About birth control

[EmilyVorpe]

Hi...
My midwife is suggesting an IUD. I am allergic to the patch. I can't afford to gain 20 pounds with the shot (nor can I tolerate needles for ANYTHING). I have too much in my life to be consistent with the pill. The ring falls out. Pull out method-not reliable enough. My cycles aren't consistent enough to do natural planning with dates and temperatures. Condoms---eh...just not a huge fan, and there are always accidents and such.
I have 2 children and want another one SOMEDAY. I'm 4 months pp and have relied on "luck and timing" but dd is getting worried our luck will run out and we will have a baby way sooner than we want.
SO, my questions.... Is there anything I should be scared about with an IUD? Is there anything that makes it not worth getting? Are there any other forms of birth control that are reliable that I'm not knowing about? Or is an IUD my only choice? I was told an IUD can cause you to later have issues with conceiving. I'd rather risk not having any more children than having one too soon.

[MindfulBirth]

I would suggest reading "Taking Charge of your Fertility". True natural family planning has nothing to do with your cycle being "consistent", but rather being attune to what is happening at the time. A lot of people go by the 14-day method where it is assumed that you ovulate on day 14 - and that is wrong. If I went by that, I would have a ton of kids right now, because I ovulate on day 22 and have longer cycles. TCOF really helped me to see what MY fertility cycle was.

I can't give you a lot of insight into the IUD as I have never had one.

[DoomaYula]

I had a Paragard IUD. It was in for 2 years. I thought it was great, got it at my 6w pp visit. The only complaint I've heard is that some women say they bleed more heavily and feel more crampy with it, during af. I didn't notice -- I've always bled pretty heavily, I guess. And I got pregnant a week after removing it, so no problems with conceiving here.

I plan to get one again after this baby is born.

[Mamabeakley]

For me, the risk of problems with fertility later on is not worth the security of not getting pg now. FAM has worked for me, and I am trusting it currently even though breastfeeding, b/c my cycles have settled down to something predictable. With a predictable cycle it's very little work. It can work, as pp said, with unpredictable cycles, but it is more work that way.

But if you'd rather risk not being able to get pg later than getting pg now, I think an IUD is a good option. Not a birth pro, but fwiw, my opinion.

[zofranland]

i am not sure why someone would think that it impairs fertility. there is rapid return of fertility wiht the IUD. i had mirena for 3 yrs. I LOVED it. i cant speak highly enough about it. i have high BP so i cant use anything wiht estrogen in it. depo made me feel crazy. i removed my IUD oct 25th of last yr. i was pregnant by nov 4th!!! there isnt as much bleeding wiht mirena as with paraguard. it just depends if you want hormones in your IUD. mirena is consentrated to the uterus so the levonorgestrel in it does not float systemically and you can breastfeed wiht it. that in itself is a plus! there are web pages for both paraguard and mirena listing pros and cons.

[hetaera]

If my husband decides not to get fixed... and I decide not to do Essure, I will be getting a mirena.
Much for the same reasons you listed.
I cant remember to take bc every day. The ring was okay but did interfere during sex.... I want something semi permanent.
So its much less hassle.

[courtenay_e]

I'll second (or third?) the natural family planning route. It has NOTHING to do with watching dates, and if followed properly is as effective (or more so) than the pill. I use the sympto-thermal method. Soo, I look at cervix height and mucous once a day when I pee, around mid day. And, before dh leaves in the am, he sticks the digital thermomitor in my mouth and hits the button, waits the ten seconds till it beeps, and puts it on my night stand for me. Then when I wake up for REAL I chart it. In all, it takes about 30 seconds a day, and is extremely effective with no risk. I have a hard time using an IUD (it's what my CNM suggested as well) because of the WAY it keeps you from getting pregnant. IT DOESN'T...it just keeps the baby from implanting. That kind of disturbs me. Even though I didn't want a baby at specific times, I didn't NOT want one bad enough to basically abort one if it "occured"...you know?

[SublimeBirthGirl]

I think EVERY woman should read Taking Charge of Your Fertility. I wouldn't want to do an IUD because of it preventing a fertilized egg from implanting. If you don't have issues with that, I think it's a great option.

[tlcdoula]

I had a Mirena IUD for several years and loved it. I had it removed last July in hopes of getting pregnant again and nothing has happened since. I do not know if that has anything to do with the IUD or the fact that I am now 38 yrs old - in the past I easily got pregnant (hence having seven children

I also used NFP for several years and never got pregnant when I didn't want to. I agree with what the other ladies said about reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility because it has nothing to do with watching a calendar or having a regular cycle or not (which I NEVER had).

[EmilyVorpe]

My midwife is going to do the mirena thing at the end of next week, at my next cycle. I'm sorta happy.....DH is SUPER happy.
For those of you that have had it, or have had clients that have used it.... is there weight gain associated with it??? I cant tell you how hard it is for me to lose weight, and I'm still dealing with baby weight 4 months later....

[zofranland]

i just want to say in defnse of the fertiliazation comment. the mirena will produce a thicker mucus that hopefully will not allow for the sperm to swim to get to the egg hence impairing fertilization. that way you dont have to look at the mirena in such a negative light.

[lilsishomemade]

I have the paraguard and while af is a little heavier, it is VERY nice not to have to worry about anything. There's a lot of freedom there. I have tried NFP in the past, and a lot of times would forget to take my temp. And, I can't seem to find my cervix myself. So, it was not a good choice for us at that time. Studies I've read show the paraguard does not affect your fertility after taking it out. I could see maybe the mirena would, but that would seem to be slight, since the hormone is concentrated in the uterus, like it naturally is. I don't know, my middle son and one of the babies we lost both came while being militant on bc pills, so I get pregnant pretty easily. Not one scare with the IUD!

[Manessa]

Originally Posted by EmilyVorpe

My midwife is going to do the mirena thing at the end of next week, at my next cycle. I'm sorta happy.....DH is SUPER happy.
For those of you that have had it, or have had clients that have used it.... is there weight gain associated with it??? I cant tell you how hard it is for me to lose weight, and I'm still dealing with baby weight 4 months later....

I've had the Mirena for 4 years and have LOVED it! I can't say enough good things. Weight gain has not been an issue for me. Also, I have recommended it to many friends and clients and have not heard anything but praise! Also, if you get one and it's not for you, it's pretty easy to get taken out and move onto something else. Fertility returns very quickly. The only cramping I've had was on the day that it was put in, and my periods are very light. Also, it's great not having to worry, and just being able to enjoy! Just my 2 cents, but it's fabulous (and no, I don't work for Mirena

[Ironica]

Although the "literature doesn't support it," I personally experienced weight gain that seems attributable to the Mirena. Other than that, it was great. I had it for a year and a half almost, had practically NO periods, and no other side effects.

I chose it over the Paraguard because of (a) the higher reliability and (b) the lower flow, rather than increasing flow. I couldn't *imagine* if my periods got WORSE. They were already 6 days long, requiring several "overnight" pads a day for the first three days. Apparently, though, I'm not the only one who experienced weight gain with it. I at first thought it was due to stress, but the stress went away, my therapy continued, and my weight kept creeping up. I thought it was due to my son nursing less, but I changed my eating habits, and the weight kept creeping up. I didn't have weight gain with other forms of hormonal birth control (I've been on four different types of oral BCPs in the past, all of which worked fine). All in all, I gained 25 pounds in a little over a year.

I did get pregnant three months after having the Mirena removed, while still nursing. So no issues there. Also, the insertion wasn't much fun, but it did work... even though I didn't have a vaginal birth (I dilated to 8 cm before the c-sec though).

[kerryr1013]

Lemon Juice as a natural alternative

NFP is a great way to keep your family number limited, and you should seriously consider it as opposed to an IUD. An IUD does not help you from becoming pregnant but rather keeps a baby from implanting. It essentially keeps a child from the nutrients a placenta would give him or her, it would be like starving a baby to death. If you're looking to keep from getting pregnant NFP is the way. Not meant to cause controversy, just informing you on the facts.

Kerry

[Manessa]

Originally Posted by kerryr1013

An IUD does not help you from becoming pregnant but rather keeps a baby from implanting. It essentially keeps a child from the nutrients a placenta would give him or her, it would be like starving a baby to death. If you're looking to keep from getting pregnant NFP is the way. Not meant to cause controversy, just informing you on the facts.Kerry

I believe this would depend on whether or not your opinion is that a fertilized egg is a child.

[Manessa]

In the interest of informing everyone of the facts, I just wanted to add these faq's from the Mirena websitehttp://www.mirena-usa.com:


Q. How does Mirena work?

A. There is no single explanation of how Mirena works.
Mirena may:
Block sperm from reaching or fertilizing your egg
Make the lining of your uterus thin (this may also result in benefits like less menstrual bleeding over time)
Stop the release of your egg from your ovary (but this may not be the way it works in most cases)

It is believed that all 3 of these actions may work together to prevent pregnancy.


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[BoringTales]

Originally Posted by Manessa

In the interest of informing everyone of the facts, I just wanted to add these faq's from the Mirena websitehttp://www.mirena-usa.com:


Q. How does Mirena work?

A. There is no single explanation of how Mirena works.
Mirena may:
Block sperm from reaching or fertilizing your egg
Make the lining of your uterus thin (this may also result in benefits like less menstrual bleeding over time)
Stop the release of your egg from your ovary (but this may not be the way it works in most cases)

It is believed that all 3 of these actions may work together to prevent pregnancy.


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Bolding mine...

Thinning out the lining of the uterus, thus making implantation highly unlikely...

[Mamabeakley]

To clarify about what I said about fertility - the manufacturer clearly states that possible side effects include things that can create PERMANENT infertility. It's not that if the IUD works fine and you take it out you'll have a problem getting pg - it's that if it embeds itself in your uterine lining improperly or 'migrates' out of your uterous into other internal reproductive organs, it can cause permanent damage. It's not a large risk - but for me, KNOWING I want more babies, it's an unacceptable risk.

I hope the OP is happy with her decision!

[savithny]

Originally Posted by zofranland

i just want to say in defnse of the fertiliazation comment. the mirena will produce a thicker mucus that hopefully will not allow for the sperm to swim to get to the egg hence impairing fertilization. that way you dont have to look at the mirena in such a negative light.

And the copper-t apparently is toxic to sperm - the copper ions plus your body's immune reaction to it apparently disabled and/or kill sperm.