So About This Mirena and Depo Birth Control...

K.~

I have two friends who ended up in the emergency room with severe heart palpitations and numbness in their arms due to the Mirena IUD because it started giving them too much hormone at one time. I do not consider it a safe form of birth control and will never use it.

If you're set on hormonal birth control, try the NuvaRing. I used it for years, because I had problems with the side effects of the pills, but eventually, even the low dose of the NuvaRing got to me and I went to the Paragard IUD. As far as Mirena goes, I used to work for a WIC clinic and I can't tell you how many ladies came in pregnant after having the Mirena IUD. NuvaRing was nice because I only had to think about it once a month and it cost the same as pills. It took me about 8 months to get pregnant after stopping though, but I'm also super sensitive to artificial hormones, hence why I no longer use them. If you want an IUD, go with the Paragard. I have yet to hear of anyone personally who has gotten pregnant with it unlike the Mirena.

I've been successfully on the pill for years. I too used to have the periods where I'd have to miss school or work because they were so bad and I was in so much pain. With the pill they are barely there or not at all! As for remembering to take it every day, my solution was to take it at night before bed (or with dinner). Much easier to remember than trying to remember in the morning when you are rushed and still half-asleep. In fact, my watch has an alarm and I used to set it to go off at 9 pm every night so I'd never forget. I don't set it anymore, as now I am used to taking a pill before bed every night. I can't offer any advice on any other method such as Mirena because I've only used the pill. Good luck!

I have the mirena so far so good.i havent had a period yet. And i was told that when i get ready to have another child, if i want to, they just pull it out. And when my lining is thick then i can concieve. They said no problem. I didnt want to gain weight with the shot. Some people dont but im a little heavy anyway so i didnt want anymore added im trying to get it off. I had mine put in may 8th and i havent had a period and they said i might not have another one. So thats a plus! Good luck.

I had used the Depo for 2 years before I had my son and never had a problem, even got pregnant about 2 weeks after I went off of it. After I had my son I bled for almost 5 months straight and my doctor said it was the depo so I switched to Mirena. It was very painful to put in (severe cramping for a day or 2) but after that passed I didn't have a problem. I've had it in for a month now and can't complain!

I'll tell you something that has worked great for us...an ovulation scope. You lick a slide every morning when you first get up and look through a little lipstick-sized microscope. It tells you if you are ovulating or not and you can decide if it's safe to have sex or not. It's great for conceiving and preventing! The one I use is www.maybemom.com. I actually got it on ebay for 1/2 price, but they sell them at Walgreens and amazon.com and lots of places. There are also lots of other ones out there. I read reviews on amazon.com before deciding on that one. You still have to do it every morning at first, but after you get an idea of your ovulation schedule you can decrease to just around your fertile time. It's not fool-proof, but it's worked great for us and I don't have to worry about any hormones screwing up my system. When we are ready for child #2, we've already got a head start.

Hi K.,
I hate shots and the idea of haveing something in me thats semi permenant... Mirena is out of the question. I, like you, could never remember that little pill. So I was on the patch... then while I was pregnant the patch was deemed dangerous so my doctor suggested the Nuva Ring. I was worried and scared to use it too. BUT now I LOVE it!! Honestly it's the best birthcontrol ever. I think the hardest part was getting used to putting it in and takeing out. I've used it for 2 1/2 years now and will continue to use it forever! I was worried about it getting lost but I've never had that happen, it's always right there... tampons don't get lost... and it has never slipped out either. The only time that I notice it is the first time my husband and I have sex after I've put it in, then it's in place and good for three weeks. And it doesn't bother my husband during sex, sometimes he can feel it and sometimes he can't. Now he's as used to it as I am.
As you can see, I recommend the nuva ring but talk with your doc, they may even be able to give you a sample to try for one month. I have had much lighter periods since I've been on the ring. I don't use a tampon with the ring... but that has been the only ajustment and my doc said it would be okay to use a tampon. (I just feel it would be too crowded in there... hahaha ;) )
Good luck! I hope that you get lots of good advice! And I'm willing to answer more questions if you want!
S.

There have been several questions on here about Mirena, and lots of answers! About 95% of the answers have been positive. I think I only read 1 or 2 negative responses. I used it for 2 years and loved it. I had no problems. I did want to conceive after removal, but come to find out I had 3rd stage endometriosis and am infertile now. But that had nothing to do with the IUD. In my opinion, it is the best birth control out there. It's painful when removed...I can't remember if it was painful being put in, but the pain doesn't last long. Please consider it!

I have the mirena and love it. I tried the nuva ring and it was too uncomfortable to me. I say go for the mirena and you can get preggo right after having it removed. You dont have to remember pills and you cant feel it. It is expensive though since you will have it removed next fall ($600 here) unless your insurance covers it. Have you tried natural family planning? Knowing when you are fertile is easy learning about the types of cervical mucas.

I used the depo shot for several years and loved it. My periods stopped completely and except for some weight gain (approx 10 lbs throughout the time I was on it) there were no other adverse reactions I ever experienced. I did stop taking it about a year before I started trying to get pregnant and it worked out fine for us.

I do not have any advice on birth control. Sorry, but I did read your about me section, and felt the need to respond. I'm in Elem.Ed as well with a little one on the way. It saddens me to know that I will have to be in school from 0730-330 everyday before I can spend time with my baby. I feel like those first few months are critical, and mommy will be in school with other kids, and daddy won't be here because he is in the military. :( How do you survive it?

I say just say no--there are lots of other options without messing with something as precious as your hormonal balance.
it can just cause so many, many illness and problems.
Just my experience. : )
Blessings,
H.

Dear K., I am glad that you may have chosen against Depo Provera. I was talked into this shot between child 1 and 2. I worked in a doctors office and believed what they said. First of all it took me 2 1/2 years to get pregnant after I quit using it. It was so frustrating. I was told that I should use it so I can nurse and use birth control. I have done some research on this product and found out that that is what they have used on the mentally ill in mental hospitals so they don't get pregnant. They have been using it for years but haven't done the studies on it to see if it makes you permanently sterile. I do have a friend who used it for about 5 years and now cannot get pregant. I beleive it's from that shot. I also spoke to my daughters doctor and he said he would never use it on a patient. That is the only birth control I know about but I just didn't want you to make the mistake of using it. I hope some other ladies can fill you in on the other ones. I have no info on them. Sincerely, Lori

I got the Mirena in Feb. of 2006. Loved it! No problems. I had no period at all from June 2006 to Feb. 2008. I decided to have it removed in order to have a third child. Things got back to normal very quickly. By choice, we waited several months to begin trying to get pregnant. As of today, I am 9 weeks pregnant! This is a great achievement as my first took over a year and my second didn't come along until 10 1/2 years later!
Things went smoothly with both the insertion and removal of the Mirena. My husband's only complaint was sometimes that the string bothered him. So, just have your dr. trim it as close as possible.

You should realy research the mirena google it and pregnancy! Both of my best friends had one put it in the last year. One of them is pregnant about 4 weeks along the first two weeks were horrible because no one new if it was a tubal pregnancy or not.( it turned out not to be) But now the big mystery is where is the iuc? It has either passed with her one period or it puntcured her uterus and is in her abdomen. The other friend hers fell out after about 6 weeks. I really encourage you to do the research they both thought it was a perfect idea. there are other questions on here pertaining to mirena you should read those and the respnses. I wish you the best of luck!

In the past, I have used the pill, Norplant, and Depo shots for birth control (at seperate times, of course!). I have also used condoms. Let me share my experiences with all of these.

The PILL- I have a pill baby. He was concieved because I took an antibiotic while on the pill and wasn't informed that taking an antibiotic could neutralize the effects of the pill.

Condoms- I also have a condom baby. Apparently a condom has to stay in place to work... who knew?!!? LOL

Norplant- After I decided these two forms of BC weren't working for me, I went with one that was supposed to be "foolproof". I must admit, it was great!! It was put in place in a minor proceedure performed in the dr's office and I went home about an hour later. I felt minor tenderness, but no pain. The only thing I was extra careful about was having anything put any form of pressure on the site. I was scared to have my BP taken in that arm, for instance. I had it removed because I was going to be a surrogate mother. The removal was pretty simple, too. Same as the "installation" but in reverse. Had I left it in place, it would have laster 5 years.

Depo- I will never ever use Depo again! I was on it once, after I had the Norplant removed and then decided to not go thru with the surrogacy. It was great that time thru. I had just one period in six months! -- Then, after I met my husband and had my third child, I used it again. I bled for 3 months straight! It was a nightmare!!

No form of BC is perfect. Just use the one that YOU think is right for YOU. Talk to your doctor and other healthcare professionals... it is important to have more than one medical opinion. Choose for you, don't let someone else decide for u!

Yes, Depo is not a good choice in my opinion, and my OB/GYN doesn't like administering it either. I never really looked into the Mirena, I just don't like the idea of something implanted up there....lol I have been happily using the Nuva Ring for 4 months now, and the only complaint I have is sometimes at a very inopportune time, it likes to make itself known, if you know what I mean. But I to was having trouble remembering to take the pill, so I decided to give the Nuva Ring a try after one of my friends told me how much she liked it. its so easy, they give you a little clock that tells you when to insert the ring, when to remove it, when your 7 days starts and ends so you can start all over again, and some pharmacies will even mail it to your door. But I have heard good things about the Mirena also.

I might also add that I have never had regular periods until I got on the Ring and now I have then right on schedule, 3 days long and light, where as before I would have to guess when I was going to have to get hit with 5 to 7 days of heavy bleeding and cramping...not to mention the crazy bloating....lol

I am on my second Mirena and have been pleased. My daughter is 6 and I had it inserted when she was around 3 months. I had irregular periods for like 2 months (if I remember right) and have not had a period since. A few months after I had the first one inserted, I had some pain and thought I might have dislodged it or whatever. It was a short ultrasound in the office showing everything was fine and I was on my way. It was not difficult to tell when mine needed to be replaced. We ended up replacing it about 6 months before the 5 year expiration date. I had a lot of breast tenderness, spotting and other PMS symptoms. Doc said it was because the hormone was getting low. While the mechanical contreceptive was still intact, it was important for me to have the extra protection of the hormone.

Good luck with your descision

K.,

I have used the NuvaRing for almost 3 years now. I love it! It is easy to use and my doctor even told me that I can leave it in for 4 weeks at a time and the protection will be the same. The week that I remove it I almost immediately start my period and it is really light and only lasts for about 3 days. I experience very little cramping or back pain, the usual effects of being on my period. I have had my ring come out once during sex, but I just slipped it right back in and everything was fine. But one time in almost 3 years seems like a pretty good ratio. My husband has never been able to tell that I have it in, and I really can't tell either. I would highly recommend the ring, I also had a hard time remembering to take my pill. I use to stress about it. That is why my doctor initially recommended it to me as well.
I would recommend that you ask your doctor if he/she can give you a sample before you make your decision. The ring would only be for one month and the Mirena would be a choice that you will have to live with for quite a while.

Good luck,
J.

I have had the mirena for 1 and 1/2 yrs and love it. No periods or moodiness. Not having to worry with a schedule like the pill. My gyn said that when i am ready to have another it will not have any effects on my fertility. So thats a plus

I've had the copper IUD for 2+ years now. We love it! My periods are a little heavier, but the consistency and high contraceptive rate are worth it. Not to mention, complete spontaneity.

I have had the Mirena for over a year now. It did not hurt when inserted. I spoted for several weeks at the begining. but I haven't had a regular period since I had it put in. Birth control is a personal decision. My options are somewhat limited because I have bloodclotting issues. So I can't take the pill, patch, nuva ring or anything with estrogen. My dr. recomended the Mirena and I have been very happy with it. I have several friends who also have one and have no complications. Good luck to you.

If the pill seems to be the option you choose, then you might try putting the pills near something you do everyday. I couldn't remember to take mine either until I put them near my toothbrush. Then every morning as I reached for my toothbrush I remembered to take a pill.

I have the IUD and have had it for almost a year now. I don't like the unexpected spotting and periods. I haven't regulated yet and it just must be somehting that you are willing to go through. I also feel like I am pregnant about every other month. I am not sure if this is related to the IUD but I've read blogs where others explain the same symptoms...Before getting the IUD I was using the NUVA RING. I absolutely loved it! It was the best thing ever. My insurance did not cover it so I had to pay for it out of pocket, this is the only reason I changed. I was worried about it too but after long discussions with my doctor I felt comfortable enough to give it a try.If you want more info about the ring I would be happy to share in a private message :) I would def go with the ring over the IUD.

I was sterilized using an IUD, (which is the same as the Mirena IUC) at a young age after my first child. I did use Depo in my late 30's to try to regulate my cycle and gained literally 60 lbs in 9 months. That is only 3 shots and I had to stop that. So those are my two experiences.
B.

I have heard some bad things about the mirena IUC conticeptive. I got told that one this woman became pregnant while on it and the IUC became lodged into the baby's head. The depo bites I have had and it makes you gain weight, when u get off it u have to wait a few months before u get ur period and get some miss leading things. I was off it, I got off it and didn't have my period for a few months then I did and then the next 3 to 4 months I didn't have a period. I thought that I might have been pregnant, but wasn't. The depo shot really bites.