Mirena or Paraguard? Need Real Opinions!

Hi C.-
I recently got Mirena some months ago and am very happy with it!! I was scared to do it but it's worth it... no worries about becoming pregnant or having to keep up with the pill. Every woman's body is different but I didn't experience any bad cramping afterwards. The visit to my doctor was super fast I was in there for like not even 5 minutes and she was done!!

I'm going to weigh in on the non-hormonal bc side of things. Did you know that all of the manufactured hormones that women are on are passed into the eco-system when a woman urinates and it goes through the sewage system? It's true. It has actually caused problems for the local wildlife in certain areas. I also don't think that the conditions under which the horses are kept that most of these hormones are harvested from is in any way humane or right.

So those are some of the negative effects of synthetic hormones and that's not even touching on the personal effects (including cardiovascular risks), which you are already familiar with.

I'd have to say that I can put up with cramping and heavier bleeding in order to not be contributing to that. I'm not a crazy tree hugger and in fact I am pretty conservative, but I see no reason to damage perfectly good eco- systems if there's any way around it. After all, I want my children's children to be able to enjoy those same wondrous sights and experiences.

All of that being said, I have the Paraguard and I noticed that the cramping and heavier bleeding tapered off over 6 months until my period was pretty much back to normal. I love it and would never exchange it for a Mirena. Maybe you just didn't give it long enough.

Be careful!!!! We have only one reproductive system and it is connected to every part of our bodies. Mess with it and who knows what can happen. With all of the possible side effects, you should ask your self why? It messes with your systems!!! All of them. BC is such a pain in the butt, and necessary, but I suggest you chose one that does the least; or "No More Periods!" could turn into "Early Menopause."

I'm not in favor of the IUD. I had the mirena put in and it was absolutely horrible! It became dislodged and ripped thru my uterus and I had to have emergency surgery to remove it and it was floating around my ovary. This could happen with any IUD and if happens it can be very traumatic and devastating. I decided to go on low hormone bc pill and really liked it til we decided to no longer have children and had that surgically taken care of. Good luck, hopefully you won't have to experience the bad part of using IUDs.

I don't have any input other than I'm enjoying reading the responses....I have a really hard time with any hormonal control so I'm nervous about hormones, but I am having some nerve and incision pain lingering following my csection that we aren't sure if its from the csection or a hernia we haven't found yet...but either way the thought of having any more cramping makes me want to cry...not because of the cramping but it makes that spot hurt so badly I can hardly walk. I'm considering doing neither....but I'm out of options and not fastidious enough for NFP :/

I had Mirena and hated it!! So did everyone else that I knew that used it too. For me the bleeding slowed but never stopped, it also made me into this emotional, irrational, crazy person!! The same thing happened to my friend, our husbands were seriously ready to abandon ship. As soon as it was removed back to normal! I will never use it again!! Good Luck.

I have a paraguard and I love it. I didn't have any of the bad cramping, and the heavy bleeding is only for about a day and a half and I just have gotten pretty good at remembering to change my tampon every hour (sorry if that's TMI). It's totally worth it to me to not deal with the hormones, which gave me terrible migranes when I was on the pill.

If you've had the copper before and your cramps were really bad, ask if your GYN will give you a prescription for prescription strength ibuprofen for when you have your period. For some reason I find it really does work better than just taking 3 advil.

Good luck.

I have tried Mirena and found that I had not trouble on it. I continued to lose weight with it in while I was breastfeeding my son. I like the fact that there was very little bleeding after the first few months. And 5 or so month later it was occasional spotting. I used it successfully for over 2 years and now I am happily pregnant with my second child. Got pregnant within 2 months of removing it. I am going back on it after this one's birth for sure.
I have not tried the other birth control you mentioned.
Good Luck.

Here is my answer to another Mirena question posted a while back:

The Mirena - Love it, love it, love it! I am on my second one (they last five years, I have have used them now for 7 years) - I am 42 years old. There was a little cramping each time it was inserted, nothing too bad. I spotted for about 2-4 months after the first one and I have not had a period since. I do not have any of the monthly symptoms like bloating, cramping, headaches etc. I know some women have had issues with theirs, but no birth control works for everyone. Schedule a consultation w/ your GYN and discuss all of your options. Research all of the options you want to explore and have questions for your GYN. My GYN highly encouraged me to try the Mirena b/c she felt it was the right fit for me. It does have hormones, so if you are sensitive or have reactions to hormonal therapy, it may not be for you. Your doctor must be experienced with the Mirena - it is not a traditional IUD. Placement is critical and someone not familiar w/ it can place it wrong. It is larger than a traditional IUD which is why it is only for women who have had children. You may have to get the strings trimmed so they don't interfere w/ sex (my husband could feel them until they were trimmed). I did not gain weight or lose my sex drive. Every BC will have some side effects, you just have to find the one that works for you.

I hope this helps...

I have a paraguard and haven't had any issues with it. However, if you had bad cramping with it, it could be that your body just doesn't like the IUD, no matter what kind it might be. You might talk with your doctor about that.

I had Mirena and would not recommend it to my worst enemy. It did not stop my period. I had "breakthrough" bleeding which occurred at random times and then would also get a period randomly. I gained 50 (yes 50) pounds even though I had a healthy diet and exercise regime. I looked and felt pregnant. I was moody. My teeth went to hell (I had never had so much as a cavity prior to Mirena). I had frequent headaches. And I was just generally miserable. Also, my husband got poked by the IUD pretty much every time we had sex. I know some women love Mirena but for me it caused nothing but trouble.

I have Mirena and loved it at first but now kind of want it out. (I have had it for 7 months). I lost all of my baby weight by 8 months (but was working out with a high intensity program 3 days/week) and have a tiny bit of spotting at regular times but nothing that requires more than a liner. However, I have absolutely NO sex drive anymore. (My poor hubby!!!). In addition, for a few months there I felt like I was on such an emotional roller coaster and thought I was going insane. I am keeping in mind that nursing and a new baby can also trigger loss of sex drive and emotional instability but I think Mirena made it worse! I am now trying to talk my husband into getting snipped so I can end putting hormones into my body FOREVER! I am much better emotionally now than before but still have no sex drive.

I had the Mirena for 1.5 years and the whole time I was convinced it was the reason behind my headaches and body pains. My doctor (whom I actually really like and trust) did not think the Mirena was the cause of it and urged me to stick it out. I tried other things to get rid of the headaches/pains and finally after a year and a half I had it removed and low and behold my mysterious symptoms disappeared. I don't have any experience with the Paraguard, but I personally, would not use the Mirena. Good luck!