Mirena Vs. NuvaRing

I have never tried Mirena, but I can tell you that I LOVE the ring!!!!!! I had so much trouble with Loestrin, Yaz, etc.- spotting, headaches, you name it. All that stopped with the ring. Plus, you put it in and forget about it for a month. It doesn't get much better than that!!!

I was just at the OB/GYN this morning and my doctor highly recommended (I'm 40) the Mirena IUD. He said it can stay in for 5 years and when you are ready to try to have children, it can be easily removed. He said that almost all of the nurses in the practice (tons of them) have the Mirena. He also said that periods can become very light with it or even disappear now and then.

My best friend uses the Nuva Ring and I think she likes it but I don't think I'd be all that into taking that thing in and out monthly, it just seems awkward to me. I'd be afraid it would slip and she did mention that her boyfriend could feel it some during intercourse.

I wish you luck with your decision.

My doctor told me that financially, Mirena isn't woth the cost if you are thinking you might want to have another childn in 2-3 years...don't know if that helps...

Hi Ali,

I think that the IUD device(Mirena) would be a good choice.

Hope this helps. D.

I did nuva ring but I"m so sensitive to hormone changes that it didn't work side effects wise for me. Its true, your partner can not feel it and I'd just mark on my calander when to take it out. It wasn't uncomfortable or anything for me. I really didn't know it was there. Very simple and easy to use but hormonally just wasn't right for me.

I can't say enough great things about Mirena. I have had the best results I could ask for with it. I love that after it is inserted, you forget about it. I've had mine for 3 years now. I have about 2 days of a period each month and they are very very light. There is no cramps associated with my period and I have had no complications at all. I would definitely recommend doing the Mirena. It is just so easy!

I was thinking about going the Mirena route myself but I have never had an IUD and that kinda scares me. I just started my "research" but so far I haven't really found any bad things about it. It's pretty similar to other IUDs that are out there and it is very affordable (my doctor quoted me $650.00) when you figure that it lasts for 5 years (for me the pill costs about $20 a month which is $240 a year which would be roughly $1200 over 5 years) but my insurance does NOT cover it and my OBGYN makes you pay for it upfront before the actual appointment to have it inserted. So, for me, with a 2 1/2 year old and a 9 month old and Christmas right around the corner, that is alittle hard to do right now . . . Let me know if you find out anything interesting and I hope everyone else has more info for you then I did. Good Luck!
T. C.

I have an IUD that is like Mirena but without the hormones. It is copper, which acts like birth control. If you were sensitive to the hormones of the pill, like I was, it may be work asking about, otherwise the Mirena sounds like the way to go. Both are somewhat expensive, so the cost benefit depends on your situation.

I REALLY liked the Mirena. I only had it taken out since I developed fibroids (not related) that jarred it our of place and poked my uterine wall..ouch! While I would HIGHLY recommend the Mirena (just a bit crampy when they put itin)....it is made to stay in for a long time (like 5-10 years...) so that may not be the best option for you right now if you want more children soon.
ask your dr. though...hope that helps!!

B.

I have actually used both, and here is my take. Mirena is FABULOUS!!! While I did notice that I cramp more than I used to throughout my cycle, and I did put on weight, the benefits outweight these two downfalls. It is SO wonderful knowing that it is nearly impossible (99.9% effective) to get pregnant. In fact, my OB-GYN has been putting them in since they began and has yet to find a patient who has gotten pregnant while using it. Nuva Ring is also better than the pill, but has some set backs. Not to give too much info, but my husband found that he could feel it when we made love, and I found that my periods were EXTREMELY heavy and very long. I also had a horrible scare with it coming out unbeknownst to me. Let me tell you, when you have a four month old baby and just realized that your contraceptive may have been missing from your body for days, it's a horrifying feeling. I do know plenty of people who loved Nuva Ring, but for me, it was smarter and more cost-effective to get the Mirena put in. I hope this helps and good luck! :)

Hi Ali

My daughter will be 2 in October. Six weeks after she was born and all was ok'd by the doc's I got my Mirena! My husband and I want to stop with one child.

Doc's talked me through the birth control options (vs. having my tubes tied) and this seemd the best fit! I LOVE IT! I don't know it's there.. and I know when the baby turns 5 - I need to renew it. (We may change our minds and have another -and we still have the option - I love my docs).

Best thing... my cycles are soooo light - if at all. Your cycle is a little heavy in the beginning due to the change in your body.

Before you proceed - make sure you get approval from - or make sure your insurance carrier covers the device. There was confusion with my insurance company - so I always recommend that people double-check and make sure.

Defnitely discuss this and all options with your doctor. If you decide this is not for you, they may suggest something that may be a better fit you.

I hope you find this helpful. Best of luck with your decision.

M.

Is money a factor for you? If so, check your insurance coverage. For example, my insurance would NOT cover Mirena but they would cover part of NuvaRing. When I checked the numbers on 2 years of NuvaRing vs. Mirena for only 2 years, the NuvaRing was cheaper. I used it for over a year and had no complaints at all. There's risks that go along with placement of Mirena such as uterine perforation so if you go with it, make sure that your gyn has placed many of them!! My gyn said its usually those who are inexperienced that cause the perforation with Mirena.

Best of luck,
K.

I have 2 girls and we were unsure if we wanted to have anymore children. I also debated on Mirena or Nuvaring. First thing you need to check is if your insurance covers Mirena. I was steering more towards Mirena but my insurance didn't cover it, it's very expensive. I decided to try the Nuvaring, personally I didn't like it. It just felt weird having to insert it and every once in awhile you had to make sure it was still in there. It could fall out and you'd never know, when going to the bathroom, having sex, etc. My husband also wasn't to sure about it either because he could feel it during intercourse. He said it just felt weird. It is your personal choice but I just wanted to tell you my opinion. Good Luck!!!

I too wanted to do Mirena but since insurance doesn't cover it I tried the ring. It was great the first few months but I had to stop using it as it was causing me A LOT of discomfort & intense itchiness. I am now back to the pills but have new insurance so I might look into Mirena again.

Hi Ali,

I use the NuvaRing and have been on it for almost 3 years now i think ever since it came out, because i can never remember to take the pill and I thought this would be easier. I have no problems with it, you don't feel it.It is easy to remove and place in. If you have intercourse you can remove it and leave it out for about 2 hours but if it is out longer than that you need to use a new ring. I am very satisfied with the ring. With the ring you leave it in for 3 weeks and take it out for a week and thats when you will have your period. Recently my gyne said i could leave it in for 4 weeks and when the 4 weeks are up remove the old one and put in the new one. if you have any more questions let me know.

____@____.com

C.

I absolutely love love love the mirena and hated the nuva ring. An episode of losing it at my then boyfriend's house and his mom finding it the next day was enough. I got the mirena six weeks after my son was born and it totally sucked alot when it went in. It hurt and I had cramps and I broke out all over and I bled for almost 4 straight weeks. The cramps and pimples lasted about three months and then they went away and I haven't gotten my period at all since then. My last one was in January 2007 and I haven't had any side effects at all since then. I don't even have spotting. It's the best birth control I've ever been on. The beginning totally sucked but its definitely been worth it.

I haven't had n e experience with eaither of the 2, but I've used depo for about 10 years. It's a shoot that ur doctor gives once every 3 months. That might b something 2 look into.

Well, I've been on Mirena about 3 months now and very happy with it. It was not the most comfortable thing going in, and I had some cramping the first 2 weeks on and off, but now I hardly remember it's there. Also, I had light periods to start with and on the Mirena they've almost disappeared. I've had about 3 days of spotting since having it put in. I have 3 kids 7 and under and no plans for more, so it works for me. Best of luck with your decision!

My advice is to try Nuvaring first and if you don't like it, switch to Mirena. I got two free samples of NuvaRing from my OB. Mirena, obviously, is a much greater commitment. I started the NuvaRing about 3 months ago. I had originally wanted Mirena, but my insurance didn't cover it. NuvaRing is really simple...put it in and forget it. The first month I was aware of it for the first week or so, but not in an annoying way. I can't imagine it coming out without me feeling it, but everyone is different. My husband can feel it, but doesn't care. My periods are strange with Nuvaring...they are extremely heavy for 2-3 days and then stop with absolutely nothing afterwards. I go back and forth over whether this is a good thing or not! 2-3 days is good, but really heavy is not and kind of tiring. I may eventually switch to Mirena as I don't plan to have any more children. Good luck!