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Eggplant Wizard posted:Badasssss this is what I am crossing my fingers for. I got mine a week ago today. Any more trip reports on periods, spotting, & general discharge on Mirena would be much appreciated. I've been using the Mirena for 5.5 years now and am on my second one. After the first one was inserted (Sept. 2005) I got 2-3 normalish but much lighter than normal periods, then spotting every couple of months for ~6 months, then intermittent very light spotting for the next 3 years or so. During the last year of the first Mirena I started to get headaches once a month like clockwork, and during the last six months I started to spot again once a month. I had cramping intermittently, especially during/after sex for the first couple of months and with the spotting. None of the cramping or bleeding has ever approached the way my periods normally were (even on the pill). My second Mirena was inserted at the end of July 2010 (4 years 10 months after the first one). The removal loving sucked, because my strings were so short they could not be grasped and the doc had to dig around in my uterus to get the IUD out. This was an exceptional circumstance, as according to him (and he is older and does a LOT of IUDs) this was the most difficult removal he'd encountered. I wrote up the full story for the old thread I think. The insertion of the second one was fine (he'd numbed my cervix by then). Interestingly, there was only ~1.5 days of ickyness and cramping after that day (despite how abused my cervix was). I guess because my body was already used to having something in my uterus, I did not have to go through the post-insertion adjustment period again. The monthly spotting and headaches have gone away with the new one, so I would guess they were from the dose of hormone waning a bit as the IUD got older. I used a tampon last week (just one, and it was a junior one) for the first time since September. It's wonderful. In terms of other discharge, the only thing I've noticed is that for me personally, my discharge is much more like it was when I was on nothing than it was when I was on the pill. I think that it varies for different women though. Juniper posted:Also, I recall someone mentioning this in the last thread (sorry if it's in the OP and I missed it) but I also get a cramping type feeling sometimes when I have been waiting for a while to get to a restroom, but it goes away once that's taken care of. This was probably me. I know I mentioned it somewhere in the old thread. I don't get this as commonly anymore, but it weirded me out at first. Something about a full bladder pressing on my uterus tended to annoy it when I first got the Mirena. I know it freaks some people out, but drat I love not getting periods. Probably because mine were always so miserable to begin with. It's especially nice to be able to go do field work (bio grad student) without having to worry about dealing with period stuff while not having access to toilet facilities.
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Jan 24, 2011 21:32
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Tulip Candy posted:I've been having such persistent cramps today, it's driving me insane. I got an IUD almost exactly an year ago and its given me no problems whatsoever. But today, man, today has been miserable and if this keeps up, I'm going to the doctor very soon. Anybody else has any advice or comforting comments for this? I really don't want it to be something like uterine perforation or something else terrible. I almost feel like I would rather have periods again and have the comfort of knowing that a stick won't just stab my womb. Uterine perforation is highly unlikely, it usually occurs at the time of insertion, not way afterward. Which kind of IUD do you have? Have you had cramping at other times during this year or is this the first time? This may sound stupid, but have you gone ahead and taken any drugs for it? I was always quick to take advil or aleve when I got cramps with my normal period, but sometimes forget to now that I have a Mirena and get cramps much less frequently. I'll find myself super annoyed with them until I realize I haven't taken anything. The other thing that sometimes makes cramping worse for me with my IUD is if I have cramping because of digestive issues or if I'm sick with something else. My IUD tends to make my uterus a bit more sensitive to stuff like that. It is definitely worth getting checked out if this cramping is really unusual and/or does not let up though.
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Mar 18, 2011 18:36
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Lackadaisical posted:I've been having a kind of weird side effect since getting the paragard IUD and was wondering if anyone else has had it... It's normal when you get heavy cramping. http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/5953.html Has your cramping increased with the Paragard?
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Mar 27, 2011 20:45
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Lackadaisical posted:Yep, I had been on hormonal BC for close to a decade before. Anything that helps reduce your cramping should help. You might try taking advil for a day or so before your period starts, it really reduces the cramping for a lot of women.
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Mar 28, 2011 00:26
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Changes in your menstrual cycle (including not getting your period at all) are an EXTREMELY common side effect of any progestin only birth control method. Take the pregnancy test for peace of mind, but stop worrying. If you've taken the pill properly then you are fine! This is not even a "your body getting used to it" thing. In all likelihood you will not have a normal period cycle while on POPs. It was really stupid of your PP not to mention this as a side effect.
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Apr 14, 2011 16:21
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lunarian posted:My insertion was the most horrible pain I had ever experience, but my removal was a breeze. The cramp was very mild and super quick and I didn't have any cramps afterward. Don't even worry. It's nothing like the insertion. If they can find the strings, this is true. If they can't...well, it loving sucks. My removal of my first Mirena was FAR worse than the insertion because the strings were not reachable, so they had to dilate my cervix and stick instruments into my uterus to grab the IUD. It was very painful and they ultimately had to numb my cervix for me to be able to tolerate it. The good news is that my body got over it quickly. I had a new Mirena inserted the same day and was expecting that I'd be in pain for at least a week afterward given how rough the removal had been on my cervix. It turned out that everything was back to normal within two days. I was even able to handle the heavy lifting involved in moving the day after my removal+insertion. So even though it was bad, it was not a lasting thing. Thankfully, my situation is uncommon. The doctor who did my removal said mine was one of the hardest he'd done, and he's done it for 10+ years.
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Apr 28, 2011 03:11
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Fanky Malloons posted:Thanks! I picked it up from the pharmacy last week after my consultation because I had no idea how much it was going to cost and didn't want to have to deal with it on the day. It's been sitting on a side table in its box since then. A box which is rather large, I might add - what else is in there beside the IUD? The pain isn't fun but it's not that terrible either, especially if you are used to bad periods. You can review my comments on my (particularly awful) removal and insertion experience in this thread. Even as bad as that was the pain was gone pretty quickly and the reduction in my periods over the life of the Mirena makes it SOOOOO worth it. The box contains the sounding device (what they use to measure your uterus before insertion) and the insertion device, each of which are about a foot long. The Mirena itself is quite tiny, promise!
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May 1, 2011 03:59
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Panzer Skank posted:
One thing to be prepared for: Even though estrogen can cause migraines, withdrawing it can also cause them. You may continue to get migraines for several months after you stop the Yasmin. When I went off the patch I had a migraine almost every day for almost 3 months. It loving sucked. I don't have any experiences with POPs, but I am on another progestin only form of BC (Mirena IUD) and it has been wonderful for me. There are a few downsides/negative effects. Some of them are specific to the IUD, like random cramping that still occurs once in a while even after nearly 6 years of having an IUD. Some are more progestin specific, like some moderately increased acne. Some are things that I consider benefits, but others might consider drawbacks, like not having any real periods (my last one was more than 5.5 years ago). In general though, I have far fewer issues with my progestin only birth control than I ever did with combined hormonal contraceptives. I have gained weight, but that was a GOOD thing for me (I'm chronically underweight), and occurred because I was having fewer headaches.
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May 26, 2011 03:19
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VoodooSchmoodoo posted:I had also considered this, but my doctor(s, I've seen a few) absolutely will not consider to give me a combined hormonal method of any sort because I'm over 35 and I smoke. The hormonal IUD is progestin only, not combined.
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May 26, 2011 18:52
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Eggplant Wizard posted:* Mirena also has the side effect of lightening periods for many women (20% of users). It lightens periods for way more than 20% of women using it. In the study they did to test it for use as a treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding, 85% of women had a 50% or more reduction in menstrual bleeding by the end of the study (6 cycles). It completely eliminates periods for ~20% of users. Everything else you said is dead on though.
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Jun 7, 2011 22:29
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global tetrahedron posted:My girlfriend and I have decided an IUD might be the best route. Now, she works a program where she makes next to no money. A friend of hers in a similar program said she got an IUD installed for next to nothing because of her low income. My girlfriend is wondering if income somehow determines the price, or if insurance might affect how much it costs? (We're totally clueless about navigating the loving healthcare system if you can't tell) She goes back on her mom's insurance in September so she's thinking it might be best to do it before that happens. How do clinics generally process or determine the pricing plans for an IUD procedure? The Planned Parenthood said it depends on the clinic. As my girlfriend moves around a lot it's hard to do specifics, so some general wisdom would be good enough... You might look into this if it is the Mirena she wants: ARCH foundation She should check whether her mother's insurance will cover IUDs before she bothers waiting for that. A lot of insurance will not cover it, even if other forms of birth control are covered. The insurance I had when I got my first Mirena covered only ~20% of the cost, and the insurance I had for the second one covered the doctor's appointments related to the IUD but nothing for the cost of the IUD itself. Both of them covered pretty much any other form of birth control much more completely.
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Jul 18, 2011 18:07
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BigGayLogan posted:Also, no IUDs for me before anyone suggests. It's not pregnancy I'm worried about. I'm not sure I'm understanding your objection to the IUD. The Mirena is probably the easiest and best option you have available to stop periods. In fact one of the things it is approved for (in addition to the obvious one of birth control) is reducing heavy bleeding from periods. I haven't had a period in nearly 6 years now because of Mirena. And it doesn't have the weight gain issues that Depo does, is administered once every 5 years instead of every 3 months, and is completely reversible (as quickly as you can schedule a doctor's appt) should you decide it's not working for you. The two big drawbacks are "ick, it hurts getting something put into my uterus", which fades pretty loving quickly and the cost. Other than those it kicks rear end and I doubt I'll ever use another form of birth control/period control.
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Jul 19, 2011 00:40
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BigGayLogan posted:If my doctor recommends it, then great, and maybe I will get over the squeamishness of having something crammed up my uterus (and all the pain that comes with it). But I'm very aware that most doctors won't for someone like me. I'm single, childless, and under 30. Ah. Doctor's who will not recommend them for women like you are, to be blunt, very uninformed and behind the times. There is extensive scientific evidence demonstrating that it is perfectly ok to insert IUDs in young, childless women. Even the single thing is no big deal. There is a risk if you *currently* have an infection, but almost no (0.01% or less) increased risk of problems from getting an STD after the first 20 days following IUD insertion. For the record, my first Mirena was inserted when I was 23 and had never had a child. At that point in time I had to search a bit to find a doctor who would do it without my having had a kid. By the time I wanted it replaced with a new one the health center at my university was doing them quite regularly. My younger sister was even able to get hers for free through her university! In terms of pain, I won't lie, it sucks to get it inserted. That said, for me it sucked less than a single period worth of cramps. And I've gotten to avoid 6 years worth of period cramps in exchange! There is also some intermittent cramping post-insertion for a few months, usually stimulated by things like having a very full bladder or having sex. These cramps are much less intense and go away with time (usually within ~3-5 months). For me they were enough to register mild discomfort and only rarely (less than 5 times) bad enough to require a half dose of ibuprofen. I will admit to being somewhat irrationally afraid of Depo though. I had bad enough side effects from the pill that the idea of getting a shot full or hormones that could not be reversed if the side effects sucked was terrifying. You should also be aware that the opposite effect of what you are looking for, bleeding non-stop, is quite common with both Depo and Implanon, and much less common with Mirena.
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Jul 19, 2011 01:26
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meiram posted:Not that Mirena doesn't have the risk of weight gain, I think, but I'd have to defer to the other posters. By the time I was considering IUDs I had sworn off hormones. Mirena carries a risk for pretty much any side effect you can normally have with progestin containing birth control, however these side effects do seem to generally be milder and less common with Mirena than with most other hormonal birth control. I've got some increased acne that is almost certainly from the Mirena, but I have a strong family tendency toward acne (even as an adult), so it's tough to say the IUD is really to blame. I have not had any weight gain at all from the Mirena, but I've never gained weight from any birth control and am one of those people everyone hates who actually has trouble keeping weight on (which is really not as fun as most people think, but that is an issue for another thread). I don't think I can remember any women in this thread complaining of weight gain issues with Mirena though, and it's not a documented side effect (which it absolutely is for Depo). It's not unusual to be a bit bloated for a little while after you get it (maybe a few weeks to a month) but that's about it. I also would not rule out the possibility of some mild weight gain, or it being a bit harder to lose weight than without the Mirena. The biggest thing is that I don't know of another form of birth control that is as successful at reducing or eliminating periods as Mirena. Almost all women will have lower blood loss from periods or spotting with Mirena than before it, at least 20% lose their periods and have zero spotting, and something like 80% lose their periods but experience some spotting. And the cramps go away with the bleeding. I rarely every feel a cramp now and get no periods and very little spotting (once every 3-4 months maybe?) which is pretty loving cool since I had very heavy, very painful periods from ages 13-23 that did not respond AT ALL to other forms of hormonal birth control. HHP: I'm pretty sure the Nuvaring was the last HBC I was on before I got my first Mirena (been so long I'm starting to forget). It was great. My last full period was the one I got the Mirena inserted on and then I spotted for a week or so after that, had a couple of much reduced periods, and then nothing. As easy as the Nuvaring was, the IUD is even easier. Insertion sucked, but is over quickly and worry free birth control is an awesome thing.
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Jul 19, 2011 04:21
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Sandry posted:For other goonettes with Mirena, have you ever had any issue with the string bit? I'm thinking next time I see my doc I'm gonna ask if he can cut it shorter and was just wondering if anyone else's bf (or gf) had every noticed it? The strings on my current Mirena definitely poke my fiance during sex at certain times. We typically switch to a different position and can avoid the issue that way. What sucks for me is that my strings were specifically left very long this time because with my previous Mirena they were cut too short (so short they did not end up extending from my cervix once the IUD settled into place) and removing it was a *very* rough procedure as a result. Unfortunately, my uterus appears to enjoying sucking up IUD strings or something, so now even my "very long" strings are quite short (they never extend more than a couple of mm out of my cervix and are often completely inside it) and there isn't much I can have done other than use positions that don't poke him when they are sticking out. BigGayLogan posted:Well, good news! I explained to my doctor that I wanted to switch to a bc that would completely eliminate periods without any horrible side effects and the first thing she suggested was the Mirena IUD. Awesome! Marshmallow Mayhem posted:Cool! Pretty much echoing what MM said. Most docs prefer that it be during your period. Your cervix is slightly open at two times in your cycle: when you ovulate (which you won't be on the pill) and during your period. This makes insertion a bit easier. You ideally to schedule it for a day when your period will be relatively heavy, rather than a day when its nearly over or just getting started. Your doctor also may prescribe you a few tablets of a drug called cytotec to place near your cervix the night before your insertion appointment. Don't worry if she doesn't, but don't be surprised if you get some cramping from it if she does. It softens up the cervix a bit and some docs find it makes insertion easier, while others don't bother with it. I've had it both ways and am not sure it made much difference. Either way, other than some mild cramping there wasn't anything really unpleasant about using it. Other advice: Some women are prone to vasovagal reactions (lightheadedness, nausea, fainting) when they have their cervix messed with. If this is a problem for you, or if you've gotten these types of reactions from other things like getting blood drawn, make sure you let the doctor know. It's not something that is going to hurt you if it happens, but it's good if they are prepared for it if you already know that it happens to you. You may want to take some advil before your appointment. It doesn't make the insertion itself easier, but it will reduce the cramping afterwards since you will already have it in your system. Get some heat packs (thermacare for example) and take one with you to the appointment to put on as soon as the insertion is over. Absolutely nothing helped my post-insertion cramping like these heat packs. They kick rear end! Have a friend to drive you home and do it on a day where you can take the rest of the day off if you are worried about cramping post-insertion. Even if you don't end up needing it, it's one less thing to worry about which will let you relax a lot more. Some women even take off the day after the insertion but that's usually not necessary. I could have driven myself home and been back at school immediately after both of mine, but it was nice to be able to take it a bit easier. Don't do a ton of heavy lifting for a few days after insertion. Due to scheduling problems I had to move out of my house two days or so after my second insertion and that kind of sucked and made me cramp more because of all the lifting of boxes I was doing. Check with your insurance about the IUD and whether they will cover it. Some are picky about the way everything is done/billed in order to cover it. My insurance refused to cover my second IUD because the health center I got it done at does not keep them in stock, so it had to be ordered specifically for my insertion. It was a lovely loophole for them and I did not have the time (because of the impending move) to gently caress around with getting them to cover it, but if we had known enough in advance we might have been able to avoid the issue and had it covered. Sorry if that's more info than you wanted! Good luck with your insertion if you do decide to go for it. Even though insertion is a bit sucky I maintain that the Mirena is the best decision I've ever made for myself. Not getting periods kicks rear end!
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Jul 20, 2011 21:28
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samizdat posted:(I can't do the hormonal one approved in the US due to my breast cancer family risk) This doesn't make sense. The only reason a Mirena is contraindicated with breast cancer is because of the hormones, which you are currently getting at MUCH higher doses from the pill. If you can have the pill there should not be anything preventing you from having the Mirena. Am I missing something here? If you want IUD info check out the IUD_divas group on livejournal.
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Jul 30, 2011 07:24
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Meniscus posted:Yay, got my IUD! The insertion was probably the worst pain I ever suffered, or at least in my recent memory, but the doc was totally cool and patient with me and got it done as gently but quickly as he could. He then looked to make sure it was all in place with the dildocam, and complimented my uterus, saying it was a nice right size for an IUD, even without kids. 2 weeks of condoms, but then I should be totally covered! Thanks guys, for the information! I'm glad your doc was so patient! Did he explain the dildocam before he used it? That was the biggest shock of the entire experience for my first insertion. The doc wasn't quite sure he got the placement right and wanted to check, so he sent me over to another room to have the nurse do a quick ultrasound (which had no happened for my friend's insertion). I'd never had an ultrasound before and was not expecting the dildo thing. It's not going to just fall out because of anything you have control over really. They do sometimes expel, which is most likely to happen in the first couple of months. It's not because of lifting or pooping or anything though, it just happens. You will (almost certainly) notice if it does. Some women apparently do not notice when it comes out, according to studies I've read, but it's pretty uncommon and I think may be tied to how much the woman understood about the IUD. I'd be careful with the lifting for a few days-couple weeks post-insertion. Don't go back tomorrow and try to do your full routine. Try a lighter version to make sure you don't get lots of cramping and then work up from there. Too much exertion can kind of irritate things for some women after insertion and it sucks to overdo it and then have bad cramping. Once your body is over the insertion you'll be fine though.
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Aug 27, 2011 01:01
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Rockets posted:With all this IUD chat, I might as well ask. If you click the ? under my name you can find some of my posts about my IUD experience in this thread. This includes my experience having my old IUD removed to have a new one put in. The doctor who inserted my first IUD cut the strings too short and they disappeared into my cervix, making the process of removal (which is normally a quick and easy procedure) very painful and long. If the doctor has difficulty inserting the IUD when you go back, or you having problems with the pain, ask if you can have your cervix numbed. Getting the lidocaine injected sucks a bit (enough that it's not worth it for an uncomplicated procedure) but once it kicks in everything is MUCH less painful. Good luck with your next insertion attempt. I hope it goes better with the doctor than it did with the NP. Unfortunately it sounds like the NP is relatively new to inserting them (though it appears she did try to communicate that to you). Tell the doctor specifically the things that made that insertion experience difficult for you (like the NP not explaining what she was doing). That way he (she?) can make sure not to repeat the same mistakes in your next insertion, and hopefully the NP can find out some of the things she's doing wrong to make her better with future patients. It doesn't sound like she was trying to be cruel to you, just that she's less experienced than would have been ideal. As for the Mirena-is-the-same-as-all-hormonal-birth-control stuff. No one version of HBC is exactly the same as another and the only ones that even get especially close are generic versions of name brand pills. Just because you reacted badly to 1, 2, or even 10 pills doesn't mean poo poo about how you will react to Mirena. Don't make the mistake of thinking that "non-hormonal" means side effect free. It doesn't. You are trading one set of potential side-effects for another, that's it. Personally, I tried 4 pills, the patch, and the ring before I got a Mirena. All caused intolerable side effects for me. Most made me sick to my stomach (the ring didn't), some made my migraine headaches worse, some dulled my sex drive. Mirena does none of those. It does give me a bit more acne (which I never had with any of the others). It eliminates my periods (which none of the others ever affected). It reduces my migraine headaches. If you really think the Paragard is best for you, by all means go for it. Especially if your periods are not bad and you have to pay for the whole thing yourself (Paragard is about half the price of Mirena). But if the only reason you are not considering the Mirena is because it has hormones you should really reconsider. There are some benefits to the Mirena over the Paragard (lighter/no periods, more effective, less cramping) that make it worth considering for most women.
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Sep 17, 2011 01:07
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If you click the ? under my name you can check out the my other posts in this thread where I talk about my IUD experience, including a bad removal experience that involved having my cervix numbed. Its not standard practice for an uncomplicated insertion though (even if you haven't had kids), and I agree with Kerfluffle that you should talk to your doctor about how many she has done on women without kids. While the numbing does work, the pain of the injections was almost as bad as my lidocaine-free insertion of the first IUD, which makes getting them really not worth it if the insertion is not complicated in some way.
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Sep 30, 2011 07:37
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porkypocky posted:TBH, I don't know if I'd get another IUD once this one is done. I was totally knocked out when they inserted it so I don't know if I want to deal with the pain of inserting a new one...or having my uterus rage at me during the adjusting period. I'll probably go back to the NuvaRing. At least for me there was pretty much zero adjustment period with the second IUD. Despite the fact that I had a hellish removal of the first IUD and had to have my cervix prodded and poked for >20 min and eventually have it numbed. I expected several days of bad cramping (like after the first insertion) and got almost nothing. Just a couple of light cramps.
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Oct 4, 2011 09:05
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While the IUD might be cheaper for YOU in the long run, the insurance company doesn't know that you will be with them for long enough to make the IUD cheaper for THEM (I've had 3 different kinds of insurance in the last 5 years and I doubt I'm particularly unique). Not to mention that if you get it taken out early or it expels, they just lost a ton of money. While it sucks for us, there are some legitimate reasons from the insurance company's perspective.
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Oct 13, 2011 05:34
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Most days my IUD strings are completely enveloped by my cervix and impossible to feel, but sometimes they are up to 1cm or so long. So yeah, there is definitely a lot of variation in the cervix during your cycle and I would not stress about it unless the strings get really dramatically long or you are able to feel the plastic tip of the IUD.
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Nov 16, 2011 07:16
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Juniper posted:I have 1 Mirena and adore it (and for what it's worth, I had the weird discharge issue for a while, but I guess it went away because I hadn't thought about it in months until I saw it mentioned here again). Anyway, I was at my annual exam appointment on Monday and my gyno told me that Mirena has been approved for up to seven years in some countries (somewhere in Europe - I'm in the US) so she lets her patients' experience drive when it's taken out. She's telling people to pay attention to their cycles, note if their periods start getting heavier, etc., so they don't have it taken out until the hormone supply is obviously getting low. Has anybody else heard that? I got my first one taken out two months shy of 5 years and replaced with another. By the time I got it out I was spotting on a regular basis (about every two months) after not having gotten any spotting or periods in quite some time. I was also getting a migraine (very hormonally influenced for me) every 28 days like clockwork, after not getting any period-related ones in years. So from my experience I would definitely not have gone past 5 years and been comfortable with it. I've heard the rumor about it being good for 7 years a couple of times before (years ago) but a quick google doesn't turn up anything I would rely on.
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Nov 17, 2011 07:09
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The thing is, everyone's pain threshold and insertion experience is different and honestly you're being a bit of an rear end in a top hat if you say "I got through an IUD insertion fine with just ibuprofen so everyone should be able to". There is actually no evidence that ibuprofen does anything to help pain at insertion or make insertion more tolerable. It likely only helps with the cramps afterwards. And a patient who is in less pain and more relaxed may also make for an easier insertion. Maybe I'm alone in this, but I find a doctor's office that doesn't take their patients pain seriously to be much sketchier than one that gives 1-2 days of pain medication for a procedure that is painful enough for some people that it causes them to pass out or vomit when performed without medication. For the record, I did not have vicodin or anything similar for either my first insertion or my removal/insertion experience with my Mirenas (though after ~15 min of agony I was given lidocaine injections for the removal/insertion). If I had it to do over again, I might ask for something stronger though. The only thing I gained by toughing it out was an aversion to having my cervix messed with and a fear of what my next removal will be like. A couple of vicodin for a legitimately painful experience is not going to make someone an addict and acting like everyone should deal with pain because you did is ridiculous.
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Nov 26, 2011 21:34
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radioaktivitat posted:Is the removal/insertion worse than the initial insertion, then? I'm due to have my IUD replaced in 2012 and was wondering just the other day if it'd be significantly different to the initial insertion. In most cases removal is quite minor compared to insertion. I got lucky, in that my uterus apparently likes to just suck up the strings and hide them. This meant that they were not reachable through normal means when it was time for removal and as a result the doctor had to go through my cervix several times with different instruments trying to find something he could get a hold of the IUD with. This was shockingly painful and gave me a good bit of insight into what a more complicated insertion is like. It is also worth noting that both my insertions (and obviously the removal as well) were done by docs with plenty of IUD insertion experience. I thought that the strings had disappeared b/c the doctor who inserted my first one cut them off short, but the doctor who inserted the second one purposefully left them long and they rapidly vanished into my uterus over the following months. I've had the second one for 1.5 years now and have only been able to feel the strings once out of the last 30 or so times I checked for them. I absolutely will be asking for stronger pain medication and a cervical block before my next removal if my strings are playing hide and seek again. I will say that the recovery from the insertion of the new IUD was surprisingly easy and short, despite how abused my cervix was during the removal procedure. I only had cramping for about 12 hours afterward. Apparently your uterus only needs to get used to having an IUD in it once. On the topic of pap smears, some women just have a very sensitive cervix and will cramp quite a bit during/after it. Others (including me) have no pain with the pap at all, just a mild uncomfortable feeling for a couple of seconds. I've never bled after a pap either, but it's not unusual, especially if you are on certain kinds of birth control that might make it more sensitive.
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Nov 30, 2011 20:27
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The Peacock posted:So I have a weird question. On Thursday night, the BF and I had some pretty wild sex. I would not stress too much. Have you been completely regular since you got the IUD in? Looking back through your posts it doesn't seem like you've been off hormonal BC for all that long, so your cycle could still just be working itself out. Even if your IUD had somehow gotten pushed around by the cramping, it should not affect your cycle, so I would bet the two things are just coincidence. Cramping that severe is worth getting checked out though. I'd suspect you just managed to really piss off your cervix, which is probably not 100% used to the IUD yet. I would take some ibuprofen or naproxen and use a heat pad if it happens again. lou reed posted:This is only partially related to birth control but this thread gets lots of traffic so I figured someone might know what was up. Don't change your birth control over a single cyst! Switching to Mirena would be an odd choice as it can actually cause ovarian cysts. Paragard doesn't cause them, but it does allow them to form more than the pill because it doesn't stop ovulation. Just because you got this one does not mean you will continue to get them. Additionally, even if you get more, it doesn't mean they will be painful (the vast majority aren't). Definitely see what the folks at planned parenthood say but I'm pretty sure your best bet is to just wait things out for at least 2-3 months to let this one go away and see whether you continue to get them. If you do, you can talk about going on the pill for a little while (no need to remove the Paragard to go on the pill) to see if it helps or otherwise altering your birth control method.
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Jan 11, 2012 21:40
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Haschel Cedricson posted:I have a question about the Mirena IUD. In 2006, my wife got a Mirena put in. Now it's time to get it replaced, but my wife now has a new insurance provider that will not cover it. Furthermore, she can't get the original IUD removed for some reason, her doctors keep telling her that she needs to go to the same people who inserted it in the first place. This is no longer an option. There is some pretty good evidence (though I cannot now remember where I found it, sorry) that the Mirena will work for up to ~7 years, so she's probably ok on that end, but I would not keep pushing it for much longer. For me personally my periods started to come back at around the 4.5 year point and the same is happening for my stepmom. The Mirena can absolutely be removed by a different person than the one who inserted it. I have personally had it done. She needs to find another doctor if the one she has now is telling her they cannot do it.
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Jan 18, 2012 06:49
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BigGayLogan posted:Even though IUDs are meant to last for several years and require minor surgery, for lack of a better term, I'm somewhat surprised at what some of you had to pay even with insurance! That's just not right... My school insurance was particularly sneaky about coverage for IUDs. After a couple years of lobbying from the NPs in the student health center they agreed to cover IUDs! Wonderful! Except there was a catch. They would only cover them if they were inserted at the student health center. Ok, seems fine. The NPs had all done training to learn to insert them, and worked out an arrangement with a doctor with a lot of IUD experience to come in for more complicated insertions/removals (including mine). And then comes the catch. The insturance would only cover the IUDs if the devices were kept in stock at the health center. If they had to be ordered for each individual procedure, the coverage did not apply (because of some issue with the way billing for ordered supplies works). Because insertions were not common enough for the health center to keep them in stock (without risking losing a lot of money for ones that did not get used), they were stuck ordering them for each procedure and the insurance company was able to avoid paying for the IUDs. I know the NPs were trying to work out a solution to the issue when I left, but if they did manage to find one it came too late for me. I was graduating and moving to a new school and had to pay out of pocket for my second Mirena because of it. The device itself runs a bit over $800. It wound up being one of my graduation presents. I'd have been inclined to give the insurance company the benefit of the doubt and think they did not plan out the whole thing when they agreed to cover IUDs if they had not also tried to screw me out of coverage previously through similarly ridiculous routes (like applying the coverage rules from the previous year to a claim and then making me risk damage to my credit rating while they went through an several month long internal appeals process to fix their own mistake or refusing to cover allergy testing for my husband even when it was explicitly covered and jumped through all their hoops to get it done). Silversiren, Mirena IUDs are a great option for many women with endo, but you will need to talk to your doctor about your specific situation. They reduce or eliminate periods with a much lower dose of hormones than most other methods and result in less bleeding in nearly all women who use them. The copper IUDs would not be recommended, as they can actually make periods worse (heavier, more painful) and definitely will not make them lighter or less painful.
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Jan 24, 2012 07:41
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Kerfuffle posted:It'll be about as good as any other hormonal birth control, but like the rest mileage varies from person to person. I've read Minera can cause acne problems, but this also varies. I don't think this is quite true. I'd expect the Mirena to be quite a bit better as it's much better at controlling periods without the major spotting that occurs with most other hormonal methods (even seasonale and seasonique are very prone to the spotting issue). A lot of the bloating and digestive discomfort I experienced with my periods is gone now with the Mirena, and has stayed gone pretty much the entire time. It faded with the lightening of my periods and went away all but entirely when they did. The only time I've had it occur again is when my first Mirena started to get old and my periods started to creep back in. That said, I'm pretty sure I've got a bit of increased acne from Mirena relative to being on the pill, but it's more of an all the time than a cyclical thing and is pretty well controlled with normal anti-acne stuff.
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Jan 24, 2012 17:18
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Skywriter posted:I'm starting my second month of NuvaRing, and I'm in the "holy god I have the worst headache of my life right before and after my period" club. Apparently this is common? I looked on messageboards where dozens of other women were saying the same thing - a horrible headache, similar to a tension/migraine hybrid, but without an aura, no light sensitivity, and tylenol/advil/etc does not do a thing to make it better. You are aware that the prohibition for using combined hormonal birth control in patients who have migraine with aura is because of an increased risk of stroke, not an increase in headaches, right? It can still be reasonable to go ahead and use combined hormonal methods anyway if the increased risk of stroke is worth it to you, but I just want to make sure you are informed of the actual risks, since it isn't clear from your post. I second the recommendation to consider an IUD. My sister (migraine w/ aura) and I (migraine w/o aura) both have the Mirena IUD and have done very well on it. It has reduced my headaches both compared to being on the pill and compared to using non-hormonal methods. Although a few women seem to experience more headaches with it (not necessarily those with a history of migraines) it's not a common issue. For me (and it sounds like you as well) my headaches are very strongly linked to fluctuations in hormone levels and so the stabilization that the Mirena provides is very helpful in eliminating them.
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Feb 15, 2012 16:11
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This seems like kind of a weird thing to be freaking out about, but I just started a period. I have not had a period in ~6 years, since 5-6 months after I got my first Mirena. I haven't been able to feel my IUD strings for about the last 6 months or so (since ~1 year after insertion) but haven't been concerned about it because I couldn't feel the strings for the last one for the last 3-4 years I had it. My uterus apparently likes sucking up IUD strings (which made for a really lovely removal experience for the first one). About 2 weeks ago I all the sudden got fertile type cervical fluid, which was odd since it's happened occasionally since I got the IUD, but not often. And this morning I started bleeding, what appears to be normal period flow (soaked through my underwear and jeans in less than 1 block of walking home), which has not happened since about a month after I got the first Mirena (the periods from that point on got progressively lighter and were not much more than spotting). I've got a doctor's appointment for a pap smear and (oddly enough) to discuss when I want to get my IUD out scheduled for next Thursday. Now I'm not sure if I want to try to get an earlier appointment to try to figure out what is going on with the IUD ASAP or if I should wait it out a bit and see what course this bleeding takes (maybe it's just stronger spotting than I'm used to?). Has anyone else who has had Mirena for a while all the suddenly gotten a period or heavy spotting?
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Feb 16, 2012 19:42
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Reformed Tomboy posted:Call your doctor tomorrow and ask what s/he thinks you should do. My biggest concern is that it seems really heavy, plus you've not had a period in all that time. It would worry me, I guess I'll put it that way. Yeah, shortly after I posted I went ahead and called my stepmom (who is a nurse and has a Mirena herself) and talked to her about what I should do. Since she agreed I should go in (which made me feel less crazy) I did. The nice thing about the student health center here is that you can almost always get in within 30 minutes or so of walking through the door. The doc there could not find the strings (no surprise, I can feel my cervix easily and am familiar with what the strings feel like) so I've got an appointment tomorrow for an ultrasound to figure out where the little bastard is. The bleeding has slowed and is no longer bright red blood but is still heavier than any spotting I've had since the new one went in. On the plus side, I got to use the menstrual cup I bought more than a year ago (why I bought it then I have no idea) and if the IUD is still properly in place with just the strings MIA we'll have a better idea of what removing it will entail from the ultrasound. The doc says once they get the results of the ultrasound back she will go ahead and refer me out to the OB/GYN office for any further IUD stuff since they have more tools to deal with it. "I think I'm getting my period" definitely ranks as one of the weirder things I've had to go to the doctor for. I felt kind of silly having to explain why I was there and was grateful that the doc knew enough about IUDs to understand the situation and not think I was nuts.
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Feb 17, 2012 09:53
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TotallySmurfedHer posted:I want to get my groove on with my new dude and would never do so without being on birth control. I haven't been on birth control for 4 years and when I was I had to go through like 8 of them because of the severe nausea it caused. Has anyone else had problems with birth control making them so nauseous that they have been unable to stay on it? I've taken the anti-nausea medication for the first few weeks while taking the meds and it still doesn't do anything. I'm not partial to the idea of having sex sans birth control. And yes, before anyone puts two and two together, this means I haven't had sex in like 4 years. I was with a guy who was a virgin and waiting till marriage for sex. I was willing to deal with that because I loved him and we didn't end up breaking up because of that. It was the horribly mentally abusive crap he would do that ended our relationship. Thanks for your help! How many different pills did you try? I've had reactions ranging from mild nausea for a few days at the start of taking the pill, to so sick I was unable to get out of bed without puking for 3 days when starting it, followed by constant nausea that caused me to lose 15lbs starting ~3 months in. Different pill...different reaction. The only thing that ever let me get away from the nausea altogether was getting a Mirena IUD instead of using the pill. Several of the pills I tried had a totally manageable level of nausea though (usually a couple days when first starting or if I had to take two pills at once because I missed one). It was that they also gave me migraines and did nothing to help my periods that caused me to get the Mirena.
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Feb 22, 2012 20:51
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TotallySmurfedHer posted:I took like 4 different ones and the nausea kept getting worse with each next one I took until I vomited so much on one that I broke two ribs. Not fun. The nausea may have been magnified by the antidepressants I was on at the time, which is no longer an issue. So things may go easier this time around. You might have an easier time with a progestin only pill or the Nuvaring. It's worth talking to your doctor about. Figured I should post an update to my IUD freak out from a couple of pages back. I had an ultrasound last Friday and the IUD is positioned right where it should be in my uterus. I stopped bleeding heavily pretty quickly, but am still having light spotting and cramping now, which is kind of odd since I've only spotted for 2 or 3 days total in the last 18 months. Unfortunately, since the strings are not visible I'm in for another not-so-fun removal. I've been referred to the OB/GYN office in town and have an appointment for March 16th to have it removed (which will almost certainly involve dilating my cervix). Not sure why my uterus feels the need to suck the strings up inside it every time. The last removal (same situation) was very painful and I'm not looking forward to this one at all. At least I know to have them numb my cervix right off the bat instead of trying to get the IUD for ten minutes w/o numbing it first.
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Feb 23, 2012 07:45
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Maximusi posted:I've been on Depo for years and I like that I have no period, but I have almost no sex drive. Is there any way to stay on this method and increase my sex drive? I've used all the pills in the world, but I need Depo because I am in extreme pain whenever I have a period. I absolutely cannot have them. What can I do?? Have you considered a Mirena? It's approved as a treatment for heavy, painful periods and will reduce or eliminate them for almost everyone who uses it. And the hormone dose is MUCH lower than the Depo, so it will be much less likely to hurt your sex drive.
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Feb 28, 2012 04:32
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uberwekkness posted:Ugh. Not knowing when my period if supposed to be is stressing me out. It's been about 30 days since the end of my last one, and it still hasn't started. And the stress of it is probably postponing it even more. My strings seem to be in place. None of the plastic is poking through or anything, so I doubt I'm pregnant (though I might cave and get a pregnancy test if it doesn't come in the next week). This will have been my second period since I started Mirena. Is it possible to stop having them altogether this early on? I didn't lose mine altogether that early, but it did get further apart and much lighter pretty much immediately. Take a pregnancy test to get yourself over being freaked out and relax. You get used to it.
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Mar 15, 2012 00:23
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IUD #2 removal report: As with my first IUD, my uterus ate the strings of my second Mirena so I got to have a more complicated removal than most. Last time really, really sucked, so I was not looking forward to this one. Thankfully it was a lot less painful than last time. Here is how it went, in case anyone else is facing a more complicated removal and wants to know what it might be like. Step 1: Look for IUD strings with mascara wand thing. No dice. This step is not typically painful for most women and was totally painless for me. Step 2: Look for strings/IUD with IUD hook. I was expecting this to be painful based on last time, but it was only mildly uncomfortable. Unfortunately, this also yielded no results. Even though he was able to get it in without causing me any real pain he was also unable to locate the strings or feel the IUD with it. At this point we had two directions we could take. Option 1 is to numb my cervix and try to get the IUD out with hemostats (or something very similar to hemostats anyway). This runs the risk of being pretty painful in spite of the numbing, because for some women the uterus itself is sensitive and will cramp during the procedure, while for others the cervix is the main source of pain, so numbing it makes things tolerable. Option 2 is to go into the OR, get knocked out briefly, and let them grab the IUD with a hysteroscope. This will be less painful, but more expensive. It's pretty much guaranteed to work as long as the IUD is actually in your uterus. I went for option 1 because the numbing had worked pretty well for me the last time and I didn't want to worry about the cost of option 2 (my insurance doesn't pay for IUD insertion and it remains to be seen whether they will cover my removal). He numbed me first with a lidocaine spray, then did the injection. This was less painful than the last time (when they did not have the spray to use on me). I could feel some mild discomfort and pressure but that was about it. Then he used the instruments to try to get the IUD and/or the strings. It took about 5 or 6 tries (more pressure and discomfort, but not real pain). The only time I cramped was on the final pull when he got hold of the strings and pulled the IUD out. Just one medium intensity cramp and it was done. I suspect if the IUD strings had been available from the start that cramp is all I would have had to deal with. So no drugs other than the lidocaine and it really wasn't that bad. So far only some very mild spotting. I am interested to see how quickly my normal cycles return post-removal. Also, they let me keep the IUD (I'm a weirdo who thinks that kind of thing is cool).
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Mar 16, 2012 19:45
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lemonsaresour posted:Does anyone know what "starting method" is better in terms of side effects? I was thinking about doing day-1 method so that I wouldn't have to use a separate birthcontrol method for a week, but only if it doesn't increase the starting side effects. My other option is Sunday start. I think you would likely be less prone to spotting with first day start (just from a logical standpoint, haven't seen any research on it). Doubt it would affect most other side effects. My personal bias against Sunday start is that if you've forgotten to refill your prescription, Sunday is the worst day to try to do it. IMO it's better to start on any weekday, so that the pharmacy is open for the maximum possible time if you've forgotten to get your refill.
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Mar 20, 2012 16:37
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samizdat posted:Is this normal? I've never gotten pregnant, but I thought you weren't supposed to go through normal PMS stuff before your placebo pills/week off. However, I can always tell when my period is clearly going to be next week because of my agitation and depression. You will get more side effects when you skip periods. It can actually take about a year for them to work themselves out when you go to an extended schedule like you are on right now. I don't think it's anything abnormal. Basically your body will still try to have a period for a little while until it adjusts to the new schedule. It's the biggest reason for women to go off pills like Seasonale. For what it's worth, I never got pregnant on a single type of pill I took (and my family is ridiculously fertile), but also never had the pill reduce my period bleeding or cramps. And I would still get ovulation type mucus sometimes even in the middle of having my Mirena IUD, when I wasn't getting periods for years. Unless the acne is really bad, I'd try giving it some more time. Just because you've got some acne from it now does not mean it will stick around long term. Also, try some basic acne washes or creams. They can still work even if the acne is partially rooted in hormonal issues.
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Mar 20, 2012 18:49
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Azrael Engel posted:I'm having issues. I've been on the generic version of Micronor (Nora BE) for over 3 years and just recently I've been having really irregular periods. Three months ago my period skipped entirely, two months ago I had a somewhat regular period, last month I had a really light period that then later exploded on my boyfriend when it should have been well over, and this month my period is very, very late (and I am fully expecting it to skip again). Unfortunately this is pretty much an expected side effect of the mini-pill. Is there a reason you aren't on a combined hormonal pill? If you need to stay progestin only, have you considered getting a Mirena? It's still progestin only but would likely just eliminate your periods, rather than making them irregular. At worst you'd have irregular spotting, but it's very light and not much of an inconvenience. It's also more reliable than your current pill, with no risk of missing a pill.
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Mar 29, 2012 22:58
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