IUD risks?

[hunnybumm]

Not sure if this is the right forum or not because I don't read a lot about BC here, but not sure where else it would go.

Does anyone know the risks of an IUD? That seems to be the only feasible form of BC for us, at least until I get my first few pp periods. I refuse to get on the pill or mini pill due to it effecting milk supply. And because after 16 years of depression before DSs birth, I refuse to take anything that might effect my chemicals and cause me to have to take anti depressants again. No way am I getting the shots for the above reasons plus some. Condoms... just too wierd for us, and we won't be very 'responsible'. Any form of inserted BC is going to be hard, when I get in the mood (which is hard) the last thing I want to do is say "Hold on lemme get my diaphram!"

I know this is dumb but I watched an old Lifetime movie last week and one of the woman couldn't get pregnant because she had scarring in her tubes due to long term use of an IUD. I know that 10 years ago the IUDs had a lot of issues, and some have been worked out. But what are the real risks? I don't want to get an IUD then find out later that it has a 10% chance to cause infertility, YK?

[stafl]

get the package insert for the particular device you are contemplating. read it, understand it, and ask your doctor lots of questions.

[MrsMoe]

The only person I knew who had one was my mother. It punctured her uterus and caused a severe infection and she had to have it surgically removed.

[moon_goddess]

i'll tell you what happened to me.
i got the iud at my 6 week check up after my son was born. i thought i was going to love this. especially since i would be nursing and hopefully not getting my period for quite a while, it seemed like the perfect solution. as soon as i got it i started spotting which is "normal", but the spotting never stoped. it was a continuous annoyance that wouldnt go away. sometimes it was heavier spotting but nothing ever more. just enough tho to cause a sloppy mess during intercourse (sorry to be so graphic). i know it is different for everyone but i ended up getting it removed after 9 months of this crap.

if anything i would recomend charting and natural family planning. there is a great site called fertilityfriend.com and you can track everything on there. just take yout temp every morning and check your mucous among many other things. i know it is scary, trying NOT to concieve, do what you feel is right for you and your family.
good luck in your decision!
live well

[annakiss]

I had an IUD before TTC #2. I had the non-hormonal Paragard T380A (copper T device). Here's a link to safety information. I personally felt that the risks and side-effects were minimal enough and the benefits and convenience substantial enough that it was a good fit for us. I would get one again if I wanted that sort of hands-off contraception.

[annakiss]

Moved to Family Planning...

[Doodlebugsmom]

I got a Mirena IUD 8 months ago, shortly after ds was born. It is different from the copper IUDs in that it secretes a tiny amount of progesterone(sp?). It is also plastic, I think instead of copper. It typically eliminates periods all together. I know there are some risks like infection and PID, which usually occur within weeks of the insertion. Knowing this, I watched for signs during this time, just in case. I believe the progesterone, for the most part, stays local and doesn't really go into the blood system. I had some light spotting for a month or so, but nothing too bad. So far, I have to say that I'm completely happy with my decision. I know some ladies like having their periods, but after the birth of dd my periods were horrible. Really bad PMS. Several times I thought I would have to be admitted to a psych hospital. No exaggeration. It's nice not having to worry about that. So, my advice would be to research the intended product thoroughly and talk to your care provider about any concerns. Good luck!

[hunnybumm]

Thanks for moving the thread Annakiss - duh I should have thought about this forum.

I know how charting works, I used it for about 8 months before we got pregnant. However, I DO NOT want to get pregnant until our family is ready. I know it is possible to ovulate before you get your period, and to not have any odvious signs you have ovulated. Luckily with DS I didn't ovulate until my 2nd or 3rd PP cycle which was about 9 - 10 months ppd. I just don't want to leave room for mistakes. For our family right now, we want a little more space between #2 and #3, we are thinking 3+ years.

Before this baby is due I will talk to my MWs and see what they say about it, I am not sure if they can put one in or not. But I figure they would be a good resource. I will also talk to the doctor if I end up having to go to one.

Also, thanks for the link and the other information. I know very little about IUDs. After DS was born I had some issues with my OB not doing the IUD because my Ins wasn't paying them when they said they would. So by the time we got it figured out, we wanted to start trying again. I will look up the two types and see what I can find.

[Boobs]

IUDs are much safer now than they were years ago. They've gotten all the kinks worked out. My midwife inserted mine about a month ago. She has one and my other birth attendant has one. We all love it. I am spotting a bit, but for most people that stops after about 6 weeks. There are risks as with any form of bc. I like that it doesn't have any hormones and we don't have to interrupt the mood to get prepared.
Now you've got me looking all over the house for my package insert. I know it's here somewhere. I'd love to give the specific risks listed.

[HelloKitty]

I'm getting the Mirena IUD inserted at the end of the month. My doctor told me that IUDs are MUCH safer now then they use to be and he personally thinks they are the best form of birth control out there. He did tell me they are not very popular in the US as opposed to other countries simply because they are so expensive and not all insurance covers them. So if it's something you are seriously considering you might want to make sure your insurance will cover it first.

If you go to the following site and click on the "patient information" link at the top of the page it gives you a PDF copy of the patient insert which tells all the risks:

http://www.mirena-us.com/

[NurseLaurie]

Mirena would have worked really well for me if I hadn't had a few strange side effects that were unexpected. I loved not having to worry about birth control and not having periods was nice (even though my mother HATED the fact that it didn't seem natural). My two problems were that DH felt it every time no matter how much they trimmed the strings I also constantly had icky brown discharge. As far as insurance goes, my insurance covered everything but the $20 copay. My sister in law did have to pay for their device, but if you spread out the cost of pills or condoms over the months/years that the device is in place, then the cost really balanced out. It's just the one time bill.... I want to say it was $300 or something... I can't remember. I think insurance companies should shape up and pay for these things. A pregnancy is very expensive and you would think they would jump at the chance to get that cost off their backs.

[Doodlebugsmom]

Originally Posted by Boobs

IUDs are much safer now than they were years ago. They've gotten all the kinks worked out. My midwife inserted mine about a month ago. She has one and my other birth attendant has one. We all love it. I am spotting a bit, but for most people that stops after about 6 weeks. There are risks as with any form of bc. I like that it doesn't have any hormones and we don't have to interrupt the mood to get prepared.
Now you've got me looking all over the house for my package insert. I know it's here somewhere. I'd love to give the specific risks listed.

Hey Boobs (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your username!), I bet you can find all the info online!

I would also like to add that my mw loves the Mirena, and does LOTS of them. She rarely has anyone have any problems from them. Also, the Mirena, while relatively new here in the US, has been used in Europe for at least a decade. Very few problems have been associated with it.

[OhMel]

I had the copper-T put in 4 months after ds was born. I got my cycle back at 8 mths pp and everything was fine for the first two months. After that I started losing a lot of blood (keeper would overflow after an hour for the first 4 days) and had some serious cramping. I kept with it because at the time dh did not want anymore children and said he would get snipped if I got the IUD out.

Fast forward to this past December and I ended up 3 weeks late and was crazy hormonal. When I did get my period I bled for a month straight. I now realize I miscarried. After that whole thing, dh was ok with us having another child and I went to get the IUD out and they couldn't find it!! They said I definitely could get pregnant that way but I was really surprised at the lack of compassion when I said I had m/c the previous winter. And these were MWs. So I had to have a vag. US and then they were able to get it out. The GYN said I was lucky, she saw it as a 50/50 shot with the alternative being to have a D&C to get the IUD out.

And the thing that really got me was that they (MWs and GYN) see this stuff frequently enough. I was not a rarity and nothing was a surprise to them.