I am thinking about getting and IUD at the end of this month. Who has had one? What were your experiences? I am against hormonal birth control for myself. My husband and I have always used more natural methods. Which can be rather unromantic!
I am looking at a non-hormonal version "para-guard"
I have had the Paragard twice now. I love it as a BC method. With the Mirena I have read there are hormonal side effects and you can get pg more often on that one. I did notice that my periods were heavier at first, but nothing too bad. I do also have endometriosis, but have not noticed a flare in those symptoms. My hormonal migranes have stopped since I came off of bcp a long time ago. Insertion and removal were super smooth both times. HTH
I have the mirena...absolutely love mine...if you would like my experience with it, feel free to contact me :)
Good luck!
It's been a while but I'm about 90% sure I had a Paraguard as well and I LOVED IT! I've had a lot of female related issues but not related to or aggravated by the IUD. A few years ago I had to have an ovary removed and we opted for permanent tubal ligation at that time. Otherwise, I would have continued with the IUD. For me, I found the biggest issue I faced was that there was such a disparity in what various GYNs seem to really know about them, how long they're good for, how safe they are, etc. Make sure you GYN knows their stuff if you decide to get it. I switched insurance once 2 years onto my first one and had to switch doctors because of it. The new doctor made up all kinds of stories about it and removed it during a routine exam. Needless to say, I did NOT go back to the doctor and that's another whole can of worms there.
Anyway, I've been very satisfied.
I myself have not used para-guard. I had a copper IUD for a while. It is non hormonal. However, I didn't find out until later that the egg can still be fertilized it just keeps the egg from implanting. I don't know why the doctor failed to tell me that. I was prone to endometriosis and the copper IUD caused the problem to flare up however, I do not believe it creates endometriosis. I had the mirena too but it is hormonal.
I have not had any experience with para-guard, although I have heard of it. I use the Mirena, which probably isn't what you're looking for if you want to go non-hormonal. It is a low-dose and localized progesterone IUD. So unlike the pill, the hormones are localized to the area it's needed, and there are a lot less side effects than the pill. I've loved having it. It's extremely low-maintenance and has been perfect for what my family was looking for.
I hope someone on here has some experience with para-guard so they can give you a better idea of what that one is like!
I used Paraguard (the Copper T) for 9 years before having my 3rd child. Insertion and removal were both relatively painless, nothing Tylenol couldn't handle. I did have to go back several times after insertion to have the string clipped shorter since my partner was being "poked" by it during sex. While on it I had heavier periods and cramps for the first couple days of each cycle. I loved it and plan to have another inserted this month. The only real "maintenance" is to check for the string each month.
Feel free to ask if you have any other questions. Good luck!
S.
I used a "Copper 7" for about 5 years between my second and third children, and had no problems getting pregnant after its removal. After my third child, I wore about 3 or 4--each for approximately 5 years. After that I had an unrelated prolapse of my uterus and had a hysterectomy. I had no problems with the IUD, although my husband did occasionally get "poked" by the "string". My periods were always somewhat heavy, but it seemed to me that every three months or so they were extra heavy--not enough so to be significant though. I believe that it may have been due to having had a fertilized egg not implant. I would recommend using it.
