Paraguard reviews - Mirena vs. Paragard IUD - Page 2

[Florida02]

I just have a question about cramps - I had my Mirena inserted a week ago and I expected some cramping for a few days and some bleeding, but the cramps just do not seem to go away. They feel like very early labor contractions (i.e. a little different than menstrual cramps), pretty much all day long with short breaks. Is this normal? Does any of you have the same experience? Thanks

[nonconformnmom]

Florida, that doesn't sound normal to me. I've had a Mirena inserted twice, and never did I have cramps beyond the first day. I hope you get it checked and that it is nothing to worry about.

[AugustineM]

Florida -- doesn't sound normal to me either. I had cramping for about a week after I got my Mirena, but then it completely went away and I can't feel anything at all.

I have had mine for a month and I've had spotting -- that's the only side effect I've had. I LOVE LOVE LOVE not having to worry about getting pregnant. DH and I are horrible at other methods of b/c and we do not want to get pregnant again now. I'm glad I got it, even though it was a little expensive.

[tarablesue]

I had the Mirena for 7 months and it made me psychcotic. I had thoughts of hurting m,y kids and that they'd be better off if I weren't their mama. It was awful. I had never had any depression before either.

I have the Paragard , well have had it for 3 months, and my period cramps are AWFUL. I hate it but I really don't think I have another option for BC. I can't have failure. I just can't. I have been told the cramping gets better, so I guess I am holding out until it does. If it doesn't then I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

I personlly wouldn't opt for Mirena, I have never beenin that place before and after being that low I don't want to go back. Had i not did research, even my OB thought I was crazy that it was the Mirena, I might be dead or even worse, in jail for hurting one of my kids. IT was really THAT bad, for me.

[maxmama]

Originally Posted by majazama

I asked my doc about getting the IUD with progesterone in it, and she said that it would probably not be to good as I'm BFing still. I have a prescription for the paraguard, but haven't got it yet. I'm still wondering about these little contraptions (but definatly exited about perhaps not having another baby for as long as I want)

I had the Mirena and BF for three years without problems. Progesterone shouldn't affect supply; it's what's in the minipill, for pete's sake, and docs have no problem giving that to BF moms. A lot of providers have an irrational prejudice against Mirena that I don't understand. I loved it. three years of no periods was beautiful.

[PeacefulSeams]

I have had Mirena for 3 years now and I love it. I would recommend it to anyone. I only had a small amount of cramping after it was inserted. It lasted about 30 minutes. I spotted for a wwek but have been perios free for 3 years. I breastfed and had no problems. I have to say the only side effect that I don't like is I have gained about 10 lbs that keeps coming and going.

[twinvillageiowa]

I have the paragaurd. I got it 10 weeks pp. I had some light bleeding for a few days, but not sure if it was just a continuation of my pp bleeding. I have not had AF yet, but I also have had no spotting. My boyfriend says he can feel it every time though but obviously it doesn't bother him too much I love it and will get another after we decide to have more kids in a few years.

[J-Max]

I have had a merina for almost 18 months and I love it! I got it at my 6 w pp appt. As others have said, it should not affect bf at all. I have a still constantly nursing babe. I also did a ton of research before I got it, because the idea of something in my body really freaked me out. I am also really sensitive to hormones and after the forst 6 weeks, my body seemed to level out and I can not feel them affecting me anymore. The Merina has a very small amount of Progesterone, that acts locally to the uterus and overies, as compared to a regular BCP that has to enter the blood stream and act throught the whole body. My wonderful OB recommends them 100X over the paragard, and his wife even has one.

I had mild cramping and spotting for the first week after implantation, then nothing untill 15 months pp. I had one really long wacky cycle (alternating heavy and light bleeding for 12 days - search for it if you want more info). Now I have about 3 days of light spotting every 26-30 days. I could feel the IUD for the first few weeks and dh could feel the strings, but by a month after insertion every thing was back to normal.

I plan to get another one after our next baby, it is perfect for me - nothing to remember to take or do

[miz_macoo]

You guys are all so lucky!! Ever since I had mirena inserted I've had random crampy pains and my hair is sooooooooooooo greasy it needs to be washed EVERY day!! I used to only need to wash it every 3-4 days. It's also been falling out HEAPS! About triple the amount it used to. And I have very thin hair and not a lot of it so any hair loss is BAD!!

[Dinosaur_Mommy]

Bleeding with Paraguard

I had a Paragard placed 3 weeks ago and I have been having a "period" (several tampons/pads per day) ever since. I haven't had any cramping since the first day but this bleeding is really getting annoying. Has anyone else bled so long? I can't even call it spotting, it's too heavy.

[twilight girl]

I got the Paraguard when DD was about 1 yr., and just had it removed 3 yrs. later to start TTC. The ONLY problem I ever had with the Paraguard was that the midwife who inserted it cut the strings too short. So, sometimes during sex, or midcycle I would get some spotting because the strings were irritating my cervix a little.

I never had heavier periods with it tho. Still kept on my wonderful 28-day, 3 day-period cycle.

It was wonderful to just not have to give bc a second thought!! When we're finished growing our family, I will either get another PG, or send DH in for a snip (better idea I think )

[firedancer1014]

I had the Paragard IUD inserted about six months ago, after having been on the pill for about 5 years. As someone above mentioned, don't let the doctor fool you, it can hurt quite a lot when they put it in. I also haven't had kids, so that probably made it more painful.

My overall opinion of it is mixed. I like that it's non-hormonal, and you don't have to do anything on a daily basis, and when I don't have my period, it's great. However, when I do have my period, I'm not so fond of it. Before the paragard I would bleed for about 4 days, and it was pretty light. Now, I bleed in total for about 7-8 days, and 2-3 of those are VERY heavy, with really bad cramps. I've also read that it can contribute to excess copper build up in your body, so be sure to take extra zinc and vitamin C if you have one.

I've thought about trading it for the Mirena IUD, but I really don't want to do hormones again because they give me a lot of side effects. I think I'm going to try the Paragard for a full year, and then make a desision.

[ditchwitch]

Paraguard as alternative for younger women who have not had children

I have the Paraguard and I'm in a category its not really recommended for, as I have not had children. But like so many women I have terrible reactions to all hormonal methods of birth control. Im very happy so far, and have no problems. But if you have not had children - go in prepared for a very intense experience of insertion - and just think about 10 years of glorious modification and worry free BC.

[LaffNowCryLater]

Bumping b/c I would like to see more experiences.

[tarablesue]

Originally Posted by tarablesue

I had the Mirena for 7 months and it made me psychcotic. I had thoughts of hurting m,y kids and that they'd be better off if I weren't their mama. It was awful. I had never had any depression before either.

I have the Paragard , well have had it for 3 months, and my period cramps are AWFUL. I hate it but I really don't think I have another option for BC. I can't have failure. I just can't. I have been told the cramping gets better, so I guess I am holding out until it does. If it doesn't then I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

I personlly wouldn't opt for Mirena, I have never beenin that place before and after being that low I don't want to go back. Had i not did research, even my OB thought I was crazy that it was the Mirena, I might be dead or even worse, in jail for hurting one of my kids. IT was really THAT bad, for me.

I now want to add to this thread that since this last post I got pregnant with my paragard in place, my placenta grew around it and i had a healthy baby boy who is now 7 months old. I wouldn't opt for either IUD,personally,again.

[CalebsMama05]

Originally Posted by tarablesue

I now want to add to this thread that since this last post I got pregnant with my paragard in place, my placenta grew around it and i had a healthy baby boy who is now 7 months old. I wouldn't opt for either IUD,personally,again.

I had wondered about that! wow that's crazy that that happened to you I'm so glad your ds is okay!

[LilMommy]

Not sure what to do

My daughter is almost 6 months old (born 10/21/07) and still breastfeeding (want to bf at least a year). I really don't want to have another child real soon, but I do want to have more in the future. My boyfriend asked if I thought about birth control becuase I have latex allergies and non-latex condoms are expensive (about $8 for 3). I went to my doctor and talked to her about bc. She gave me a choice between Mirena and Paragard. She said she would use Mirena for herself. I have been researching both types and I'm so confused I'm about to cancel my appointment for insertion (appointment scheduled for this Thursday 4/17). From what I've read on this forum, Mirena seems to be the preferred form of bc of the two. I read on one site that you could still get pg with IUD: higher chance of eptopic pg, fertilized egg not attaching to uterus, miscarriage. Does anyone know anything about this? Also, does anyone know about getting pg after IUD is removed? Like how long it could take. One site I read also mentioned that IUD could affect fertility (I would like to have 3 more children -not at once- don't want to become sterile). Any advice/suggestions is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[tarablesue]

Originally Posted by LilMommy

My daughter is almost 6 months old (born 10/21/07) and still breastfeeding (want to bf at least a year). I really don't want to have another child real soon, but I do want to have more in the future. My boyfriend asked if I thought about birth control becuase I have latex allergies and non-latex condoms are expensive (about $8 for 3). I went to my doctor and talked to her about bc. She gave me a choice between Mirena and Paragard. She said she would use Mirena for herself. I have been researching both types and I'm so confused I'm about to cancel my appointment for insertion (appointment scheduled for this Thursday 4/17). From what I've read on this forum, Mirena seems to be the preferred form of bc of the two. I read on one site that you could still get pg with IUD: higher chance of eptopic pg, fertilized egg not attaching to uterus, miscarriage. Does anyone know anything about this? Also, does anyone know about getting pg after IUD is removed? Like how long it could take. One site I read also mentioned that IUD could affect fertility (I would like to have 3 more children -not at once- don't want to become sterile). Any advice/suggestions is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

read the post from me in quotations...my iud baby is 8 1/2 months old.....

[3_opihi]

Originally Posted by LilMommy

My daughter is almost 6 months old (born 10/21/07) and still breastfeeding (want to bf at least a year). I really don't want to have another child real soon, but I do want to have more in the future. My boyfriend asked if I thought about birth control becuase I have latex allergies and non-latex condoms are expensive (about $8 for 3). I went to my doctor and talked to her about bc. She gave me a choice between Mirena and Paragard. She said she would use Mirena for herself. I have been researching both types and I'm so confused I'm about to cancel my appointment for insertion (appointment scheduled for this Thursday 4/17). From what I've read on this forum, Mirena seems to be the preferred form of bc of the two. I read on one site that you could still get pg with IUD: higher chance of eptopic pg, fertilized egg not attaching to uterus, miscarriage. Does anyone know anything about this? Also, does anyone know about getting pg after IUD is removed? Like how long it could take. One site I read also mentioned that IUD could affect fertility (I would like to have 3 more children -not at once- don't want to become sterile). Any advice/suggestions is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Mirena is very safe and has been the preferred method of BC in Europe for years. While the things you spoke of *could* happen (there is a chance of anything) I believe the percentage is something like .01%. That is really, REALLY small. It is a tad higher with the paraguard. As far as getting pregnant after removal, you should return to your cycles right away and could get pregnant within a month or two.

I've had mine for about 4 months now with no problems at all. I don't even know its there. The biggest issue was that for the first month the string was a left a bit longer, and my partner would sometimes feel it poking him. Now that the string is shorter and has softened up a bit, everything is fine.

[Strwbrries]

Mirena

I've had my Mirena for a year and will be getting it removed as soon as the doctor can squeeze me in for an appointment. .01% is actually higher for the adverse hormonal effects on some women. Unfortunately, depression and violent rage doesnt happen all at once. It builds up slowly, the longer you have the Mirena in. For me, it started with skipping my periods, at first I just skipped a month then would get a period for about 10 days which is normal. It felt like normal PMS, but the longer I went without a period the worse the adverse symptom became. This week, I got my period after not having a period for 2 1/2 months. I felt out of control, the smallest things would set me off, I lifted a TV and knocked it to the floor in a rage, and then I cried for 2 hours. I thought, I was going crazy, baby blues maybe, Ive had that before and I had the Mirena inserted after I had my daughter.

It shocked me when I called the doctors office and the first thing they said was, we need to take the Mirena out, we will mark it as Urgent and see if we can get you and emergency appointment. The OB nurse said, that this was a common side effect for some women and to not take it lightly. Hormonal effects are rage followed by depression usually right before and during your period for some poor ladies its everyday.

She recommended that I get the Paragaurd IUD, she said that since I havent had any other problems but the hormonal side effect it would be my best option. So that's what Im going to get.