IUD Vs. the Pill

Hi Alecia,
I had an IUD for a short while. I had problems and have heard of others. Mune caused unreal cramos and I have heard of those whose IUD caused ir should I say allowed an infection which traveled up the tail to the top of the uterus and then into the fallopian tubes.
You should also be aware that it actually causes an abortion. I don't know if you would be upset by that but many who choose birth control would be. We are not told that & I think that it is someting that all have the right to know before they make their decision.

S.

A.,

I have the Merina IUD. I can no longer take birth control pills.

Pros- you don't have to think about taking a pill & missing it. My periods are a lot lighter.

Cons- My PMS is worse. My breasts get so sore I can barely wear a bra or a shirt.

Initinally the string was too long & poked. Then my husband complained that he was hitting something during intercourse (that has since ceased)

I had it inserted after the delivery & my daughter (first & will be only). No pain or cramping.

I had girlfriend who had it- she had one daughter who was about 14 when she had it placed. She said it hurt when it was inserted & she developed an ectopic pregnancy & then had her tubes tied.

For the first time ever in my 41 years, I can say I'm happy with my birth control....the Mirena IUD- I took the pill 3 different times, never more than 2 years each time(to many issues!) I also tried the sponge(liked, but can't find anymore), and the Nuvaring(I liked it for about 3 monthes before I started having the same issues as with the pills)This time, no mood swings, no missing pills then doubling up (then the inevitable sickness!)I've had it 16 monthes so far and I have to say I its great....it will be uncomfortable getting it inserted-but hey, if you've had a baby....it can't be anymore uncomfortable than that right? So I give it a big 2 thumbs up!!! Good Luck!

Everybody is different so every case will not be the same. This is a great way of birth control if you don't plan on having more kids. I read all the responses and if I were to want to have more kids I probably wouldn't have gotten it done after reading all this, just because I would be afraid that something would go wrong when trying to have another child. I'm 30 years old, work full time and have 3 kids (6, 2, and 5 months). My husband and I wanted to have them while we were young since now is when we have all the energy to run after them, LOL. Three kids is a big handful for me, so I don't plan on having any more, that is why I got the IUD, Mirena a couple of months ago (the Paraguard seemed to have more side affects and risks). I had tried the pill and could never remember to take it, and also tried the patch which was great at first but then my skin started getting irritated by it. My third was not planned, but I am so happy we have her, but I couldn't take any chances in getting pregnant again. I've had 4 C-sections, our first son died after 2 weeks of age due to a heart defect that was never detected during pregnancy, so I had an issue about getting my tubes tied or any other operation that would prevent me from having more kids, I did not want that taken away from me, the chance of not being able to have more kids because you never know what could happen. This is why I decided to get the Mirena because it is as affective as getting your tubes tied but it still gives you the chance to have more kids if you ever want to. It hurts when being inserted, but no pain can ever be compared to a C-section, and I had discomfort the rest of the day but after that I was back to normal. I was breastfeeding at the time so I hadn't really gotten my periods yet, but after I got the IUD I started spotting on and off but for only about a month, and I haven't gotten my period at all even after I stopped breastfeeding, so I love it. Good luck with your decision, hope this helps...

A.,
I have had the Marina IUD for a little over a year and love it. A little pain on insertion and my hubby never complained about any pain/poking during intercourse. I had a light period for the first 2-3 months to the point that I did not even know I had it unless I sent to the bathroom. I haven't had a real period since insertion. I have not had any other pain or side affects since then. I have one child a 6 yr old girl and going to be the only one. I wish you luck with your decision and talk to your doctor about all your options and what is best for you! GOOD LUCK!!

I have the paraguard IUD without hormones and haven't had any problems. I was breast feeding so I didn't want the hormones of the other IUD. My periods are a little longer than when I was on the pill which was 2-3 days. I had a nurse practioner put it in, they have to dialate you, and I have had no problems.

I use the Mirena as well. I had it implanted in October. I love it. I spotted for two months, but worth it. This devise was highly recommended by my doctor. Plus, I only had to pay a $25 copay, as I would a prescription!

Hi. I am a RN with two little girls too. I just had the mirena IUD placed and I love it. I will be honest...they said it only causes cramping during insertion...well, I need a block b/c it was so painful. I am one that can handle pain too. My firstborn was natural childbirth. All 24 hours of her. So, I thought it would be a breeze. Just be prepared that it might hurt a little more than they tell you. I have break through bleeding occassionally but it beats having a full blown period every month. All in all, I feel it is safer and supposedly more effective than the pill. Good luck in your decision!!

I was just thinking about this as well. I had the Mirena IUD after the birth of my first child and it was the best. My periods were like clockwork, very predictable, and only 2-3 days of very light bleeding. Insertion was easy and I never really had to think about it much after that. I had it removed after 3 years to try for another baby, and got pregnant 2 months later. I believe it is only recommended for women who have already had a child (to make insertion easier) and who are in a monogamous relationship (because it doesn't protect at all against STD's), so it seems that you might be a good candidate for it. It is possible that the doctor can mistakenly puncture the uterus during insertion. I think that is quite rare, but not impossible, so you could inquire about your doctor's success rate. I do remember wondering on occasion if the Mirena lowered my libido, but now I think it was just having a small baby to care for (lol). I was thinking that I would convince my hubby to get a vasectomy now that we are in our 40's and I don't want any more children, but he won't. And frankly, now that I'm done breastfeeding and having periods again, I hate it! They are heavier and not as predictable. So I think I'm going to get the Mirena again. The pill is a daily nusance to remember and it is a lot more expensive over time. It is crazy that my insurance (I just checked) will cover drugs (the pill), but nothing "injected or inserted" (depo or IUD). How annoying. But I still think it's worth it to just pay out of pocket for the convenience and peace of mind. IUD's got a bad rap many years ago, but that was for some metal kind that I don't think even exist anymore. Good luck with your decision.

It sounds like it is different for everyone. To the reader who is suffering a miscarriage, I am so sorry for your loss.

After suffering infertility for 5 yrs I can say that you never know what can cause infertility. Your body changes so much and what worked (naturally) for you years ago may not be the situation today. There are many woman who endure secondary infertility (where the first child was no problem to concieve but the second child requires assistance) and they do not have the IUD placed.

I had my IUD placed 6 weeks after my twins were born. We do not want anymore children. It was painful but I did take some motrin before going and I think that helped some. They used an ultrasound machine to place it after a few minutes of not being able to place it correctly. I blame that on my uterus being severely stretched from my twins.

I had one period and only spotted for a little bit after it was placed but I was spotting on and off since birth so I am not sure it was all from the IUD.

I hear many women get pregnant on the pill and I am bad about taking it everyday so that is why I opted for this. I do hear the copper IUD is the one that causes the problems so I had the plastic one placed.

I do wish you luck in whatever you decide.

I felt I must write because we are suffering from a miscarriage this morning. I had the Mirena IUD placed just 2 months after my first son was born. He was a surprise and my most surreal moment came during the c-section (he was breech) when the surgeon exclaimed "your tubes and ovaries are quite beautiful and perfect!" Just how do you respond to that while you're lying there? Anyways, I was breastfeeding him and still got my period, so another OB at the office suggested the Mirena IUD. I balked at first, yet she basically quoted the commercial, saying there's no risk and once I had it out I could get pregnant by the next month. I had it installed, bleed for months (about 5) and then had about 18 months without periods at all, which I thought was great. Then we decided to try for a sibling for our son. They couldn't get the IUD out in the office after 2 very painful tries. Then I had to have it surgically removed, which cost a huge sum of money. Now 17 months later, after 5 months of infertility treatment, we are faced with a "chemical pregnancy" which is basically an early miscarriage because I cannot seem to stay pregnant. I have to assume since it was so easy to get pregnant with my first son (only took 5 weeks of trying) that this IUD had something to do with it. Once I first had it removed, I fully intended to have it put back after our second and last child was born. Now 17 months of agony later, I realize after reading many, many online comments about the IUD problems, I fully regret ever having it placed at all. I have no idea if you plan to have more children, and I know of a few people who had children after IUD, yet had many months w/o success first, so I don't know if this is what you want. But, if you plan to ever have children again, please know that this is a serious risk I do not feel they fully warn you about well. It is in the documentation, but hidden quite well with lots of "rare" and "unlikely" mixed in to make you feel so much better about it. The risks are great, and if you're one of the lucky ones it works for and doesn't have any problems, you simply won't know until you try, and I sure wish I hadn't. Good Luck!

I have had the Mirena IUD for 4 years now. Dec 09 will be my five years. I actually found this video on it YESTERDAY, oddly enough. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvbedSQml-c

I have had no issues, and haven't had a period in about 3 1/2 years. It have had no problems locating the string (lol something you have to do monthly) and when researching it, the IUD is so much cheaper than monthly birth control, and has a higher effectiveness rate, as there is almost no chance for human error. Also, even if you have insurance, Planned Parenthood has (well 4 years ago they had) a program to help you pay for it if you could not. The way I understood it then, if you hadn't met your deductible you had to pay full price thru insurance (which then was $500). However, if you consider the pill is around $20 a month (or it was 4 years ago, with my insurance), for 5 years that's $1,200. So I saved money, lol. Also, I only paid $75 for it at Planned Parenthood. It was also easy to have 'installed', took less than 10 minutes, and that included the office wait.

Hope this rambling helped. Message me if you have any more questions!