Birth Control While Breast Feeding - Troy,OH

Hi J.,

I got the Mirena IUD after my first child...had it removed b/c we were ready for another child. My baby is now 10 months old and I again have the Mirena IUD. I LOVE it!!! There are a couple different IUD's out there to choose from, but I like Mirena b/c it takes away my monthly cycle. Some people may not like that, but for me that is a huge plus. It's also great b/c it is good for 5 years or, like I did, you can have it removed early.

Hi J.!
I don't know much about the IUC, except that it is there for five years. So you need to look at the long term effect of the product before you use it.
I am a Natural Family Boutique consultant and I provide several different ways that you prevant pregnancy naturally and successfully. Please feel free to check out my website at NatureWiseFamily.com or email me at ____@____.com. I would be more than happy to help you find an alternative methond to the IUC and other medical contracepives.
A. B., CLD

J.,
Wow! This question always amazes me because I have never been able to get pregnant while breastfeeding and I have tried! Breastfeeding seems to be the only form of birth control I need. I never even have a period until my babies are between 11-14 months old! I am just curious but have you even had a cycle yet? I am breastfeeding my third child who is approaching 6 months old and I have had no period yet. This is the same way it was with my other 2 children. I didn't have a period with my son until he was 14 months old and with my daughter at 11 months old. If you have not had a cycle yet and you are going to continue to exclusively breastfeed, are you sure you even need to use any birth control?

Best Wishes
J. F.

Hi J.!

I finally decided to start taking birth control pills when my son was about 2 years old. I was still breast feeding so my doctor put me on the mini-pill. It was great for me because I still produced enough milk for my son (which wasn't very much at that point) and it totally kept me from getting pregnant. There are tons of options out there that I'm sure your doctor can tell you about and let you know the risks and benefits of each. Hope this helps!!

I've been on Errin birth control pills (for breastfeeding) and haven't noticed any side effects. I was on a couple different pills before I was trying to get pregnant, but they were much stronger and I was very emotional and didn't even feel like myself then. I haven't felt that way with these pills at all. You do need to try to take them around the same time every day or you may end up with a little spotting, but that's the only problem I've had with them. They've been effective so far, too, which is important! The best advice I can give you is to do your research, and then discuss it with your doctor to see what your best options are.

I nursed my son for 14 months. At that time I used a low dose birth controm pill. Today I use an IUD..I did not choose Mirena because it has hormones and I personally can not handle hormones. The IUD that I have is copper and I have had no adverse affects.

i am taking camila. its a low dose single horomone pill, and i haven't noticed any side effects. my milk is plentiful as ever. started taking it 6 weeks postpartum.

good luck!

Hello J.,
I have not personally used anything besides the pill. However i would STRONGLY suggest you DO NOT TAKE IT while breastfeeding. It killed my milk supply (was on the low stuff too)even after I stopped taking it I could not get my supply back to what it was before.
I'd say condems or abstance I know that sounds stinky but it has no side effects. (well besides a crabby hubby lol) If I could do it over I wouldn't have taken them. It stunk having to give up fedding her and giving her a bottle and watching everyone else be able to do it:(
Good Luck

I am currently using Merina. I love it. You barely have a cycle if any and do not have to worry about forgetting a pill or getting pregnant on the mini-pill (I did and have two kids 15 months apart). It last five years and is safe for nursing. I am in my forth year and will get another one next year.

I used the generic version of Ortho-Micronor, Nora-be. It is a daily pill you have to remember to take which kind of sucks. I used it for about 7 months while breastfeeding. It was recommended by my OB. I had no problems with it.

while i was breastfeeding my daughter my ob/gyn put me on a very low dose birth control pill. i didn't notice any side effects or any decrease in milk production. i can't remember the name of the pills it's been 5 years but i think it started with an L. talk to your dr. he can give you all your options and answer any questions about side effects. good luck, T.

Hello

I work at an ob/gyn office and I am very familiar with the (intra uterine device) IUD. The IUD and the Micronor are the only two options we offer for breastfeeding mothers. I would recommend the IUD. I personally had one of my own for 3 years. I had no problems with insertion,slid right in. I did have some slight cramping for about 3-4 months. I also had a mild cycle during that time. About that I had NO cycle at all. I did for the first year have issues with bacterial infections. one thing you have to remember is that to your body the IUD is a foreign object. So it takes some time for your uterus to get used to housing an object. I would highly recommend the IUD. At our practice we insert approx. 3-5 a week. Out of those, (20/month) maybe 2 have problems. It does produce a tiny amount of progestin. That is what keeps your cycle in control and most women eventually fade out and do not have a cycle. It is good for 5 years. However if you decide in a year that you want to try again to obtain a pregnancy or even if you dont like it. The Dr. can just yank it right out and everything goes back to normal. The Mirena is a GREAT product!!

The other IUD is the paragard. It has no hormone. It is copper,which sometimes clashes with the natural Ph levels in your body. It is good for ten years. With the PAragard,you continue to have regular cycles. So it will not help with cramping or heavy bleeding.

The Micronor BCP...it is low dose and very effective. If you were previously on a pill and had no problems,this might be the best option for you.

These are the facts!!! Hopes this helps!!

C.

I was on the mini-pill (micronor) until my period became regular again then my dr put me on the regular pill (I am overweight and the mini-pill is less effective) which was terrible for my milk supply so definitely try to avoid that. I have just recently read about the Mirena, which is an IUC rather than an IUD, there is a difference. The IUC releases hormone so it is possible that it could interfere with your nursing so ask about that.

Good luck!

When I was nursing my daughter I used the Depo Shot. I did find that there was a little decrease in my milk production in the beginning, but I was aware that that maybe a side effect and began pumping to help build up my supply again. I continued to nurse my daugther succesfully for 2 1/2 years on Depo.

I have also tried Mirena and had a terrible time with it. The impantation was painful and I was in pain for several days afterwards. I continued to have cramps, nausea & generally pregnancy type symptoms the entire time I had it. After 3 months I finally took it out. I'm sure I'm one of the minority here, but I feel you should know there is a chance it won't be for you.

I have been using the Mirena IUD for 3 1/2 years now and love it! I've had no problems yet. And it is so easy - nothing to remember or worry about. I highly recommend it.

Hi J.! I am currently using Mirena IUD, I've had it since August and I haven't had any problems. I am still breast feeding my 10 month old baby boy. I didn't gain any weight, nor can I tell it's "up there". The only thing about it is I didn't have a period before my OB/GYN put it in b/c I was breast feeding (obviously), but up until a week ago I was spotting everyday. Like somebody else said, it's good for 5 years and basically no maintenance, except you have to check a string (so small, not as large as a tampon string) about once a month to make sure it's still there. Good luck! Jess

Hi J.
I use Micronor. It is birth control pills. I have been on it for almost three years, and it is safe to takw while you are nursing and very effective. I am very fertile (ovulate every month from left ovary and every other month from right) and I have not become pregnant in four years. For the year after my youngest son was born. I used the Mierna IUC and for me....it was HELL. It caused awful cramping. This is how my OB/GYN explained it to me....Mirena fools your body into thinking you are pregnant. Well my body decided to "miscarry" the IUC slowly over a period of several months. I ended up in the hospital twice because of pain where they could not find anything abmormal. I had very abnormal bleeding. I would "have my period" for two weeks at a time (very heavy). Then I would stop for one to two weeks and then start again for Two weeks. The pain was awful. You have to pay for both insertion and removal of the IUC as well. After about 11-12 months I said forget this and had it removed. Also while I had it the strings would "poke" my husband while we were making love. He described it as very annoying.
The Micronor I love however. I have had no issues with it what so ever.

Hi J.!
I had the Mirena IUD inserted at my 6 week pp visit, and also had one prior to TTC my daughter. The insertion of the first one caused me to have a vagal response (I got nauseated and faint and had to have my husband pick me up from the OB/GYN's office), but with the second, I didn't have any problems on insertion. I spotted for 3 months after I had it put in. When I got my period back at 11 months pp (thank you, breastfeeding!), I had HORRIBLE back pain and cramping. I was ready to have the IUD taken out, but my doctor told me it was probably just a change in my cycle and that the first postpartum period could be severe. I stuck with the IUD, and I have had only slightly worse cramping than my pre-baby periods. I also only spot, where I was a heavy flow kinda girl previously.

There's little risk of supply drop with the IUD, because the hormones it releases are local to the uterus, therefore not a lot of them get in your blood stream. Your other options are the minipill and the depo shot. The minipill can be effective, but you HAVE to be able to take it at the same time every day and you CAN'T forget a dose. Since it's lower dose hormones, you have to be consistent so the level stays high enough to prevent ovulation. It can also reduce milk production, in some women drastically. The Depo shot is very effective birth control, but can also reduce milk production drastically. It's also non-reversible for 3 months, so if it does decrease your milk, there's nothing you can do about it.

Anyway, I'd recommend the Mirena. I've been fairly happy with it so far, and I've had it for about a year and a half this time around.

Hello Jaime,

I am currently using the Mirena IUD and it is great for women that have a hard time remebering to take a pill or change a patch or whatever, but I tend to get really bad cramps when my periods come around and my periods have been kinda screwy....but every women has different side effects. I do like it though and would reccomend it. As far the breastfeeding issue I believe there should be no problem taking birth control and breastfeeding at the same time.

I used Ortho Micronor while breastfeeding with no problems to me or my son. Just remember to take it religiously or you WILL get pregnant. I have my daughter to prove it.

I have the mirena IUD in myself. I seem to like it except for the period part of it. If you dont want to have a period then this is the way to go. For the first 3 to 4 months after I had it is I would bleed non-stop for 3 weeeks and then go 1 week without and then start again. I never did the breastfeeding myself after I had my daughter but all of the birth control that I had tryed made me really sick. The only side effects that I have had are really bad cramping the first 3 months after I had it put in. Also when it is the time of the month when you should be starting you will have slight cramps but other than that there is no weight gain or anything like that no bloating. I seem to like it.