IUD Experience

Hi C.,
I had an IUD after my last son. He is almost 3 now. I had it put in after he was born and then had it taken out after only 2 months. I bled constantly, had horrible cramps, gained 10 pounds and I could feel it in there. I had done nothing different to gain weight and couldnt stand the bleeding. It made sex very uncomfortable also. It just wasn't for me. Everyones body is different and you won't know until you try it. Taking the pill kinds sucks, I know, I would forget at times but I just changed my schedule with it and now I take it everynight when I brush my teeth, I keep the pack right next to my toothbrush & I can't forget that way. Plus I know when to expect my "friend".

i have a iud, and i love it. the first couple months u get discharge and a little bleeding, but i had no problems with mine at all. i dont get my monthly period anymore either. every once im a while ill get a little spotting but nothing big. ive had mine almost 3 years. i would recommend u getting it. u can always choose when u wanna get pregnant when u have an iud. hope i helped a little. if u have any questions u can email me at ____@____.com

Hi C.,
I am a Mom of a 13 1/2 year old. My husband and I married at 25 years old. I had an IUD from 19-26 years old. I had
my daughter at age 36! I feel the IUD hindered my getting pregnant earlier as we were sexual from 19-26 and onward.
The only good thing I could say it prevented pregnancy.
Otherwise, I am a Mom of one daughter who is now the only child, hence I could not have any more children.
Good Luck on your choices. C./Upstate NY

Hi C.! I have had an IUD in for 3 years now. I love it. I like the fact that I don't have to remember to take the pill every morning. There are a couple of different kinds. I got the one that releases hormones. My periods are not as heavy anymore. As a matter of fact, sometimes it's almost like I don't have one.
One down side is you may feel a lot of discomfort when you first get one. It is cramping. My friend felt like she was having contactions again, I did not. You also are have to check once in awhile to make sure that it didn't move.
I went on the computer and weighted my options. There are many sights out there to get some more facts. I just "Googled" it. Good luck in your decision.

I have also had a Mirena and I had it put in about 10 months ago. It took a while to feel comfortable, there was a lot of cramping in the beginning, but I had a c-section 5yrs (almost 6 wow) ago and have had cramps since then, never had them before my son. I was never good with shots, pills, patches, they all give me headaches, to many hormones. So I now love the IUD, I stuck out the major cramps and I hardly bleed at :)
I recommended it for sure!

I haven't tried an IUD, but I disliked the pills, didn't care for the shot as well. My doctor recommended I try "Nuva Ring." I loved it! Simple and easy (pain free), doesn't make me feel sick to my stomach (the pills had been to strong for me), didn't need to remember it nightly... it even comes with a cool little mechanical "hour glass" that reminds you when it's time to pull the ring out and when to insert the new one. (I "recently" had my son and went off the ring-but will start back on it shortly). -

Just thought I'd throw that out as an additional option, in case you hadn't heard of it!

C.,
I have an IUD... I have had it for several years and I LOVE it! The IUDs of today are great. I actually have a NON hormonal one...it is just copper. This has all the benifits of birth control without all the problems of hormones.
I can tell you that it did create cramps (which I had never had before) for the first few months but after that I have been very grateful to have it!
-Dr. Heather

I had a bad experience with my IUD. i had to have it removed after 2 months because it caused awful cramping and bleeding...but it was not my period, I was breastfeeding. it was just all the time! Some other women I know have had great luck with it tho. Talk to your doctor about the two types availbale. I would say go for it. if it works out for you it's the most convienient long term birth control ever. And, if it doesn't you can easily have it removed!

i got a mirena iud after the birth of my second child. its not too painful during the insertion- just a little crampy- no big deal. i have had it for 3 1/2 years and have had no problems. my periods disappeared for about a year and a half and now are regular and very light (bonus!). i would recommend this as a birth control option. the only complaint would be from my fiancee.....sometimes he can "feel it" during you know what. hope this helps.
C.

I have had an IUD for just about two years. I love it. But in the beginning it was really a pain I had mine put in in august and i didn't totally stop bleeding until october.although my periods have now stopped completly. Now my sister in law was on the other side of the coin her body rejected the IUD and she ended up with an infection and she got pregnant within 2 weeks of having it put in luckily when they took it out she did not have a misscarrige(they did not know she was pregnant till after they removed it)I would reccomend it but I think like everything else its a fifty fifty shot. I also got the shot and hated it. It might be worth a try

Hi C.,

A very good friend of mine just recently had hers removed and found that it was the cause of several other problems she was having. She had a lot of pain, not in the IUD area but in her back and urinary tractamong other places. She and her doctors finally figured out that her problems started shortly after the IUD was inserted and for some reason her body was rejecting it. They removed it and now she's fine.

I'm not saying that this isn't a good option for you, it was just a bad option for her.

A. O

I have never had one, but I have 2 friends who feel that it is connected to their chronic uterine infections and bleeding throughout the month. Some OBGYN docs might love it because it's very effective at preventing pregnancy, but I would do some research before getting it. And if you do get it, be hyper-aware of your body so you can catch any little problems before they become big.

If you have a history of breast cancer in your family, the kind of IUDs with hormones might increase your chance of getting breast cancer, so if that's the case, stay away from the hormones (this means the pill, too).

I got the mirena (spelled wrong i think) and I love it. you dont have to worry about pills or shots-and its in place for up to 5 years-if you want to have another baby it can be removed sooner. I have had mine for almost 1 year and its great (no need to remember a condom or did i take my pill).
You can also nurse with it so once you wean you dont have to switch to another pill or wait till you can get an appy with your dr to get a new rx.

most days i dont even think about it being in; periods are shorter and lighter like with the pill (mine sorry if TMI are 3-4 days and only require the light days tampons) but most of all and i cant say it enough-
YOU DONT HAVE TO REMEMBER SOMETHING EVERYDAY!!!!!
and with small child/ren somedays laundry is hard enough let alone did i take my pill.
when they insert it your uterus cramps like a contraction-but not the fun minute ones the little 20 second ones for me (I had an episomity) i was more sore from the speclum than the insertion. I also got mine 6 weeks postpartum.

ok I hope that this helped you (and anyone else),
K.

my IUC has the hormones the iud's with out I have heared you have horrible cramps (per my mother) and feel like you "got hit by a semi" make the decision that feels right for you.

I have an IUD, and I love it. My OBGYN said it is the most popular type of birth control in the world, but isn't very common in the US yet. I love that I don't even have to worry about keeping track of anything. Sometimes I'm scared that it's not effective, but so far so good. I had it put in in January, and I was bleeding lightly until April. The only problem is that the strings that hang down are like fishing wire, and my husband complained that they would poke him. They have softened up, I assume, and it's no longer a problem. Overall, I think it is the best decision.

I got a IUD 2 months after my son was born in 2004. I really havent had any bad experiences with it other then once in a while i get cramps. It is so much easier then remembering to take the pill everyday.

I have a copper IUD, and unlike a lot of people said, I don't get bad cramps from it or heavier periods, I have had mine for 2 years this oct or nov. I dont get much cramping, and I have like 1- 1/2 days where it bleeds heavily the rest is pretty slow, it is a little longer than it was pre-baby but I can't complain no pill to worry about, so it doesn't make everyone bleed bad and have severe cramps and if it does, ask your doc for some 600 mg motrins, pre-iud thats what saved me on my periods they take my migraines away too, hope this helped =) So no not everyone gets worse periods and cramping from the copper =)

Hi C.,
I have had my iud in for 6 years now with no problems at all I absolutely love it.After my second daughter was born I was tired of the pill also and couldn't remember it sometimes with being so busy with the kids and all so I switched and it is the best thing ever.I do have a heavier period everyother month but it's not to heavy that I bleed through things.I would defenitly reccomend the iud.
R.

HI...
I am currently waiting my period so I can have an IUD put in. I am having a Mirena IUD, which is a low dose progestin (synthetic progesterone) IUD. I know several people that have them and they lower the amount you bleed and lessen the likelyhood of bad cramps. Unlike most non-hormone IUD's which increase cramps and bleeding. I have a blood clotting disorder and my hematologist has signed off my my getting this as the risk is so low of clotting complications. I've done a lot of research because of my blood clotting disorder and haven't found too many negatives about it. The worst part for me is that you have to have them inserted during a period, which isn't the most pleasant thought. Oh, it is expensive. I was told it was about $550 for the IUD and the physician's cost is about $250. My insurance covers the cost except for a co-payment.
Hope that helps. I am looking forward to having it as this is just for my comfort of lighter periods and less cramping. My husband is scheduled for a Vasectomy.
J.

Hello C. . . . I had an IUD for several years and LOVED it. It helped me in two ways. #1 for birth control & #2 the one I had secreted hormones also. I had endometriosis. (I've since had a hysterectomy because of the endometriosis). I'm now 47, so I do not know what types of IUD are offered, but I would stay away from the copper T (if they still make it). Mine was plastic and had to be changed anually. I liked that idea, because I didn't want a foreign object in my body unchecked for longer than that. I think they have ones that can stay in for like 5 yrs. I had very light periods with mine & never even knew it was there. My husband on the other hand could feel it once in awhile, so be sure your Dr. cuts the string short enough. You may hear horror stories, perferating your uterus, or a baby being born with it imbedded in their skull . . . I think those are just 'stories', but I would discuss that with your ob/gyn. There are pros & cons with anything, you just have to weigh it out. Good luck with your decision, but speaking from experience, I would definitely have one again if I need to. P.S. Some insurance companies will not pay for the IUD for birth control purposes, but your doctor can request it for medical reasons & insurance will pay for it then!