o.m.g... i think im pregnant. i have the paragrad as well and i have had mine for about 2.5 yrs. we have a very similar story. wow. how did u find out you were pregnant.
o.m.g... i think im pregnant. i have the paragrad as well and i have had mine for about 2.5 yrs. we have a very similar story. wow. how did u find out you were pregnant.
I was actually charting for the first time ever, keeping track of my basal body temp and cervical fluid. When my period was a week late (I'm NEVER late) I went over the chart and it pretty much screamed "YOU'RE PREGNANT!" (sex during my fertile period 3 days before my temp spiked meaning ovulation had occurred, a bit of cramping and very mild spotting a handful of days later, then nearly 18 days of high temps w/out a dip). So I took a pee test and it was positive. We thought surely the iud had somehow come out without us knowing, but no, it was right where it should be. I called the midwife practice I used with my first child and they got me in that day for an ultrasound, then referred me to a high-risk ob/gyn to see about getting the iud out. We thought it would be difficult due to the short strings but it thankfully came right out. I didn't even bleed. The whole thing has been stunning, and the discovery of two embryos just topped it all. I have to say, I've felt pregnant at various times with the paragard, but I've never been more than a day or so late and always got a negative result when I freaked out enough to pee on a stick. I don't think we'll use either version of an iud again. I'm over having something foreign inside me all the time, esp. something that however rarely, can completely fail. I hope for you that your story turns out differently!!!
I've been thinking about getting the paragard but after hearing stories of getting pregnant while on it, not so sure. Hope everything works out for those who are! !
Because of being ultra sensitive to hormonal birth control I need bc that is nonhormonal. Tried the diaphragm which was a very uncomfortable, hassel, icky mess. When I tried inserting it one time it went flying across the room lol! I was very successful at charting and did that to conceive but not sure I want to use it as birth control. Husband is tired of using condoms. We have one child and are unsure if we want another or when that would be.
I've also tried hormonal bc over the years including Mirena after our son was born. Mirena was the worst. I had it in for about 4 weeks. The insertion wasn't bad, a little pinching when placed and cramping later. I noticed the next day I had a mild, constant headache. Didn't think much of it, took some medicine. Over the next few weeks the headache turned into a major migraine that would not go away! I never have migraines. I was crying every day from the pain. The initial cramping went away, but I felt an occasional twinge from the IUD if I sat a certain way. I thought I wouldn't be able to feel it but I did! Spotting started a few days after insertion and didn't stopped until a week after I had it removed. Husband had no problems with it though. The day I had Mirena removed, a few hours later the migraine was completely gone. I told myself I would never use hormonal birth control or another IUD after that. Ha never say never.
Recently I tried using the pill for the first time (Loestrin). I seemed okay at first and then after a week I noticed my sex drive disappear, i became moody, and started having daily headaches. I figured my body was trying to adjust. I know it can take a few months. Fast forward a few months, still had all the side effects plus spotted every day for 6 weeks followed by a missed period. Thought I might be pregnant because I felt like I was and wasn't good about taking it at the exact time every day. Took HPTs which all turned up negative. Finally got my period almost 2 weeks late, still felt like crap with constant headaches and no sex drive. Decided to stop the pill and go back to condoms. Feeling much better but husband still not happy about the condoms. He's thinking about freezing some sperm if we decide to have another kid later and getting a vasectomy. I don't really want him to go to that extreme until we know for sure we are done having kids.
So I'm thinking my only choice would be the paragard. I could deal with an occasional twinge. Somewhat worried about getting pregnant on it, never had a miscarriage. I guess if it happened that would decide for us if we were having another child but isn't birth control so you have control over that!? What concerns me is the bleeding. As a teenager I had heavy periods with horrible cramping so bad I had to stay home from school. I was diagnosed with anemia. Then I got Norplant (like implanon) and cramping/heavy bleeding went away in exchange for irregular spotting. Once that was removed my periods remained light, 3-4 days but cramping came back in full force. After I had my son for some strange, delightful reason I have not had any painful cramping (going on 3 years now)! I wonder if going on the paragard would make my period return to my pre-bc teenage days! Worry about becoming anemic again also. Don't know what to do. Some of you may ask, why don't you use implanon. Well I actually had Norplant for 10 years (2 implants, 5 yrs. ea.) and although it did provide very reliable, trouble free bc, I am still suffering from long term side effects. I had spotting between periods for the 1st 6 months, after that periods became very light but I started gaining A LOT of weight. Started out at 125, went up to 170 right before I had last implant removed and I'm still trying to lose it. You can tell I was retaining a lot of water. Face, neck, and arms looked puffy. Zero sex drive on it. I've had growths and hormonal imbalances since removal. It did provide me with 10 years of reliable bc but I feel in turn sacraficed a lot.
It's sad manufacturers have yet to come up with a nonhormonal bc method either sex could use that truely prevented pregnancy without any adverse problems.
Unfortunately, nearly ALL BC methods run a risk of getting pregnant while in use (barring abstinence and complete removal of all reproductive organs). The risk for the Paragard was low enough to make me comfortable, though.
mjc77- I have the same issue where I'm SUPER sensitive to hormonal BC so my only option was the Paragard. I loved it (just had it taken out this week)! Yes, my periods were heavier and I actually experienced PMS while on it, but the periods were shorter (by about 1/2 for me) and the cramps let me know when it was going to show up. Not only that, but I actually became more regular while on it. Before Paragard, my cycle would range from 2 wks to 8 months. Totally random, and it would show up without warning. On Paragard, I actually had a fairly regular cycle.
Once I have a little one (provided my body doesn't return to the wild, crazy cycles), I'm definitely going with Paragard again.
I'm currently have Mirana . I've been on it for four years and 3 months. I started to notice some changes in my body. My side effects are back pain, nausea, severe mood swings, head aches, weight gain, and nervousness. I am going this week to have it removed. I am thinking about getting the Paragard ,but I want to do some more research on it first.
I've had the paragard since the middle of October.. I made sure to do my research and read reviews before I tried it. When it comes to hormones and my body they just dont mix so I knew the mirena was out of the Question. Now I must say I was terrified after reading the reviews of how uncomfortable it was.I experienced no pain when getting the device, no cramping, and no period for the whole month of November!! But here we are in the first week of December and I felt the most horrible cramping in my life(next to childbirth). My menstrual still didnt come down right away, it took almost half a day before I went to the bathroom and saw pink on the tissue. Other than that I would not have known my period was here. Now I have to see how heavy it will get and how long it will last..... So I guess I will get back later with my observations.
Hello,
I feel like a swindled consumer. I need to add my voice to this long thread and any advise is very welcome.
I am a 27 year old and only two days ago I had the Mirena inserted. I have no children. More about my personal history. I only started BC 8 months ago, the Yaz. I liked it, I lost weight, my acne went away and my PMDD went away. Unfortunately, I started getting ocular migraines (I have only ever had one migraine in my life) in the last two months and outrageous panic attacks. My gyn. in NJ suggested that I get off of estrogen based BC and try out progesterone, but perhaps it would be better not to be on anything at all. Compounding this, I have a very rare autoimmune disease and they are not sure how it might be interacting with synthetic hormones (higher risk of stroke with estrogen based BC or example). So I went to my gyno in Chicago (where I go to grad school), and they kind of sold me on Mirena in our consultation. It sounded more youthful, it did not have the side effect of prolonging your period, increasing the flow, or maddening cramps. What they told me was that the Mirena releases small doses of progesterone locally in the uterus and does not enter your blood stream. What two scientific articles I read claim, and what Mirena's side effects also suggest, is that progesterone DOES enter your blood stream, and it is equivalent to taking a mini pill. The "potential" side effects include *mood swings*, *acne*, *weight gain*, and decreased sex drive. Having gotten over a long battle with an eating disorder and being a rather self conscious person and being already rather sensitive these side effects would be crippling to me. I made an appointment for the following Tuesday (one week since the Mirena insertion) to get it removed and a Paragard put in. I feel so stupid for having gone against my instincts and chosen the hip, modern, and .001 percent more effective Mirena over the hormone free Paragard. If my insurance does not cover a new IUD so quickly I will pay out of pocket... maybe I can convince my family to make it a very awkward early Christmas, Birthday, Christmas, Birthday present...
I would be interested to hear feedback on 1) people who are verifiably sensitive to synthetic hormones who did not experience any negative side effects with Mirena, and 2) anyone who knows more scientifically what happens to the copper inside your uterus over the course of 10 years. I will be combing through some science journals to try and discover it myself.
I got the mirena after my first daughter and I had horrible cramping to the point I didnt go back to work for a week. I continued having cramping and pains in my abdomen after sex, it was not worth it to me.It stopped my periods almost immediately, which is nice, but its not natural to not have a period. I was also unable to loose any weight with it. I kept it for 2 years and it was 2 years too long. After having it removed we were trying to get pregnant and it took 3 months, which isnt bad, Im 2weeks postpartum with my second child and looking ito paragaurd. I wont get mirena again because of the pains, but i have a friend with mirena and she loves it, she had no pains.
I am a pretty healthy 36 year old married woman. Within the past two years I have started experiencing bad migraines twice a month due to estrogen level changes. I have been on the pill for 20 years with no problems and only have gone off the pill once to have our son. Now, within the past two months I also have elevated blood pressure readings. Doctor says its time to get off the pill 
. Hubby and I do not want more children, but a tubal is not for me right now so my doctor suggested Paragard since it uses no hormones. I researched the heck out of it, this thread has been great! I am not so much afraid of the pain or excessive bleeding, etc, but I am concerned with the possibilty of copper allergy and bloating! Anyone want to weigh in on this for me. What signs should I look for? I already checked to make sure my daily vitamin doesnt contain copper. Seems as if the allergy symptoms don't show up right away but after a few months... I have already ordered the Paragard and will have it inserted in 2 weeks (right after my period). Thanks. 
I wound up with extremely similar side effects while on paraguard (not mirena) that I had while taking the pill. It started slowly, but eventually the symptoms were constant fatigue (sleep 9 hours, take naps, still tired day after day), loss of libido, losing a lot more hair in the drain than normal, anxiety, and depression. Estrogen and copper are linked (estrogen raises copper levels, hence going chocolate crazy when it wants more), and I only found that out after having the same symptoms on paraguard as I did on the pill.
@MeowMeow: Good luck finding the scientific journals, but if you do find anything, please point me to the links. I spent six months researching this issue when it happened to me, and it was extremely hard to find anything that related copper to the symptoms I experienced. The only scientific journal link I could find that links copper and estrogen is the following: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-178351926.html
The article is called "Serum copper elevation from estrogen effect, masquerading as fungicide toxicity" and was in the journal of medical toxicology. The link only points to the pay article, but I googled it enough to find a pdf copy. If you can't find it, PM me and I'll send the article. The basic issue is that the patient thought she had copper toxicity due to fungicide, but after staying away from the copper fungicide, her serum copper levels remained abnormally elevated. The doctor says that he had heard of estrogen causing high copper and noted she was on birth control pills. After stopping the pill, her serum copper levels returned to normal.
This is an interesting article with further detail in a link inside the article relating criminal aggression to high copper, low zinc levels: http://www.crimetimes.org/98a/w98ap10.htm
And a final from my pile of bookmarks that found an interesting correlation between damaged DNA and rising copper and Iron levels with diminishing zinc levels in aging brains: http://www.indianjpsychiatry.org/article.asp?issn=0019-5545;year=2010;volume=52;issue=2;spage=140;epage=144;aulast=Vasudevaraju
Though it's just hearsay, a retired psychiatrist I know mentioned that one of his schizophrenia patients had high copper levels.
I know the links are not all smoking guns. That I have yet to find. But after you've been reading article after article, puzzle pieces start falling together. I'm in no position to prove my findings (not in any way shape or form a doctor or scientist) but reducing my copper and upping my zinc has cut my anxiety dramatically, helped with my depression, and I rarely ever really crave chocolate and shellfish like I used to (now I can have a piece and enjoy it, not want a chocolate IV like I used to.) I wish I could find a scientific journal that says the copper from the IUD can leach into the rest of the body, but I've yet to find it. All I know is what I experienced and what it worked for me, and since those crazy times I've been charting as our birth control method and I only wish I had done i sooner.
Almost all IUD forms cause spotting and heavy, irregular periods. And cramps.
The Mirena was designed to counteract that with the hormonal addition.
That being said, I got the Mirena bc of heavy duty bleeding, and it really helped me stay off other medications and avoid menstrual procedures such as a D&C for almost two years.
In fact, i didn't have my period for nearly a year.
If I were to have another IUD, i'd have this one, but I've already had my tubes tied, so we really only tried the IUD bc of the bleeding issues. I wound up having surgery anyway, an eblasion, and now that's not an issue anymore.
I had Mirena put in in March 2011, after my 3rd child. I spotted for a few months, but now i do not have periods at all. The downside is that it has taken a toll on my emotions. I was very moody, crying all the time, which is not like me at all. I also gained several pounds after putting Mirena in. my doctor told me that it was my lifestyle and age making me gain weight, but i told her, i don't think so, and she also prescribed an antidepressant. i considered taking it out, my doctor told me to give it a full year before i made any decisions. I am considering Paragard. Any suggestions?
jennb99: I would check out this thread http://www.mothering.com/community/t/916122/copper-iud-and-side-effects to help you with your decision. You'll find so many women describing what you're describing whether on Mirena or Paraguard. You'll also find a whole host of posts regarding doctors who prescribe antidepressants to women experiencing the same symptoms on the IUD. The medical community isn't listening and just assumes an antidepressant is the solution. Further, whatever your decision, it is your body and the doctor is there to serve you, not the other way around. If you want it out, demand it.
I was happy with my Mirena IUD for years and recently started having real periods again. They still aren't as long as they used to be pre-Mirena though. I was thinking about getting a new one as I've hit the 5 year mark. Then I realized after doing online research of IUD's, how many of my health problems were probably related to it.
I had my son @ 27. My ex and I were taking a breather. So, technically, I was single then. I have been on bc pills for many years before and after that. I have had low sex drive since my son's birth, and have always had really horrible periods. I began having periods when I was 10 1/2 years old, so I look forward to not having them! My periods got worse after having my son. Usual for me after my son, was up to 10 days, various-sized clots and bright red bleeding, heavy amounts of bleeding, cramps, slight anemia, various other pms signs, including monthly migraines and monthly acne.
I heard about the Mirena from my OB/GYN and was excited. The insertion wasn't bad for me. It did improve my periods GREATLY. However, during the last 5 years I've developed: anxiety disorder, palpitations, hypothyroiditis, high blood pressure, weight gain, low metabolism, breast cysts, painful breasts (around 'period'), lethargy, acne and rosacea, thinning scalp hair, increasing body hair, sensitivity to epi (dentist) shots, allergies, serious mental fog, acid reflux, periodic gastritis, horrible belching and irritability. I've been taking meds for these since then.
I'm worried about the periods and bleeding if I get the Paragard IUD. However, I may be peri-menopausal due to my early menstruation onset. My doctors don't know for sure. I used to try different BC pills and always had problems with them, all of them. I am over 40 now, have no significant other, do NOT want to have more children, and am scared to do anything more permanent.
I looked at the Assure procedure and it frankly freaks me out. I do not want anything that is hormonal ever again if I can avoid it. I am unemployed for some time now and cannot afford surgery, as in a tubal ligation. Also, I'm afraid to have general anesthesia again since I've been on blood pressure medicine.
Frankly, I would love to go au naturale, but what if I find a great guy? I do not want to follow in either of my grandmothers' or 2 aunts' steps and have late-life babies! That is really terrifying!!
@Leelu: Wow, my reply totally didn't submit and now I forgot what I wrote, but essentially, have you tried out charting? I thought it was something I could never do, was too much work, too confusing, etc. but Taking Charge of Your Fertility has software where all you have to do is take your temp and check your cervical fluid, you add it into the charts, and it tells you whether you're fertile or not. My husband and I have been using it for the past 15 months and knock on wood it's worked for us. During our fertile times we use condoms and the infertile times we don't use any extra protection. But the charting is about more than just birth control. You learn a lot about your body. For instance, if you have a headache on a certain time in your cycle every month, it could be pointing to a hormonal issue rather than just random headaches. Since you're not currently sexually active but might be in the future, you might want to look into it. They have a free 15 day trial for the software too. I'm so glad I started charting as my method, both for the sake of my reproductive health (no more hormones or copper or stuff ruining my system) and also for my health as a whole.
I decided to go for the Paragard. Insertion is this coming Wednesday so wish me luck. I will report back on how it goes! My doctor sent me for an ultrasound prior to our last visit. He did find a small fibroid on the outside of my uterus but other than that, everything is good to go.
He told me he is very happy with the results from Paragard and Mirena. He has been perscribing Paragard for 15 years+ without incident (pregnancy). He said that he will not insert them in woman that have not had a prior pregnancy because it has resulted in lots of problems (infections, rejection, etc.). He has only had 1 incident of it falling out, which happened with Mirena a few months ago. Since I have been going to him for 18 years now, I tend to trust him.
I did check my vitamin to ensure there is no extra copper in it as well.
I got merena 7weeks after my daughter was born. I have had no problems with it at all. I am still bf'ing and she is two years old now. No period, no cramping and only occasional spotting. I guess it worked out for me. Good luck!
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