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ekoh posted:Is it possible to get IUD strings cut so short they are pretty much gone? I think I would need my strings cut so short that the ends get sucked back into my cervix for my partner to be happy. I'm aware removal could be pretty brutal but isn't it going to be unpleasant anyway? We had a terrible experience getting the Mirena placed at Planned Parenthood and when he feels the strings it reminds him of that. Even if we could get over the bad experience, the strings are pokey and leave him with abrasions. This really sucks because I'm loving being emotionally stable and not having periods! Generally, the shorter the strings are the "pokier" they get. I realize it might be too late for that, but generally if you leave them on on long-ish side they tend to just naturally curl back around your cervix with time and most guys aren't going to feel that even if they're bashing right into it. I've never had it done, but from what I've heard removal using the strings isn't really that unpleasant but generally a quick, fairly painless "cough/pull the strings" type deal and much easier than having it placed. We've had at least one poster who's Mirena strings were cut so short that the doctor couldn't reach them normally during removal, which I managed to find after a little digging: Ceridwen posted:If they can find the strings, this is true. If they can't...well, it loving sucks. If you click the "?" under her name, she's posted about the removal experience with super short strings several times. I'd also kind of worry about not being able to check and know everything is still in place, although I know some people never check their strings. Kimmalah fucked around with this message at 18:46 on May 6, 2013 |
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May 6, 2013 18:44
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My gyno told me that if the strings (which she left long) bothered my bf, that she could round/blunt the ends some by sort of melting them a bit. I am assuming I heard her correctly but I am not sure how she would do that (cautery gun maybe?) and since it's not been a problem, I didn't have to find out.ekoh posted:We had a terrible experience getting the Mirena placed at Planned Parenthood and when he feels the strings it reminds him of that. Did you punch him repeatedly in the face from pain? Geolicious fucked around with this message at 18:54 on May 6, 2013 |
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May 6, 2013 18:49
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fork bomb posted:I don't have an IUD but just from reading this thread I know this is a bad idea. The strings are there for a reason; you do not want them to disappear up into your cervix. Other posters have said that the strings will soften over time. Maybe practice positions that give shallower penetration for a while? I'm not so sure about that. The gynecologist that inserted both my Mirena and my two Flexi-T's didn't see a problem with cutting the strings so short they basically disappear. I've had one IUD with short stringes removed and it was still relatively easy and quick - apparently it doesn't take much fishing to be able to reach them. *shrug* Mine are currently cut so short I can't feel them at all. Of course being unable to feel the strings to check that the IUD is still in place might cause anxiety but at least it's easy to feel if the IUD misplaces itself (happened to me). So I'm not necessarily recommending it, just stating my experience. 
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May 6, 2013 18:52
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Niemat posted:Is it a big deal to miss a month of your pills....? Like, I understand we won't be protected, and I'll have to build up again, but is it a big deal other than that? Like, hormonally or otherwise? We just moved, and I can't for the life of me find this month's pills--despite some extensive searching. I'm moving into my finals this week, so I don't want to gently caress around too much doing outside activities, and it would take me 20-30 mins of driving one way to get another set of pills for this month (plus, all the "your insurance won't pay for this, blah blah blah" I'm bound to get from the people at the pharmacy). I'm already a week behind, so I figured I'd just sit this month out and get back on target next month, provided that's not a terrible plan.... If you have refills on a medication like this, the pharmacy can call your insurance to see if a lost medication override is available with your plan. Usually plans allow something like 2 a year or 2 per medication per year. You do always have to be prepared to pay out of pocket, though. It's just a matter of personal responsibility.
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May 6, 2013 19:37
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kdc67 posted:If you have refills on a medication like this, the pharmacy can call your insurance to see if a lost medication override is available with your plan. Usually plans allow something like 2 a year or 2 per medication per year. You do always have to be prepared to pay out of pocket, though. It's just a matter of personal responsibility. I was unaware of that--thanks! Yeah, I'm fully prepared to pay full price, and I'm not going to fight it... I take generic stuff, so it's not a huge deal to pay for one month. I was more mentioning that because I wasn't looking forward to having someone scold me for x amount of time when I'm willing to take full responsibility for not being able to find it after my move and should be studying for finals. 
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May 6, 2013 21:30
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I'd also be interested to hear opinions on string length from those who currently have IUDs... since I just got mine, I'm pretty sure my gyno left the strings pretty long for the time being. I'm going back to get it checked in two weeks, so I'm assuming I could ask her to trim the strings then if I wanted to, but I figure there's no point if it wouldn't necessarily be beneficial. Mainly I want to get it done soon if trimming them back a bit would ultimately be better in the long run... not so much for me, but I would be horrified if random pointy things in my vagina started stabbing potential suitors mid-coitus, and if I don't figure that out until after I leave the country, it'd probably be a lot more of a hassle for me to find someone to trim them over there.
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May 7, 2013 02:13
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String Length - Mine are maybe about .75in long? Maybe slightly longer? Paragard strings are apparently softer than the mirena strings and take less time to soften up around the cervix is what my gyno said. It took about 4 months for them to curl up. Longer is definitely best overall though because the shorter they are they more pokey they will be for your partner. My husband said he noticed them a bit the first month but doesn't notice them now. Another note on string length - you need to be checking for and feeling your strings about once a month just to make sure everything is still seated properly. Obviously your cervix moves a bit during the month so you'll figure out when the most convenient time to check is.
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May 7, 2013 02:46
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ExpletiveDeleted posted:I'd also be interested to hear opinions on string length from those who currently have IUDs... since I just got mine, I'm pretty sure my gyno left the strings pretty long for the time being. I'm going back to get it checked in two weeks, so I'm assuming I could ask her to trim the strings then if I wanted to, but I figure there's no point if it wouldn't necessarily be beneficial. Mainly I want to get it done soon if trimming them back a bit would ultimately be better in the long run... not so much for me, but I would be horrified if random pointy things in my vagina started stabbing potential suitors mid-coitus, and if I don't figure that out until after I leave the country, it'd probably be a lot more of a hassle for me to find someone to trim them over there. I've never had mine trimmed after the initial trim they do at insertion and my partner's never felt the strings at all (regardless of the positions we've used and all that). They're a little on the long side - 2 cm according to the card gave me, but like I said earlier they just curl back around my cervix or get pushed kind of behind it so they're never in the way. The strings also get softer with time so they lose some of that stiff/pointy "fishing line" feeling they have when your IUD is brand new.
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May 7, 2013 02:48
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Thanks for the thoughts on short IUD strings. I did find this YouTube video showing the beginning of removal without strings - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3lYt5ve1us Really, I'm accepting of the fact that removal isn't going to be fun and if not having strings makes it twice as painful, I'm still okay with that. I'm going to make an appointment with a gynecologist soon and see what he has to say. A male gynecologist who can relate to penis sensitivity. Our issue with Planned Parenthood was that my partner was almost completely ignored and none of his questions got answered by the female staff. After the normal separation for questioning ("Is your man beating you?" "No, he's a really good guy." "Okay.") he was still treated like a monster.
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May 7, 2013 18:16
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Hello thread. I'm a little paranoid about having an abnormally short/sort of late period and I guess I'm just looking for some reassurance that it's not a big deal. Since I started taking the pill back in October, I have had very regular periods. I have skipped them here and there when I had a trip or something, so I don't know if this is a factor or not. But basically, my period usually starts two to three days after I stop the active pills. This time it didn't start until five days later, which doesn't sound like a whole lot of time, but again, my period has been like clock work so it made me nervous. Plus when it did start, it looked more like spotting, like really light and pink, then towards the end of the day it looked more brown. Then I had a day of nothing, and yesterday in the middle of the afternoon(this never really happens to me, it always starts in the morning), it started again, and was more like a regular period, with cramps and everything, but I didn't bleed very much at all throughout the day and now today there has been no bleeding. I don't think I could be pregnant. My boyfriend goes to school in another state, and the last time he was in town was the first few days of April, and I had a regular period soon after he left. He hasn't been in town since before my last period. It isn't possible for me to be pregnant right? I took a test just to alleviate any kind of anxiety that maybe I just remembered my last period wrong, and it came up negative, but now I'm just nervous that I somehow did the test wrong or something else caused it to come up with a false negative. I guess it would just help me a lot to hear a bunch of strangers on the internet tell me that I couldn't be pregnant and this is just some kind of weird ultra-light period.
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May 7, 2013 18:33
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ekoh posted:Thanks for the thoughts on short IUD strings. I did find this YouTube video showing the beginning of removal without strings - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3lYt5ve1us I don't know why you're going in with the assumption that a regular IUD removal with strings is going to be so horrible that it can't be much worse or something. Every removal story I've heard basically boils down to "the doctor told me to cough, pulled it out, I had some cramps and it was over in seconds" or something like that - not some painful ordeal. Do what you think is best, I just don't know if having the strings cut super short is really going to help much or if you'll have an easy time finding a doctor willing to do it. Edit: On reread, that came out a little harsher than I intend. It's worth discussing with whichever doctor you choose if you have concerns of course. I just worry that cutting the strings super short is actually going to make them "pokier"/even more likely to irritate your partner and then you can't exactly lengthen them again. Even if it's trimmed even with your cervix, it may not be a guarantee since things change throughout your cycle so there may still be times when they could be felt. Although being a Mirena I'm not sure what effect that would have. Kimmalah fucked around with this message at 18:55 on May 7, 2013 |
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May 7, 2013 18:46
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community ham boil posted:I guess it would just help me a lot to hear a bunch of strangers on the internet tell me that I couldn't be pregnant and this is just some kind of weird ultra-light period. False positives are more common than false negatives from what I understand. You're probably fine, birth control is really wacky sometimes for no reason and your period is usually what's affected. If it'll calm you more, take another test in a few days; they're only a few bucks.
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May 7, 2013 20:16
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Does anybody have any experience with a combined pill called Zovia? I finally went and picked up that prescription the doctor gave me back in February. It's in a pink box and the active pills are pink, which make me feel a little better about it. I have pink hair right now, so the coincidence is pleasant. I'm trying not to freak out while I wait for my period to start and I go back on the pill. Hopefully this one will work for me, but if not, I'm asking about an IUD.
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May 8, 2013 06:09
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I had a Nexplanon implant put in today and it was easy-peasy! My arm in still numb, I've felt a bit woozy since and I have a lovely bruise forming but yeah, it was alright. The doctor didn't tell me how long to keep the plaster on for. It's just a regular plaster as far as I can tell and kind of bloody - when can I take it off?
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May 8, 2013 15:17
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I only had gauze and an Ace bandage after getting my implants. Doc said to leave it as it was for 24 hrs, then I could take it off.
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May 8, 2013 16:14
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I had my nuvaring put in on Wednesday the first of May, which was the 4th day of my period. I'm now on the 12th day, which is not normal for me. Is this thing gonna make me bleed forever?
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May 9, 2013 18:18
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Zvezda posted:I had a Nexplanon implant put in today and it was easy-peasy! My arm in still numb, I've felt a bit woozy since and I have a lovely bruise forming but yeah, it was alright. If there's a compression bandage over it (to help with bruising), try to leave that 24 hours or so for maximum effect. For the regular sticky bandage underneath, just wash your hands and take it off to see how things look. If the insertion point is scabbed/sealed over, you're good to go. I think I only kept my bandages on for 16 hours or so and my arm didn't fall off, despite a monster bruise.
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May 9, 2013 18:36
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I'm still loving SHOCKED at how little bruising I got when I had my Implanon removed and a Nexplanon inserted a few weeks ago. Lady was a g. d. pro, I tell ya what.
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May 9, 2013 19:37
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My NP said I was one of two patients that had ever bruised that badly in all of the insertions that she had done over the years (guess I bruise easily). Still totally worth it for 3 years of birth control.
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May 9, 2013 21:20
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Xibanya posted:I had my nuvaring put in on Wednesday the first of May, which was the 4th day of my period. I'm now on the 12th day, which is not normal for me. Is this thing gonna make me bleed forever? Most likely no, but unfortunately you never know how your body is going to react to birth control until you try it. Is it like full on bleeding or just spotting? Because (while annoying) spotting aka breakthrough bleeding with hormonal BC is fairly common/normal. I used to get it every few months on the pill. I'd say with enough time, it'll go away once your body adjusts to everything but that's just my best non-medical expert guess.
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May 9, 2013 22:18
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Whoever has an IUD and also uses a menstrual cup, how long did you all wait after getting the IUD inserted before using the cup again? My doctor said nothing in there at all for a week (I'm guessing that's mostly a precaution against infection?), but tomorrow will be a week since insertion, and I'm starting to get pretty sick of pads. However, I'd definitely prefer to just keep putting up with pads rather than risk doing something to the IUD.
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May 10, 2013 00:17
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I haven't used a cup with my IUD, but for whatever it's worth my doctor never really gave me any precautions like that. When I specifically asked (with regards to things like sex anyway) it was just "whenever you feel up to it again," which turned out to be less than a week. I'm fairly sure cups are a little more sanitary than something like a tampon anyway as long as you're cleaning it properly. The bigger concern would probably be accidentally pulling the IUD strings by not breaking the seal completely when removing the cup. Especially since your IUD is kind of new and chances of expulsion are a little higher then. You could always try contacting your doctor about it, although I realize a lot of doctors are kind of in the dark about menstrual cups. There's also a thread about menstrual cups. It's been a bit dead as of late but you might get some answers there too.
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May 10, 2013 00:39
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Yeah, the expulsion issue is what I worry about. (And cups are for sure more sanitary than tampons... I didn't realize how much tampons sucked until I started using a cup.) I have the follow-up appointment with my doctor in about a week, so I might wait and ask her then. I did think about asking the menstrual cup thread but I figured that since I hadn't seen it on the front page here for a long time, there probably weren't really that many people hanging around it anymore. I did actually check the Diva Cup website (which is actually really helpful and informative, probably because most people still think their product is really weird), and they basically say it should be fine, but then some standard caveats about "be familiar with your birth control device's risks." (http://divacup.com/how-it-works/your-first-questions/#Sex) I also asked a nurse friend of mine who's really interested in labor and delivery and so is pretty familiar with the various parts of the female reproductive system (and who also uses a cup, but not an IUD), and she was like, "Oh yeah, it's totally fine, just break the suction and everything." I suppose it's mostly just that paranoia about "I know it's really unlikely nothing will go wrong but WHAT IF I BREAK MY UTERUS  "
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May 10, 2013 01:22
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Yeah, I think it's probably fine as long as you're careful about breaking the seal. But like I said I don't really have any firsthand experience with cups and IUDs, so hopefully someone else can chime in with some better advice than mine. But I understand how you're feeling. I remember those first few weeks I was really nervous and paranoid about everything I did possibly affecting my IUD. Eventually you'll get to a point where you just forget it's in there and it's awesome, but until then it can be nervewracking.
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May 10, 2013 02:35
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ExpletiveDeleted posted:I suppose it's mostly just that paranoia about "I know it's really unlikely nothing will go wrong but WHAT IF I BREAK MY UTERUS You won't break your uterus. Trust me.  (A week is fine. Yes, be careful about the suction.) click the ? under my name and check out my posts in March if you want to freak yourself out
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May 10, 2013 16:29
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ExpletiveDeleted posted:Whoever has an IUD and also uses a menstrual cup, how long did you all wait after getting the IUD inserted before using the cup again? My doctor said nothing in there at all for a week (I'm guessing that's mostly a precaution against infection?), but tomorrow will be a week since insertion, and I'm starting to get pretty sick of pads. However, I'd definitely prefer to just keep putting up with pads rather than risk doing something to the IUD. I literally hate pads so much I ended up giving up and using my diva cup 2 days after insertion. Pads are disgusting.
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May 10, 2013 17:10
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It's also possible that you won't need to worry about it much longer anyway. I had bleeding for a little over 7 days after insertion and then everything was back to normal. But I know it can be different for everyone.
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May 10, 2013 19:29
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Eggplant Wizard posted:click the ? under my name and check out my posts in March if you want to freak yourself out Yes, I have seen those posts and was suitably terrified. Hopefully I can avoid similar issues though. And yeah pads are gross and I'm ready to be rid of them. The bleeding has generally been pretty light anyway, so that certainly would be nice if it just kind of tapered off.
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May 10, 2013 19:58
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I talked to my gyno today about starting Nuvaring, and she told me that I shouldn't wear a tampon with the ring. But on the Nuvaring site it saysNuvaring posted:Use of tampons will not reduce the contraceptive efficacy of NuvaRing. Insert NuvaRing before inserting a tampon. You should pay particular attention when removing a tampon to be sure that the ring is not accidentally pulled out. If this should occur, simply rinse the ring in cool to lukewarm (not hot) water and immediately reinsert it. Has anyone had experience with this?
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May 10, 2013 23:06
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I used the nuvaring with both tampons and later on the diva cup. Never had any issues with the tampons. Never heard that before in my life.
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May 10, 2013 23:26
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SuperGinger! posted:I talked to my gyno today about starting Nuvaring, and she told me that I shouldn't wear a tampon with the ring. But on the Nuvaring site it says I haven't had any experience with it really, but it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. For one thing, I don't really think you'd be using Nuvaring and tampons together anyway considering that (as I understand it) you remove the ring during the week you have a period. If they just meant "no tampons at all" that's just kind of weird and I can't think of any reason why really. Did they explain the reasoning at all? I don't normally tell people not to listen to their doctor, but personally I would trust the manufacturer of the actual product more on this.
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May 11, 2013 00:32
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Currently we're only using condoms(was on trinessa but then the prescription expired), so I'm supposed to start using Nuvaring when I get my period. My doctor didn't really explain the reasoning behind not using tampons. Probably because of the risk of the ring falling out when changing them?
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May 11, 2013 02:01
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Every woman I knew with Nuvaring wore tampons.
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May 11, 2013 03:32
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SuperGinger! posted:Currently we're only using condoms(was on trinessa but then the prescription expired), so I'm supposed to start using Nuvaring when I get my period. Is there a reason you're waiting until your period? Because you can start Nuvaring at any time, just wait 1 full week for the hormones to kick into your system entirely and you're good to go.
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May 11, 2013 04:00
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SuperGinger! posted:Currently we're only using condoms(was on trinessa but then the prescription expired), so I'm supposed to start using Nuvaring when I get my period. Maybe it's a precaution against those people who still believe they can lose things in their vaginas or something like that? I mean, since you put the Nuvaring in on your own anyway, it makes no sense that you'd really even have to worry that much about it accidentally coming out with the tampon (unless you lost it, I guess) since you could presumably just put it back. That said, I have never used Nuvaring and haven't used tampons in a couple years (I love you, Diva Cup).
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May 11, 2013 05:22
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Stringchat: for both of my copper IUDs they've been left at the length they were at insertion and have softened and curled themselves up above my cervix so they're right out of the way. The clinic did offer to trim them for me but I think that would just make them super-poky, unless they were cut so short that they actually disappear into my cervix. The removal of my first IUD with long strings was OK, just a tug and a big cramp - the removal with the strings being inaccessible that others have described sounds horrible, so I'm happy to leave them long. My other half says he can sometimes feel them but they don't bother him - I guess I'd have to think again if they were actually causing him discomfort. They were very nice to my other half at the clinic, other than some gentle 'you're here for moral support make sure you don't faint, haha!' teasing. He even got a cup of tea afterwards (and an order to take me out to dinner!). I think the person who found the whole experience the most stressful was the trainee doctor who was doing it...
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May 11, 2013 18:47
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Hope I haven't missed something in the OP. It was a little confusing and I wasn't too sure what to look for. Basically: is it normal to be on some kind of The Pill and regularly have a week off for periods? (Then instantly be working again afterwards?) 'cause this seems to go against what I knew/heard about it.
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May 12, 2013 15:45
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VagueRant posted:Hope I haven't missed something in the OP. It was a little confusing and I wasn't too sure what to look for. Basically: is it normal to be on some kind of The Pill and regularly have a week off for periods? (Then instantly be working again afterwards?) I'm not sure I understand your question. Pills usually come in packs of 28 pills, 7 of those are sugar or placebo pills. You only have to take the 21 active pills. So yes, that's exactly how the pill works. You take the active pills for 3 weeks, then 1 week "off" (depending on whether you take the sugar pills) and you're protected the entire time.
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May 12, 2013 15:56
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VagueRant posted:Hope I haven't missed something in the OP. It was a little confusing and I wasn't too sure what to look for. Basically: is it normal to be on some kind of The Pill and regularly have a week off for periods? (Then instantly be working again afterwards?) Yes, that's normal. Most birth control pills have 3 weeks of active pills (meaning they have hormones in them) and then a 4th week of placebo pills that have no hormones. The lack of the usual hormones that week causes a period. You're still protected from pregnancy that week. The period week thing is also entirely optional and can be skipped by not taking the placebo pills. Some people tend to have some spotting that might be caused by doing this, but otherwise it won't hurt anything.
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May 12, 2013 18:06
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Ohh. Thanks for the info! That filled in the knowledge gaps. 
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May 12, 2013 19:16
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