If you have/had an IUD- Questions

[femalephish]

If you have an IUD- how much did it hurt to get it put in? I am really worried about it, for some reason, eventhough it seems like it might be a good choice for me. Please don't say, 'well, it hurts less than childbirth!' (that's what my Dr. said) because birth was HARD and if it compares to that, I don't think it's worth it!
(Little Rant: People have said, "if you've had a baby, this would be nothing" and I hate that! Isn't everything less difficult than childbirth? So what, I can do anything now?)

Also, I am thinking about getting the hormonial IUD (Minerva)- do you know if this stops conception, or just implantation? I haven't been able to find EXACTLY how it works? Thanks,
-Courtney

[Boobs]

Getting an IUD put in isn't very painful at all. Very slight pinch with some mild cramping afterward. No biggie. What was painful? Having an embedded IUD pulled out of my uterus....and the miscarriage that followed. I loved my Paraguard for 5 years and would never ever get another one. Sorry to be a downer, but you should know that even though they are much safer than they used to be, they still aren't perfect.

[Asparagus78]

nak
for me it didn't hurt one bit, nor did i get painful periods or anything else. i wasn't crazy about knowing i had something in there though kwim? but for what it's worth i'm seriously considering getting another one put in as soon as ds2 is 6 months old and i start worrying about bf not being reliable enough to prevent another pregnancy...

[Sarah W]

You have at least one child, correct? My first IUD, I had never given birth and it was horrible.

My second IUD I had placed PP and it was maybe mildly uncomfortable at most.

[minkajane]

I've had two. Mine were both painful mainly because I have a tilted cervix and it has to be clamped to insert an IUD. The second one was torture because the NP had a student in the room and was going slowly and talking through every step as she did it. Be sure to ask for no students!

Even the second one took no longer than 10 minutes start to finish, so it wasn't that huge of a deal. I'm not planning on using birth control again, but if I were going to, I'd definitely consider the Mirena again. The only real problem I had was that I had random spotting every couple of weeks that would last a day or two. That was mildly annoying. Also, I couldn't use my Diva Cup. Other than that, it was great.

[Katie T]

Originally Posted by Boobs

Getting an IUD put in isn't very painful at all. Very slight pinch with some mild cramping afterward. No biggie. What was painful? Having an embedded IUD pulled out of my uterus....and the miscarriage that followed. I loved my Paraguard for 5 years and would never ever get another one. Sorry to be a downer, but you should know that even though they are much safer than they used to be, they still aren't perfect.

Not to hyjack the thread but how do you "know" that it was embedded? I ask because my periods have changed and have been a little worried about that.

When I had mine put in it was the tiny pinch and slight cramping, I didn't know it was in until the Dr asked me how it was and I was like your done? lol

[Boobs]

After weeks of bleeding, an ultrasound showed it embedded in my uterus.

[russsk]

Mine wasn't really painful, but it was uncomfortable. I think I took some Tylenol beforehand. I really hate the feeling of anything touching my cervix - I know, who doesn't? It just really skeeves me out, so that was the worst part for me. If DH doesn't want to get a "procedure" after this baby is born, I will probably get the Mirena. I had the Paraguard and was not happy about my heavy periods.

[Katie T]

I had the heavy periods for maybe the first yr and now they are light. Glad it got better.

[GoBecGo]

I had the Mirena after having DD. It was like a period cramp so mild i would have thought "was that a period cramp" if i hadn't been in stirrups. The nurse was holding my hand in case i needed the support (we had a great rapport and she was a sweetheart) but i was still waiting for the procedure to happen when the doctor was peeling her gloves off and freeing the stirrup bases...

Mirena suppresses ovulation in many women but not all, and thins the uterine lining in everyone. I was told it prevented conception about 85% of the time (the manufacturer estimates) and pregnancy the other 15%. It is very very reliable, so even if conception occurs, pregnancy is an incredibly unlikely outcome. If that bothers you, you might want to re-think.

I found the spotting somewhat tiresome with Mirena (some get it some don't) and i had 2 miscarriages after having it removed which i feel were related, but i could have chosen to use another method to prevent for a few months for my hormones to settle and i didn't. I plan to get a paraguard after this LO.

[Ornery]

As someone who suffered from the side effects of having an IUD puncture their uterus, if you choose to have an IUD please make certain the person who inserts it is very experienced. DO NOT use a family doctor.

[velochic]

Another one with a bad experience. When I had mine, it caused the pelvic inflammatory disease the commercials warn about. It became so painful that I couldn't bend to put on my underwear. I was a competitive cyclist at the time, FTR, so I don't know how much riding 200 - miles/week on a small bike saddle contributed to that.

[ShadowMoon]

I had the Mirena put in 8 months pp and still have it. There was slight pinching when it was inserted but otherwise it was pain free and there have been no problems since.

[treemom2]

I had the Mirena inserted about 8 weeks postpartum by a CNM. She had to clamp my uterus to get it in. It was so painful I broke into a cold sweat and thought I was going to pass out then I bled heavily for about 3 days. Actually, I bled off and on the entire time I had it (about 6 months). The string was cut too short so when DH and I did try to DTD, it would poke him in his urethra or cut him all up. The CNM told me it was just a small amount of hormone and it would stay only in my pelvic region, so I didn't really have to worry about the hormones affecting me in any other way. Well, I totally turned into a crazy wife and mother. I honestly think if I had kept it in much longer, my DH would have left me. . .I was a horrible, angry, miserable person. I finally asked the Dr here in Japan to remove it. She didn't believe it was affecting my emotions (maybe she thought I was naturally crazy), mentioned that there was no way it was affecting me in this way--but she did go ahead and remove it. She offered to put in the paraguard, but after this experience with the Mirena both DH and I were too scared to go in this direction.

[Owen'nZoe]

Originally Posted by minkajane

Also, I couldn't use my Diva Cup. Other than that, it was great.

Could you elaborate? Was it because you had the Mirena and your flow was light?

Just curious, because I've been using a Diva Cup with a paraguard in place for 3 years now without issue, but my midwife's answer when I asked if they were compatible was not totally confident.

To the OP: I've had a paraguard for 3 years, as I mentioned above, and I do really like it. For the first year, my periods were heavier and longer and cramping was worse than anything I'd experienced prior. Blech. But since then, they have been steadily shortening and lightening, and the cramping is now minimal. All worth it for me to not have to remember to take a pill every day. And since the paraguard lasts 11 years, the initial adjustment period isn't something I'm likely to need to go through again.

Insertion was no more uncomfortable than a pap smear, but I did need to take Ibuprofen for cramping the rest of the day. I had mine inserted by my midwife, who does tons of them, so maybe her experience helped.

[GoBecGo]

Originally Posted by Owen'nZoe

Could you elaborate? Was it because you had the Mirena and your flow was light?

Just curious, because I've been using a Diva Cup with a paraguard in place for 3 years now without issue, but my midwife's answer when I asked if they were compatible was not totally confident.

To the OP: I've had a paraguard for 3 years, as I mentioned above, and I do really like it. For the first year, my periods were heavier and longer and cramping was worse than anything I'd experienced prior. Blech. But since then, they have been steadily shortening and lightening, and the cramping is now minimal. All worth it for me to not have to remember to take a pill every day. And since the paraguard lasts 11 years, the initial adjustment period isn't something I'm likely to need to go through again.

Insertion was no more uncomfortable than a pap smear, but I did need to take Ibuprofen for cramping the rest of the day. I had mine inserted by my midwife, who does tons of them, so maybe her experience helped.

The gynae who fitted mine (i'm in the UK, this gynae works at a family planning clinic and does 9-15 insertions a week) told me there is a risk of the coil being sucked/pulled out if you use a menstrual cup. I do however have friends who used them with paraguards for years without mishap.

[minkajane]

Originally Posted by Owen'nZoe

Could you elaborate? Was it because you had the Mirena and your flow was light?

Just curious, because I've been using a Diva Cup with a paraguard in place for 3 years now without issue, but my midwife's answer when I asked if they were compatible was not totally confident.

I actually had two Mirenas. My Diva Cup pulled the first one out, which was EXCRUCIATING for about an hour until I could get to the clinic to have it removed. I don't know if I didn't break the suction all the way or what. On the Diva Cup website, they specifically address this and say not to use it with an IUD because the string can stick to the silicone or the suction can pull it out.

[LDSmomma]

I got the mirena 6 wks pp, and it's been great. There was a little cramp while she put it in, like a VERY mild period cramp, then it was over. I had some cramping for a while after, but quite mild. I did have bleeding after, but I was still dealing with PP bleeding, so I'm not sure which it was, tbh. The midwife said it's more effective than getting your tubes tied, and there's no user error, which accounts for most of the mistakes with other forms of contraception. How the midwife described it to me, IUDs work by creating an environment that is "not conducive" to fertilization. No one really knows how/why. The mirena, of course, also has hormones to help with this. My midwife has a patient that has had the mirena in for 6 years, so the hormones are all gone, but it's still preventing pregnancy, I guess in the same way a copper one does.

My question: Does it hurt to get taken out? I still haven't had a period since DS was born, so I'm thinking the mirena was a waste of time for me, but perhaps it's preventing my periods from returning?? We're keen to have another LO in the not-too-far future, so I'm thinking of having it removed, and not getting another next time, since DS is 15 mos, and I'm still not ovulating (I guess!).

[brittney_]

I've given birth once, and have a paraguard. Getting it inserted hurt, kind of like one early labor contraction. My periods have been a little been heavier but not too bad. I still use my diva cup, the NP that put it in said it wouldn't be a problem, I just have to make sure I don't pull on the strings.

[GoBecGo]

Originally Posted by LDSmomma

My question: Does it hurt to get taken out? I still haven't had a period since DS was born, so I'm thinking the mirena was a waste of time for me, but perhaps it's preventing my periods from returning?? We're keen to have another LO in the not-too-far future, so I'm thinking of having it removed, and not getting another next time, since DS is 15 mos, and I'm still not ovulating (I guess!).

Mine didn't hurt to have taken out. My GP did it (it's WAY less risky to take out than to put in). He used the speculum to visualise the strongs, grabbed them with little long-necked forceps and asked me to cough, pulling it out as i did. I had a tiny bit of spotting after. He advised me not to run that morning (had it taken out at 10am) because sometimes you can have a drop in BP after something touches the inside of your cervix, but i ran later that afternoon and was fine.