Iud's - San Pedro, CA

Updated on August 10, 2009
K.B. asks from Torrance, CA
5 answers

Hello moms. I am looking for information on IUD's. I spoke with my doctor about the Mirena and the ParaGard and looking to see if anyone has any advice. One is good for 5 years and the other 10. I have no plans on getting pregnant again but husband isn't ready to be snipped. Appreciate any info on anyone who has had either one.

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R.J.

answers from San Diego on

The "search" capabilities of this board are awful, but if you poke around, you'll find a bunch of us chiming in on IUD's. I can give you some basics, as non-biased as possible.

Mirena:
- Hormone based
- Lasts for 5 years
- Most women's periods decrease in length, & most have less cramping than before. Some have the opposite reaction and will bleed off and on all month, every month or have terrible cramping.
- Some women lose, some gain, some stay the same weight. Split about evenly.
- As it's hormone based any mood issues a person has with birth control USUALLY will still exist. For some it's less because the hormones are more localised, for some their mod problems stay the same.
- As it's hormone based it takes awhile to become effective, and is NOT effective if you're on antibiotics, just like the pill/patch/ring.
- As it's hormone based it usually takes awhile to become pregnant after removal.
- As it's hormone based a woman with a history of abnormal Paps, dysplasia, or cervical cancer should NOT use it (or the pill/ring/patch/etc)
- Strings are longer than the Paraguard and are more likely to be noticed/felt during sex
- Can be removed at any time, but most doc's won't in the first year...because it can take your body that long to get "used" to it.

Paraguard
- Lasts for 10 years
- Is copper based
- First couple periods are gnarly painful (cramping), then *poof* back to normal (tylenol+ibuprofen+mild muscle relaxer+heat to get through those three)
- Periods stay the same for most people. A small percentage will go lighter, a small percentage heaver
- Is immediately effective (day of insertion), and is not afftected by taking antibiotics
- Should NOT be used by any woman who is allergic to copper
- Can be removed at any time

I personally have had the Paraguard for the past 7 years with no ill effect :). That said, a small percentage of women will get an IUD imbedded (paraguard or mirena). A dead giveaway is pain. You shouldn't be able to feel it, ever, or it wasn't inserted correctly and is poking into you. The strings soften during the first month, but are stiff enough to be felt by your partner for that first month. After that, they're soft enough that (at least according to my partner) they aren't felt at all. A slightly longer sting (about an inch long) will soften better than a short string...which have a tendancy to be pokey. Make sure for the first couple months that you feel up to make sure you can feel the strings. If you can't feel the strings, go in for an appt. They'll ultrasound you to see if it's still there and got pulled up, or if it fell out (rare). If it got pulled up it's still effective, & they can take it out still, they just have to take it out the way they put it in, instead of just tugging gently on the strings. Anyhow that's rare.

Love love love having an IUD though. :) No worries, no fuss, no muss.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.T.

answers from Las Vegas on

I had the Paragard IUD - however, within the first month of having it placed I found out that I was pregnant with twins and the IUD was not able to be removed without disrupting the pregnancy. I know if I had the Mirena I would have had to have the IUD taken out immediately and the pregnancy disrupted. I did carry the twins to 32 weeks and they are now a healthy one years old...I hope this helps in your decision!
Take care,
A.

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C.F.

answers from Los Angeles on

I have the 10 yr IUD. I've had it for 5 years and I'm getting ready to have it removed to have another baby. I love it! It's the only thing that worked for me being that I don't do good with other forms of birth control and we had two kids back to back(12 months apart). The pill gave me bad migraines and made me angry and depressed and anything else you can think of. It was horrible! With the IUD the only thing I noticed is that my periods got heavier for the first 3 years and then they regulated. Here lately though they've been heavy again accompanied with bad cramps. I have an aunt that got pregnant shortly after getting her IUD. This was due to the placement of the IUD. Still for me this was the best option. So far it's worked for me with minimal side effects compared to the pill or shot.

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C.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

hey girl-
I had the paraguard but only had it in for 3 years- It works, but my cramps were worse & my flow was heavier. Also the reason I had it removed was because I bled for like 12 days straight (my period is usually 3-4 days) and was real uncomfortable. Went to doc & found out they suspected a tubal misscarriage. The statistics are real low that this would happen but just figures I'd be the one!
So I said remove it and since my hubby wouldnt get snipped, I did!
Hope this helps, K..
Blessings<><

C. McElroy

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A.A.

answers from San Diego on

I have the 10 yr IUD and love it. I dont have to worry about anything besides getting my pap .. I have had it for 3 yr 1/2 and I am so glad I picked it out.. Definately worth it

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