2013 17:46
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Christabel posted:This is so weird. I was coming here to ask almost this exact question. I have had my Mirena for just over a year and I have loved it. In the last couple of months I have been training for a race, and for the last month I have been in a state of nonstop premenstrual symptoms. My breasts are huge and sore, I'm spotting - a little a day, nothing solid, but definitely ongoing, I have cramps off and on and my moods are horrible. How heavy is the bleeding? If you're filling a pad/tampon in less than like 3 hours you should call a doctor today. If it's normal period-level bleeding, then you are probably stuck with it. Like I said above, the same exact thing happened with me, and Menschsein posted:I'm glad to hear it's unusual and should subside. I'm sorry but I don't think it is going to subside. I think that's how your periods & PMS times will be for the next couple of years while you're on Mirena. My body has been doing it this way for at least 6 months (I didn't notice the pattern for a while  ). It's still a lighter, shorter period for me, and luckily I guess I don't have huge boobs so the breast tenderness can be alleviated by wearing a bra, or a sports bra if it's bad. It does suck that it's basically 3 weeks of every month spent in PMS or perioding mode, but such is life. And still- no babies.
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Apr 29, 2013 17:52
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Eggplant Wizard posted:How heavy is the bleeding? If you're filling a pad/tampon in less than like 3 hours you should call a doctor today. If it's normal period-level bleeding, then you are probably stuck with it. Like I said above, the same exact thing happened with me It's just slightly heavier spotting. But like, a month of spotting and cramps and tits galore, as opposed to my usual few days of stuff and then done for another month. I am probably stuck with it, and it's probably just a ~*~*~*~hormone!~*~*~*~ thing, but it's odd that it's almost exactly a year since I had it put in. Coincidence, most likely.
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Apr 29, 2013 17:58
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You guys are making me afraid my Mirena will turn on me 
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Apr 29, 2013 18:17
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Geolicious posted:You guys are making me afraid my Mirena will turn on me I don't consider it turning on me. It's just a PMS and then a period. Like normal and non-hormonal was for me, but with lighter periods and a bit longer boob tenderness. Amenorrhea only happens for like 20% of Mirena users. Getting a period doesn't mean it's not working and I wouldn't count it as a side effect.
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Apr 29, 2013 18:21
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I know. I just don't want my period to ever ever ever come back. Ever.
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Apr 29, 2013 18:23
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Wait, so are we talking like, serious mood issues for three weeks out of every month? I've never really had bad PMS at all, cramping or moods or anything, but I have been dealing with some pretty gnarly depression for the past couple years that I'm just now sorting out. I'm worrying I might want to avoid Mirena if it can really affect your moods that much.
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Apr 29, 2013 20:50
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ExpletiveDeleted posted:Wait, so are we talking like, serious mood issues for three weeks out of every month? I've never really had bad PMS at all, cramping or moods or anything, but I have been dealing with some pretty gnarly depression for the past couple years that I'm just now sorting out. I'm worrying I might want to avoid Mirena if it can really affect your moods that much. I think it's like most hormonal stuff, you won't know until you try it. I remember at least one poster in the thread who switched from Mirena to Paragard because of mood issues (I haven't seen her around lately though). Then again a lot of other people use it without any major issues.
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Apr 29, 2013 20:57
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Okay, the tit issues are not that bad, I mean, I wouldn't go punching them (ow) during the time they're tender, but there are no mood issues or PMS until a few days before the period, which seems to be acceptable. Will monitor boob status, though, if it's really gonna continue like this, cause I'm just being hopeful. Damnit! I was hoping no more period management while on a hike in the middle of nowhere.
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Apr 29, 2013 21:13
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ExpletiveDeleted posted:Wait, so are we talking like, serious mood issues for three weeks out of every month? I've never really had bad PMS at all, cramping or moods or anything, but I have been dealing with some pretty gnarly depression for the past couple years that I'm just now sorting out. I'm worrying I might want to avoid Mirena if it can really affect your moods that much. No, for me it's hurty boobs and a predilection for dairy & eggs.
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Apr 29, 2013 21:16
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I used Mirena for 6.5 years and a year or two in I started to get the boob thing too. I'd have long periods where they were normal sized and not sore (like, 3-4 months at a time) and then a period of 2 weeks to a month where they were larger and sore. I rarely spotted at the same time, but would sometimes get some cramping. No mood issues or any other problems. It was weird (especially since I don't normally get boob tenderness with my periods), but never got in the way of my life and was certainly way better than anything I had to deal with on the pill! I certainly never thought of it as the Mirena turning on me.
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Apr 29, 2013 21:31
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Has anyone run into crazy hormone issues after an Implanon replacement? After three years with the implant, I had mine taken out and replaced with the new version (Nexplanon) on the 20th. Since the transition was almost instant, the doctor said I shouldn't really notice much of a difference. However, over the past week I've been getting increasingly large mood swings and spent a couple hours today crying uncontrollably for no reason. This is horrible and I want it to stop. Is Nexplanon significantly different from Implanon? I thought it was just meant to be easier to track, but I didn't have this sort of reaction when I got the first implant so it seems strange that I'm having it now.
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Apr 30, 2013 01:14
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Geolicious posted:I know. I just don't want my period to ever ever ever come back. Ever. I've been spotting for a few days now, but the cramps and PMS-y stuff is gone. Except now I'm nesting. I'm trying to justify it as spring cleaning, but I'm definitely nesting. As for the emotional/mental stuff with Mirena, I definitely have more anxiety since getting it put in, but it didn't make my depression worse and that was the one big worry I had about it.
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Apr 30, 2013 01:53
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Well okay, that doesn't sound quite so scary, then. I'll just keep my fingers crossed that since I've never really had problems with hormonal pills that I'll do okay with Mirena as well.
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Apr 30, 2013 15:45
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It could always have the opposite effect too. I've never had Mirena, but my moods were always far more stable on the pill than they are when everything is left to its own devices. I just get run of the mill PMS mostly though, so I can deal.
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Apr 30, 2013 16:13
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Volcano posted:Has anyone run into crazy hormone issues after an Implanon replacement? I'm only on my first implant (Nexplanon), but I remember my doc saying you get a spike in hormones when it's inserted. According to Wikipedia, "Peak serum etonogestrel concentrations have been found to reach 781–894 pg/mL in the first few weeks, gradually decreasing to 192–261 pg/mL after 1 year, 154–194 pg/mL after 2 years, and 156–177 pg/mL after 3 years, maintaining ovulation suppression and contraceptive efficacy." I believe that the "first few weeks" is a couple of months, though IANAD so don't quote me on that. Do you have a one month follow-up scheduled that you could maybe tough it out until? If not, I'd be tempted to set something up to discuss things.
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May 1, 2013 20:43
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fine-tune posted:I'm only on my first implant (Nexplanon), but I remember my doc saying you get a spike in hormones when it's inserted. According to Wikipedia, "Peak serum etonogestrel concentrations have been found to reach 781–894 pg/mL in the first few weeks, gradually decreasing to 192–261 pg/mL after 1 year, 154–194 pg/mL after 2 years, and 156–177 pg/mL after 3 years, maintaining ovulation suppression and contraceptive efficacy." I believe that the "first few weeks" is a couple of months, though IANAD so don't quote me on that. Well, that definitely makes a lot of sense. If it's five times higher than it would have been at the end of the old one, it's no wonder I'm feeling the difference. Thanks! I ended up seeing my GP about it this morning after repeatedly losing my poo poo at work yesterday (thank god for understanding coworkers). He said that my reaction was extreme but not abnormal, and reassured me I should come through it within the next two weeks. In the meantime he's given me something to help me sleep, since I've only been managing about five hours a night, but scheduled me in for a follow-up appointment just in case things continue to be miserable. I feel better just from seeing someone about it, but will still look forward to the day when I don't burst into tears because some birds are being noisy outside or I have a sad song stuck in my head or whatever.
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May 1, 2013 21:31
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Hi, bc thread. I'm coming up on one year with my copper IUD, the Multiload () and I wish I'd gotten one ages ago! The first few periods were rough, made me feel like I was tending after Dexter's kill room, but it calmed the hell down after six months or so. I swear my cramps have actually lessened. The total amount of bleeding is about the same as it was before, but with 2-3 days of augh gushing and the rest as spotting, rather than a more even distribution over 7 days. Just wanted to join the chorus of pro-IUD voices, is all. I like not worrying about hormones and I REALLY LIKE having my period announce itself, but that's just my experience and others' good experiences with the Mirena are important too. e: Mirena is government-subsidised in Australia and Multiload is not, although it was still only $150 out of pocket for me. Holden Rodeo fucked around with this message at 05:05 on May 2, 2013 |
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May 2, 2013 05:03
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The copper IUD is the Multiload in Australia? indeed.
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May 2, 2013 05:09
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Pardon me if this has been asked before but search wasn't helping. Is there anything to the rumor that hormonal birth control can make you stop desiring your partner if you began the relationship while not on birth control? Also it seems that many people gain weight on birth control. How does that happen? Do they feel hungrier and eat more or do the hormone changes cause the body to store more fat?
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May 2, 2013 15:03
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Birth control can lower libido but it has nothing to do with when you start dating your partner vs when you start birth control. It just lowers your libido in general. Some people find they gain weight when on BC, either due to increased appetite or water retention. If the latter I believe it tends to be temporary.
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May 2, 2013 16:08
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Xibanya posted:Pardon me if this has been asked before but search wasn't helping. Is there anything to the rumor that hormonal birth control can make you stop desiring your partner if you began the relationship while not on birth control? Also it seems that many people gain weight on birth control. How does that happen? Do they feel hungrier and eat more or do the hormone changes cause the body to store more fat?
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May 2, 2013 16:13
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Holden Rodeo posted:Hi, bc thread. I'm coming up on one year with my copper IUD, the Multiload ( It's so weird isn't it? I have 1-2 days where I swear I'm probably going to bleed to death, then it stops completely for a day, then it starts up again but lighter and I'm just stuck going  Bollock Monkey posted:There have been some interesting studies around how other people smell to women who are or are not on birth control, as well as one that discovered that strippers made more money whilst ovulating, which is obviously affected by whether or not a contraceptive is being used... But none of this is really conclusive in terms of how hormones affect one's attraction to a partner. I wouldn't worry about that side of things. There have also been a few studies that have shown differences in the kind of facial features a woman tends to prefer in a man depending on where she is in her cycle and if she's on hormonal birth control or not. But this was just women picking out photos of strange men with faces photoshopped to be more stereotypically masculine (big jawline, heavy brows, etc.) and others that had been given softer, more "feminine" features. It wouldn't factor in things like personality, shared interests, a shared history, and so on so I think it should be taken with a grain of salt. I know in my own experience, I had a lot of low libido problems on BC and and then when I stopped the pill and got my IUD I had serious crazy mood swings for a while. Both of which caused some relationship friction at the time. But I don't think it had anything to do with pheromones or any other crazy  stuff.As for weight gain, a lot of that is just people gaining weight for other reasons without realizing it and then blaming their birth control. If it did have an effect, I'd say it's either water retention or possibly a change in appetite (since I remember pretty much constantly eating or craving food while on the pill).
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May 2, 2013 17:44
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Yeah, I never noticed any massive weight gain or a huge change in libido when I started hormonal birth control. I've been on it since I was fifteen or sixteen due to insanely heavy periods early on, though. But when I switched from Yaz to Loestrin, which is a lower dose of hormones (I think?), I also didn't really notice any weight/mood/libido changes. Also! I am getting Mirena put in tomorrow (I'm quite nervous). Anybody have any advice about before/during/after the actual procedure? And what are those pills they give you to take beforehand?
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May 2, 2013 19:43
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Thanks for the answers everyone! Next question, is it possible to use a nuvaring and a menstrual cup at the same time?
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May 2, 2013 20:03
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Xibanya posted:Thanks for the answers everyone! Next question, is it possible to use a nuvaring and a menstrual cup at the same time? I actually just asked my gyno this when I was trying to decide between Nuvaring and Mirena... she said that you're supposed to take out the Nuvaring for a week out of every month and that's when you have your period, so you never really actually have them in at the same time. That said, I do not actually have personal experience with that particular situation.
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May 2, 2013 20:15
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ExpletiveDeleted posted:Yeah, I never noticed any massive weight gain or a huge change in libido when I started hormonal birth control. I've been on it since I was fifteen or sixteen due to insanely heavy periods early on, though. But when I switched from Yaz to Loestrin, which is a lower dose of hormones (I think?), I also didn't really notice any weight/mood/libido changes. I didn't get pills but it might be Misoprostol to put up there to soften cervix. But, I would ask your doc. Maybe it's script ibu??? Take 800mg of ibu about an hour beforehand. During, try to relax if you can. And if you can't, no biggie it'll be over soon. After, fire up the heating pad and take more ibu. I was right as rain within 24 hours.
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May 2, 2013 20:25
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Xibanya posted:Thanks for the answers everyone! Next question, is it possible to use a nuvaring and a menstrual cup at the same time? Totally. I used it for about a year with the cup. I would put the ring in first and loop it around my cervix, then work the cup in. It seems like once the cup is in it's tough to get anything else up in there. I didn't gain weight with the ring, but it did make me nuts (which is why I switched from it.) Now that I'm on Mirena, I think it's given me a bit of an appetite because I've gained ten pounds in the 1.5 years of having it in after being the same weight for years and years before. But maybe I'm just a fatty!
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May 2, 2013 20:48
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Hormonal birth control of all types totally destroyed my libido. Now that i'm using the copper IUD i'm making up for all the time I felt totally apathetic towards sex.
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May 2, 2013 21:11
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Xibanya posted:Thanks for the answers everyone! Next question, is it possible to use a nuvaring and a menstrual cup at the same time? My wife bled like a stuck pig for the first three weeks she was on nuvaring (her doctor put her on it to bring her periods into a more normal cycle) and she was able to use both initially but I guess the ring kept interfering with the cup and would cause the cup's seal to break randomly, and required a bunch of awkward maneuvering to get them both into place. YMMV, she does have a fairly shallow vagina (I can reach her cervix with my middle finger if I really try) but in her case it was technically possible but inconvenient. RE: libido on hormonal birth control - my wife has historically had a very low sex drive due to hypothyroidism and negative body image (needs to lose 30-40 pounds,) but since going on nuvaring our sex life has improved measurably - which we've attributed to a combination of being able to be spontaneous, not have to use condoms, no nagging worry of an accidental pregnancy like when we were using withdrawal (which we did successfully for 5 years before she went on nuvaring) and finally the ability for me to ejaculate inside of her.
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May 2, 2013 21:18
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ExpletiveDeleted posted:Yeah, I never noticed any massive weight gain or a huge change in libido when I started hormonal birth control. I've been on it since I was fifteen or sixteen due to insanely heavy periods early on, though. But when I switched from Yaz to Loestrin, which is a lower dose of hormones (I think?), I also didn't really notice any weight/mood/libido changes. Take ibuprofen beforehand, and most of all relax, relax, relax! I know it's easier said than done, but chances are it won't be as bad as you think it will be and the worst part will be over in a few seconds. I was incredibly nervous/freaked out beforehand but once it was over "that's it?" was my honest reaction. I found taking deep breaths to be really helpful during the crampiest parts of the insertion. After: keep up with the ibuprofen and a heating pad for cramps and...that's about it really. I just hung out around the house with my heating pad and watched TV, the cramping went away by the next day. Take it easy and spoil yourself if you can. I wasn't given any pills beforehand myself, but they might be misoprostol to soften your cervix. Some doctors think it makes insertions easier (especially for nulliparous women), others don't but it's not absolutely necessary and there's a lot of debate about that. But then again it might not since you don't really "take" misoprostol, you use it vaginally so it could be something else.
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May 2, 2013 21:31
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I've been on nuvaring for just a few days now and already had a big meltdown/fight with my boyfriend but I'll be paying close attention to my moods in the coming days to be sure about whether it's the hormones or if I've finally become my mother 
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May 2, 2013 21:35
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Xibanya posted:I've been on nuvaring for just a few days now and already had a big meltdown/fight with my boyfriend but I'll be paying close attention to my moods in the coming days to be sure about whether it's the hormones or if I've finally become my mother It can be kind of insidious. I remember in January just feeling like I was losing my mind/the whole world was going crazy and then it hit me that it was the first time I'd had PMS in 4 years, along with the fluctuations caused by stopping the pill. I felt pretty dumb after the crazy rants I'd been going on.
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May 2, 2013 22:31
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ExpletiveDeleted posted:I actually just asked my gyno this when I was trying to decide between Nuvaring and Mirena... she said that you're supposed to take out the Nuvaring for a week out of every month and that's when you have your period, so you never really actually have them in at the same time. That said, I do not actually have personal experience with that particular situation. That's the theory anyway. In reality, it's quite common to still be on your period once you start your new pack/patch/ring. That being said, I also have no idea as I don't use cups and haven't been on the ring for quite a while now. I don't see why not, just make sure to put it back in if it comes out with the cup.
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May 3, 2013 01:02
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My doctor told me that she prefers her patients do 24 days in and 4 days out so that there's no chance of ovulation if they forget to put the new one in on the fifth day, whereas if you forget to put in the new one on the eighth day there's a chance that ovulation may occur. She also told me that if you just start it, you have to go ahead and have a period for the first three months or so because you have to wait for the lining of the uterine wall to thin out or something like that.
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May 3, 2013 01:33
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Geolicious posted:I didn't get pills but it might be Misoprostol to put up there to soften cervix. But, I would ask your doc. Maybe it's script ibu??? Phew, here I was starting to freak out because I Googled misoprostol used in conjunction with IUD insertion and then starting worrying that I'd misjudged my doctor and she actually had no idea what she was doing, but the scripts are just for naproxen and an antibiotic. I suppose this is a good lesson in reckless Google usage. Luckily I have a heating pad already, and I will do my best to relax! I've survived a ribcage tattoo so I don't even know what I'm so freaked out about. At the very least this should take less time than a tattoo.
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May 3, 2013 02:23
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