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Kimmalah
Nov 14, 2005

Basically just a baby in a trenchcoat.


Lady Xava posted:


I'm about 24 hours post insertion and I am surprised at how little I'm spotting. There is barely anything there and a pantyliner is more then enough. I guess I read one too many horror stories online and was expecting a flood. As for my cramps they're basically gone. A few twinges now and then but I haven't taken any Ibuprofen since I woke up, over 7 hours ago. This might just be my mind trying to focus on the IUD but it feels like the twinges are more to one side (left) then the other. Anyone else notice this or am I making up things to worry about? I took the day off today since I wasn't sure how things would go but I could have made through the day.

I've pretty much always gotten twinges on my left side from day one. It's not a constant thing, but if I'm going to have some kind of ache it'll be on the left side of my pelvis probably 90% of the time. I don't think it's anything to be concerned about, probably just some quirk of individual anatomy interacting with the IUD. It's never caused me any problems except minor annoyance.

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pastor of muppets
Aug 21, 2007

We were somewhere around the Living Hive, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold...

Really bummed. I went in today to get Mirena inserted and it just couldn't be done.

My GP recommended switching to an IUD because I get frequent (non aura) migraines so I was really looking forward to not taking pills anymore or getting a migraine every week or even getting my period anymore. Three different doctors tried dilating my cervix and it was just stubbornly clamped shut, even though I inserted a cervix softener last night. I'm really upset that after 15 minutes of excruciating pain I don't even have my precious Mirena to show for it. :(

Plan B is to go with the Nexplanon, but is there anyone here who had this happen and then successfully try again on another day? I'm smack dab in the middle of my period so I really thought it would work

Kimmalah
Nov 14, 2005

Basically just a baby in a trenchcoat.


I think we've had some posters who had trouble on the first try, but got it inserted on a subsequent attempt. Maybe your cervix isn't as cooperative as some during your period. :(

MK-Ultramarathon
Aug 12, 2009

I didn't have any trouble when getting mine, and I think I got it inserted about three or four days after my period ended. Maybe it will go more smoothly at a different time during your cycle? I don't actually know anything about female anatomy (aside from, you know, what's there), but it seems strange that it would be completely impossible to put one in. At any rate, I hope you have more success with your next attempt! I do know there are a lot of people in the thread who have Nexplanon and like it a lot if that's what you end up going with.

Speaking of Mirena, I know I've heard some people say they noticed an increase in acne right after getting theirs inserted. I got mine slightly over a month ago and only in the past few days my face has started to break out terribly. I'm mostly just trying to figure out if I should blame this on hormones and wait it out, or if I need to switch moisturizers again (which I don't want to do because I'm sick of buying expensive moisturizers). I've already had my first post-Mirena "period" (I think; it was just about a day of cramps and a couple days of spotting), and the break-out didn't start til after that.

MK-Ultramarathon fucked around with this message at 15:30 on Jun 15, 2013

Lady Xava
Dec 1, 2006

Kimmalah posted:

I've pretty much always gotten twinges on my left side from day one. It's not a constant thing, but if I'm going to have some kind of ache it'll be on the left side of my pelvis probably 90% of the time. I don't think it's anything to be concerned about, probably just some quirk of individual anatomy interacting with the IUD. It's never caused me any problems except minor annoyance.

Yeah it seems if I'm going to have cramp it will start from the left. Good to hear it hasn't caused you any issues. So far the cramps have been little to none almost a week post insertion. My spotting seems to be slowing down too. Hopefully it will fully stop soon.

How long did it take for most of you for your strings to soften up? My fella is worried about getting poked.

Kimmalah
Nov 14, 2005

Basically just a baby in a trenchcoat.


Lady Xava posted:

Yeah it seems if I'm going to have cramp it will start from the left. Good to hear it hasn't caused you any issues. So far the cramps have been little to none almost a week post insertion. My spotting seems to be slowing down too. Hopefully it will fully stop soon.

How long did it take for most of you for your strings to soften up? My fella is worried about getting poked.

I don't know exactly. I had sex two days after I had mine inserted and he didn't get poked (or ever has in the months since according to him).

It seemed like the strings softened up pretty quickly, but I've heard Paragard's strings soften faster than Mirena's (no idea if that's true though) so your experience might be different.

MK-Ultramarathon
Aug 12, 2009

Lady Xava posted:

Yeah it seems if I'm going to have cramp it will start from the left. Good to hear it hasn't caused you any issues. So far the cramps have been little to none almost a week post insertion. My spotting seems to be slowing down too. Hopefully it will fully stop soon.

How long did it take for most of you for your strings to soften up? My fella is worried about getting poked.

I can't comment on actual sex since my, uh, romantic life is sadly lacking at the moment, but when I check mine it seems like they're generally keeping themselves pretty well out of the way. From what I've heard, if they're on the longer side, they're less likely to be pokey. I think my doctor said something like they soften up a lot by two or three months but I might have made that up, and it's probably different for everyone anyway.

Menschsein
Sep 15, 2007

Ne carne ne pesce

ExpletiveDeleted posted:

Speaking of Mirena, I know I've heard some people say they noticed an increase in acne right after getting theirs inserted. I got mine slightly over a month ago and only in the past few days my face has started to break out terribly. I'm mostly just trying to figure out if I should blame this on hormones and wait it out, or if I need to switch moisturizers again (which I don't want to do because I'm sick of buying expensive moisturizers). I've already had my first post-Mirena "period" (I think; it was just about a day of cramps and a couple days of spotting), and the break-out didn't start til after that.

I can testify to having a bit more acne before my period, certainly more than on the pill, but nothing out of the ordinary However, the settling-in period I had a bit of a panic when zits began appearing in places I'd never had them before. Fortunately that passed, but it was an interesting phase, a couple of weeks. Again, I'd recommend to wait it out. The increase in acne could also be attributed to summer (though I don't know what climate you're living in).

Geolicious
Oct 21, 2003

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark.
Lipstick Apathy
My skin went insane about two months after I got Mirena. But I also unexpectedly lost my job at that time as well.

However, I got really good results from 2.5% benzoyl peroxide and my skin is looking pretty good lately.

Ceridwen
Dec 11, 2004
Of course... If the Jell-O gets moldy, the whole thing should be set aflame.

Post-baby Mirena insertion trip report: I got my third Mirena inserted this morning. The first two were before I had a baby, this one was at 6 1/2 weeks postpartum. It really did hurt way less. Barely more uncomfortable than a pap even though I was relatively nervous about it. The speculum was actually more painful than the insertion itself because I'm still sore where my tear was stiched. I took one Aleve an hour after I got home to deal with some mild cramping and I'm having some spotting/light bleeding but that's about it. Definitely easier than pre-baby.

Also, they did not seem concerned that I had sex 24 hours before insertion since it was with a condom.

Pastor of muppets: They might have a better chance getting the IUD in if you go when you are ovulating rather than on your period. Pick up a copy of Taking Charge of Your Fertility, learn to tell when you are close to ovulation, than schedule an insertion appointment for that time. My cervix is always way softer and more open near ovulation than it is at my period but it's a fair bit harder to figure out when ovulation happens than when your period does so they tend to go for period-time rather than messing about trying to determine ovulation. It's certainly possible once you learn a bit about your cycle though and would probably give you a better shot of insertion being successful.

Kimmalah
Nov 14, 2005

Basically just a baby in a trenchcoat.


Ceridwen posted:

Pastor of muppets: They might have a better chance getting the IUD in if you go when you are ovulating rather than on your period. Pick up a copy of Taking Charge of Your Fertility, learn to tell when you are close to ovulation, than schedule an insertion appointment for that time. My cervix is always way softer and more open near ovulation than it is at my period but it's a fair bit harder to figure out when ovulation happens than when your period does so they tend to go for period-time rather than messing about trying to determine ovulation. It's certainly possible once you learn a bit about your cycle though and would probably give you a better shot of insertion being successful.

This is good advice except it sounds like she might be on the pill at the moment, in which case she won't be ovulating at all. But yeah, if it's possible to deal with not being on the pill long enough for her cycle to get relatively regular that could definitely be something worth trying. I hate to see anyone not be able to get something as awesome as an IUD.

pastor of muppets
Aug 21, 2007

We were somewhere around the Living Hive, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold...

Kimmalah posted:

This is good advice except it sounds like she might be on the pill at the moment, in which case she won't be ovulating at all. But yeah, if it's possible to deal with not being on the pill long enough for her cycle to get relatively regular that could definitely be something worth trying. I hate to see anyone not be able to get something as awesome as an IUD.

Pretty much this. I've been on the pill for almost seven years now and I don't think I even ovulate anymore. I had three doctors try to insert my IUD and ultimately they were worried about perfing my uterus so they didn't force it.

Thanks for all the advice! I've been reading up and I think I will be just as happy with Nexplanon as I would have been with Mirena (hopefully), just without the added benefit of the possibility of ammenorhea or the added paranoia of squatting it out. :)

Kimmalah
Nov 14, 2005

Basically just a baby in a trenchcoat.


pastor of muppets posted:

Pretty much this. I've been on the pill for almost seven years now and I don't think I even ovulate anymore. I had three doctors try to insert my IUD and ultimately they were worried about perfing my uterus so they didn't force it.

Thanks for all the advice! I've been reading up and I think I will be just as happy with Nexplanon as I would have been with Mirena (hopefully), just without the added benefit of the possibility of ammenorhea or the added paranoia of squatting it out. :)

If it's a combined pill, no you definitely wouldn't be since inhibiting ovulation is how they work. And if it makes you feel any better, the complete amenorrhea only happens to something like 20% of Mirena users. And it can also happen with Nexplanon from what I hear.

Also, no you won't squat an IUD out. :v:

InEscape
Nov 10, 2006

stuck.
Nexplanon user here. No guarantees it won't come back but after my six weeks of spotting I've been period free for a couple months now! So it can happen. :)

Fashionably Great
Jul 10, 2008
I FINALLY got an appointment scheduled to get Mirena/Skyla inserted. :woop: After dealing with a lovely gyno for my pap last year who wouldn't answer ANY questions about an IUD and not being able to get an appointment anywhere locally (local medical monopolies SUCK) without waiting a month, never being able to talk to a real person at Planned Parenthood and getting stuck on hold every time I tried, I called somewhere half an hour out of town who was like "Yep! We insert them! How about next Monday at 10?" and I was almost speechless at how simple it was to get an appointment with them. I'm not entirely sure which I'll get, I'm assuming Mirena, but I'm also a good candidate for Skyla. If I can't get an IUD, I'll be going for Nexplanon because my insurance company makes me file reimbursement claims for my prescriptions despite it being covered under the Affordable Healthcare Act now. They called me back today and said that my insurance will cover it 100%! THANKS OBAMA

So, I should be joining the hormonal IUD club soon, buuut as I said, it's about half an hour of driving for me. I might be able to have someone drive me but there's a possibility that I'll have to drive home on my own. I'll probably grab some lunch nearby where I'm getting the procedure done and make sure I'm good to drive home if I do have to do it alone. Is this a really really bad idea?

I didn't get much info from the clinic, but I'm assuming that I should:
Take 800mg ibuprofen before I leave the house and possibly .5mg Xanax (I have an RX as needed for anxiety) to calm my nerves if necessary
Have a heating pad at home/thermawrap in the car
Eat something for breakfast
Be prepared for an afternoon on the couch with Netflix, ice cream and sweatpants
And apparently I have to pee in a cup for them so I should drink some water.

Anything else I'm missing?

Since I'm currently on the pill, will I have complete effectiveness immediately, or will this throw my hormones off whack since I'm going from a moderate estrogen/progestin dose to a very low one? I'm on Sprintec (generic Ortho Cyclen) right now.

Kimmalah
Nov 14, 2005

Basically just a baby in a trenchcoat.


Are you sure they're actually inserting it that day? They usually take swabs and do tests for infections like chlamydia and gonorrhea before they'll insert an IUD. Unless maybe you have recent test on record or something. The "pee in a cup" thing is usually just to make sure 100% you aren't pregnant then and there.

In any case, it sounds like you've got it pretty covered in my opinion. Everyone has a different reaction afterwards and I personally don't drive so I had a ride, but I definitely could have driven myself home no problem. Your case might be different, there's no way to say (especially with something like Xanax possibly on board).

Your hormones probably will get a little wacky. I've heard of people waiting with the Mirena, but since you're transitioning straight from pill to hormonal IUD without a break you might be covered. Your best bet would probably be to ask the doctor or nurse that does the procedure. If they're a good clinic, they'll do their best to answer whatever questions you might have about what do afterwards.

Geoj
May 28, 2008

BITTER POOR PERSON
Re: driving home, my wife just had her mirena inserted yesterday and said that she could have driven home on her own if I hadn't been available. YMMV obviously, but she said she was a touch dizzy and sore for about half an hour afterwards, so if you can kill half an hour or so you should be fine. Also we had planned for her to be out of commission for the rest of the day, but she had it inserted around 3:30 and was back up and moving around (she had cleaned the dishes and had dinner almost done by the time I got back from the park with our dogs) by 6.

Typically a doctor will tell you if you cannot/should not attempt to drive yourself home following a procedure, so if you're still concerned I would call and ask. Generally driving is prohibited post-procedure only when general anesthesia (or local anesthesia that would effect your ability to drive) is used/required.

Geoj fucked around with this message at 01:14 on Jun 20, 2013

Lady Xava
Dec 1, 2006

Grape Soda posted:

So, I should be joining the hormonal IUD club soon, buuut as I said, it's about half an hour of driving for me. I might be able to have someone drive me but there's a possibility that I'll have to drive home on my own. I'll probably grab some lunch nearby where I'm getting the procedure done and make sure I'm good to drive home if I do have to do it alone. Is this a really really bad idea?

I drove home after my insertion; mind you it was only a 10 minute drive but doable. Before leaving the clinic I had to sit in my car for a good 5 minutes as I got hit with a wave of cramps. They weren't overly painful but they were the type that radiate down my thighs. I found myself a bit shaky for about 20 minutes after insertion. I think it had to do with my stubborn cervix. It was pretty angry at being poked. It might be worth while to ask before your insertion if they have place you could hang out that's quiet in-case things aren't optimal.

Hope it goes smoothly for you!

Edit: Re Strings - Glad to hear most guys don't notice them. It'll reassure my man that my vagina hasn't turned into death trap.

Lady Xava fucked around with this message at 02:20 on Jun 20, 2013

Kimmalah
Nov 14, 2005

Basically just a baby in a trenchcoat.


Yeah I don't remember it being too bad. I felt perfectly normal immediately after the procedure was all over, except for a little bit of surprise like "Wow that was it?" I had spells where I was pretty crampy for the rest of the day and also just a little soreness in my abdomen - nothing major, just occasionally a mild ache to remind me that something had definitely happened down there. The heat pad and ibuprofen worked wonders. I felt perfectly normal by the next day except for some random cramping and just took the ibuprofen to take care of it.

Should add I have a Paragard so that may make my experience a bit different.

Grape Soda posted:

Anything else I'm missing?

This just hit me after my last post, but reading over your list you might want to stock up on a pack of pads and maybe some pantiliners. You probably will have some bleeding in the days after insertion and you also probably won't be too keen on sticking anything in there in the first day or two (and I've heard some doctors advise against tampons right after insertion, but mine didn't say anything so I don't know). I bled for about a week afterwards, between the IUD insertion and withdrawal bleeding from stopping the pill. Since Mirena is hormonal that could also cause some irregular bleeding for a bit.

Don't worry, once everything is settled tampons and menstrual cups are A-OK with an IUD (as long as you're careful about breaking the seal on the cup before removal).

Kimmalah fucked around with this message at 02:50 on Jun 20, 2013

Bellabel
Jan 5, 2010

Dead finks don't talk too well; they've got a shaky sense of diction

Grape Soda posted:

So, I should be joining the hormonal IUD club soon, buuut as I said, it's about half an hour of driving for me. I might be able to have someone drive me but there's a possibility that I'll have to drive home on my own. I'll probably grab some lunch nearby where I'm getting the procedure done and make sure I'm good to drive home if I do have to do it alone. Is this a really really bad idea?

I don't know, I got mine (Mirena) in on Tuesday and I got really faint and dizzy. They made me stay for over an hour until I could walk again. So you might want to have a back-up plan in case you react like I did.

On the bright side the nurse brought me two packs of those biscoff cookies you get on airplanes :3:

Geolicious
Oct 21, 2003

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark.
Lipstick Apathy
I am very glad my friend drove me home after my insertion. I wasn't dizzy or the like, but I was so loving crampy, I could barely make my legs work. Though, it was a 75 minute drive. I maybe could have done 10 or 20.

MK-Ultramarathon
Aug 12, 2009

Grape Soda posted:

So, I should be joining the hormonal IUD club soon, buuut as I said, it's about half an hour of driving for me. I might be able to have someone drive me but there's a possibility that I'll have to drive home on my own. I'll probably grab some lunch nearby where I'm getting the procedure done and make sure I'm good to drive home if I do have to do it alone. Is this a really really bad idea?

As Kimmalah said, for sure get some pads, some doctors will tell you not to stick anything up there for a while after insertion. I don't know if it's actually necessary to avoid it; I just went with it because I was terrified of mine flying right back out right after it got inserted. I started using a cup again about a week after insertion and it's been totally fine.

With the driving, I drove myself to and from my appointment because I didn't really have a choice; it was about a forty-five minute drive and I was fine, but I would have been a lot more comfortable having someone else to drive me just because I'm super paranoid about driving in general. I felt pretty much fine after the procedure, though, and I didn't have any problems with the drive home. I just would rather not have had to worry about it.

I had to pee in a cup, so yes, wouldn't be a bad plan to be prepared for that.

Also, as far as the acne goes--I finally caved in and turned on my air conditioning, and it's been clearing up since then. I live in Missouri, so I suppose the disgusting Midwestern summer wasn't helping any initial hormonal issues.

MK-Ultramarathon fucked around with this message at 18:09 on Jun 20, 2013

jai Mundi
Jun 17, 2005

Kiss my shiny metal heinie

Kimmalah posted:

Yeah I don't remember it being too bad. I felt perfectly normal immediately after the procedure was all over, except for a little bit of surprise like "Wow that was it?" I had spells where I was pretty crampy for the rest of the day and also just a little soreness in my abdomen - nothing major, just occasionally a mild ache to remind me that something had definitely happened down there. The heat pad and ibuprofen worked wonders. I felt perfectly normal by the next day except for some random cramping and just took the ibuprofen to take care of it.

Should add I have a Paragard so that may make my experience a bit different.

This was my experience exactly. I also have had Paragard for over a year. I recommend a dose of your pain killer of choice and those stick-on heat pads.

Geolicious
Oct 21, 2003

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark.
Lipstick Apathy
I just realized today is my 1 year with Mirena! 4 more to go!

The Schwa
Jul 1, 2008

Kimmalah posted:

What kind of IUD is it and what other kinds of contraception have you tried? That might help us make suggestions (if that's what you're looking for).

Oh man I totally forgot I posted this. Oops. It's a Multiload.

I've tried the minipill (I don't remember which) and Depo Provera; I get migraines so they won't give me anything with estrogen. Progesterone kind of fucks with my body, but the minipill was much better than Depo. For the minipill I was bleeding about once every three months, but I was young and in my first serious relationship and freaked out about missing periods so I switched.

Depo was terrible. Bleeding non-stop for months and months. I went off it after two or three shots and got the IUD put in. The bleeding settled down, but I have an absurdly short vaginal canal and it makes my cervix really sensitive (not good).

Can anyone compare their Depo and implant experiences? I would go with Implanon but I'm worried about endless bleeding again, so I might just go back to the minipill.

(edited to add detail)

The Schwa fucked around with this message at 05:02 on Jun 21, 2013

TheReverend
Jun 21, 2005

So my fiance is in another state right now on a trip and she's nervous/worried because her
period is a day or two late. She's taken all the right oral pills at the right time but she's also started working these 4am-9am shifts 3/4 days a week in addition to her 1-8 shifts which are everyday. That, combined with stress and make her a few days late right?

Or in other words, how much panicking should I be having right now? (because it's a lot and I don't like the feeling)

edit:she had spotting yesterday i think. that's a good sign.......right?

TheReverend fucked around with this message at 22:35 on Jun 22, 2013

Geolicious
Oct 21, 2003

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark.
Lipstick Apathy
Tell her to pee on a stick and ease her mind.

Brazilian Werewolf
Dec 6, 2006
--dies at the end.
She could be late from stress sure or from the pills even or just randomly. It happens. Definitely just get a pregnancy test. Spotting could mean pretty much anything.

The Schwa I had a friend who went from Implanon to Depo because of nonstop bleeding, but Depo worked fine for her. I think whether or not Implanon works for you is just going to have to be something you learn through trial and error. Good luck though.

The Schwa
Jul 1, 2008

Agreed. It's probably just the stress, yeah, but tests aren't that expensive and the freaking out part sucks. Best to know for sure.

Brazilian Werewolf, I might well do that. I'd definitely rather have a more permanent solution like Implanon. Hell, why not. I'll make an appointment for next week for a consultation and for a time to get the little copper thing taken out :ohdear:

MK-Ultramarathon
Aug 12, 2009

I'd say there's a good chance it's stress--even when I was taking oral pills set to an alarm on my phone and not having sex with anybody, my period would never come on exactly the same day. Stress can really screw up your body. Lack of sleep also really screws up your body.

But yeah, taking a test is probably a good idea as well. As everybody else said, then you'll know for sure.

MK-Ultramarathon fucked around with this message at 17:55 on Jun 23, 2013

TheReverend
Jun 21, 2005

Thanks.
She's on her way home so I'll know in a few hours.

I guess if stress can give me shingles, it's not unreasonable for her timing to be off.

I guess I'm just lucky I haven't regiven myself more shingles at this point.

FAUXTON
Jun 2, 2005

spero che tu stia bene

Considering I work a strictly desk job, would I expect to be taking a day or two off after a vasectomy (the non-incision varietal) if I don't want to be walking around with a bag of frozen peas jockstrapped to my throbbing sack, or is it generally mild (on a scale of wet denim chafing to testicular field goal) and able to be wrangled with ibuprofen?

Kimmalah
Nov 14, 2005

Basically just a baby in a trenchcoat.


The Entire Universe posted:

Considering I work a strictly desk job, would I expect to be taking a day or two off after a vasectomy (the non-incision varietal) if I don't want to be walking around with a bag of frozen peas jockstrapped to my throbbing sack, or is it generally mild (on a scale of wet denim chafing to testicular field goal) and able to be wrangled with ibuprofen?

There's a fairly big vasectomy thread that's been kind of inactive so it's fallen off the front page for a while. You might find some answers by reading the experiences in there.

On another note, Paragard trip report! I'm finally on that magical 6 month mark everyone talks about and it really has been a big difference. Last month was just as crampy/heavy as ever but this period has been surprisingly ordinary. I got a few big cramps yesterday, but not much worse than pre-IUD and now nothing. I haven't even needed ibuprofen or heat so far. It really is a big difference and kind of weird the way it happened so suddenly. Not complaining though. :)

TheReverend
Jun 21, 2005

So one negative test. She said she wasn't sure she did it right; so waited till the morning to do the cup method. Another negative.

I'm feeling pretty confident, she's not so sure.

I should feel confident, right?

Geolicious
Oct 21, 2003

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark.
Lipstick Apathy
Just keep peeing on sticks (with morning pee) until you have enough negatives to feel OK. I think one time I ended up peeing on like 6 or 8 cheap ones over the course of a week or so to ease my mind.

Kimmalah
Nov 14, 2005

Basically just a baby in a trenchcoat.


TheReverend posted:

So one negative test. She said she wasn't sure she did it right; so waited till the morning to do the cup method. Another negative.

I'm feeling pretty confident, she's not so sure.

I should feel confident, right?

Honestly, I think most likely everything is fine. Between two negative tests and her taking the pill as directed, the odds are very in your favor here.

But I understand how scary it can be and how this fear will stick in your mind no matter how much you rationalize it. So it might just have to be like Geolicious said, keep doing the tests until enough negatives stack up that her fears are eased (or until her period decides to appear, whichever). She just needs to make sure she's doing the tests exactly as directed though. Sometimes if you wait too long to and read the result outside the designated window on time on some tests, "phantom lines" will appear that look similar to a positive.

If a lot of home tests are still not easing her mind, she could always get tested at a doctor. I think normally they also do the pee on a stick thing, but maybe she could convince them to a blood test.

Fashionably Great
Jul 10, 2008
Joining the Mirena club! :cool:

I took 800mg of ibuprofen an hour before the appointment, .5mg of Xanax when I got there.

My doctor was AWESOME. Seriously, she was amazing. We talked about the risks and she seemed pretty impressed with the amount of research I had done and was comfortable with putting it in without a consultation appointment. She suggested Mirena over Skyla because the higher hormone levels mean that bleeding will probably be lighter and a greater chance of no periods down the line, plus 5 years vs 3.

Insertion was a million times less scary and painful than I thought. She numbed my cervix, then warned me for a couple of cramps, probably a solid minute of being uncomfortable, my pre birth control cramps were worse than that. "You're all done!" "Whaaaat. Seriously?" I thought that was just the sounding part, but it was all over in under five minutes. I'm bad at rating pain because I have a weird pain tolerance but it was really not that bad thanks to the numbing part.

Now, this is a weird bit that I don't think that I've heard from anyone about insertion stories.. I was fine for the first fifteen minutes or so, then a weird wave of nausea hit me. I ended up puking in a walmart bathroom when I went to get a thermacare and some gatorade. The drive home wasn't bad because my dad let me borrow his truck that's a lot more comfortable than my car/has AC so the drive was fine once I made sure I wasn't feeling like I was going to throw up again. I'm fine now, just a little ouchy.

Thanks for all the reassurance, goons!

Kimmalah
Nov 14, 2005

Basically just a baby in a trenchcoat.


I think Mirena is a little unique in that it combines the sounding and insertion process into one step because of how the little insertion device is made. But I'm not a doctor, that's just what I heard when I was researching IUDs. And "What, that was IT?" was definitely my reaction to insertion as well. :D

I have heard of some women having things like dizziness and nausea very soon after insertion. I think it's a vasovagal thing basically and usually will pass. I suppose the hormones in Mirena might possibly cause some nausea, but it seems like that would take longer to affect you.

Geolicious
Oct 21, 2003

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark.
Lipstick Apathy
I thought my sounding and my insertion were two separate things. Maybe not. Sure felt like it, though.

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FAUXTON
Jun 2, 2005

spero che tu stia bene

Kimmalah posted:

There's a fairly big vasectomy thread that's been kind of inactive so it's fallen off the front page for a while. You might find some answers by reading the experiences in there.

On another note, Paragard trip report! I'm finally on that magical 6 month mark everyone talks about and it really has been a big difference. Last month was just as crampy/heavy as ever but this period has been surprisingly ordinary. I got a few big cramps yesterday, but not much worse than pre-IUD and now nothing. I haven't even needed ibuprofen or heat so far. It really is a big difference and kind of weird the way it happened so suddenly. Not complaining though. :)

Thanks, I had thought there was one but assumed it'd been long since buried.

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