[turbojenn]

Emila - I think in general your cycle can make you fatigued - I know there's always one day mid cycle, where I want a nap more than anything...but nothing to do with the IUD.

I'm 7 months post-insertion...and now 3 weeks late for my period - EEEeeeek! I'm freaking out just a tad, but hoping this is just the adjustment to the last lingering hormonal BD residue leaving my bod. Anybody else experienced longer times between cycles post-IUD? I was on BCPs for 17 years, so it makes sense that it might take my bod a little time to learn to regulate on its own.

[emilaweasel]

There wouldn't be any physical reason for the copper t to make you feel irritable or pms-y. The cramps happen because you have a foreign object in your uterus, and the copper is meant to be irritating (its part of how it prevents pregnacy, since your uterus won't implant an egg when it's that irritated) and it's not specifically related to your menstrual cycle. But I know when I feel crampy, that in itself is enough to make me really grumpy.

That makes sense. I thought, "how convenient if I can attribute my shitty mood to my IUD!" But alas, there are no quick fixes for these things sometimes. I'm feeling a bit better now anyhow, which is good! Cramps are a major major downer. How abotu fatigue? Any correlation to anyones knowledge?

[angie_21]

I konw that the no hormone bc is not supposed to fuck with your moods as much, but I wonder if it can give me cramps at random times of the month if that can't somehow translate into other symptoms of PMS.

There wouldn't be any physical reason for the copper t to make you feel irritable or pms-y. The cramps happen because you have a foreign object in your uterus, and the copper is meant to be irritating (its part of how it prevents pregnacy, since your uterus won't implant an egg when it's that irritated) and it's not specifically related to your menstrual cycle. But I know when I feel crampy, that in itself is enough to make me really grumpy.

[anonymoose96]

Thank you for the advice. I talked to my planned parenthood doctor and have an appointment for November to get Mirena insert it. I'm nervous but I think the long term benefits will outweigh the pain of the first month or two.

[emilaweasel]

Hey all, I just found this forum last night. I have had a Para Guard copper IUD for 3 months now. I have never been pregnant. I had bad, bad experiences with hormonal birth control a.k.a. the horrible emotional PMS 24/7 anxiety monster that some ladies have been describing. So I opted for the copper IUD and for the most part have been really happy-- I absolutely love that I can have sex with no preparation, no worries and no fucking condoms!! Lately though I have been having cramps throughout the month, which I was pretty much told to expect, but also intense achey joint pain in my hips. I'm 19 and I don't have any history of this pain.

Also, I am wondering if anyone else who is using the copper IUD has experienced PMSy emotional instability increasing after insertion. I konw that the no hormone bc is not supposed to fuck with your moods as much, but I wonder if it can give me cramps at random times of the month if that can't somehow translate into other symptoms of PMS. I've had a lot going on lately, and it's entirely possible that this is just the stress of my outside life playing on my body, but I thought I'd send out a call and see if I got any responses. Thanks!

[zoya]

anonymoose - I have a copper T, never been pregnant. I had it inserted in January of this year (so I've had it in 8 months) No problems with it at all. Yes, it increased flow and cramping, but that's getting less and less every month. Especially the cramping. My flow is still pretty heavy compared to how it used to be (I used to have super light periods) but the cramping is much reduced from the first couple months. (not going to lie, the cramping was pretty yucky the first couple months) hope that helps.

[dayglowpink]

I have been pregnant twice and had abortions both times. The nurse practitioner who inserted my IUD said that possibly could have made the insertion slightly easier, but it probably wouldn't have a huge effect. I've had mine for about 3 years, and I've never had any problems. Well, I take that back, my boyfriend would complain sometimes that he could feel the strings. When I went for a checkup with my gyn, she mentioned that the ends of the strings had tied themselves in a knot. That was probably what he was feeling. She snipped the knot off, and I don't think it's been a problem since.

[sanshigirl]

Hello again everyone!

I'm just checking in to give an update on my experience. I missed a period in July and it was so nice and freeing but that didn't last as it came back this month with a slight vengeance as the spotting continued for longer than my normal period. However, no bad cramps or fever so I haven't gone to the doctor. But I haven't had my follow-up yet so I need to go for that but my doctor didn't give me a certain date to do that by and I've been busy. The strings are still there so I feel no need to worry.

I have never been pregnant if that helps you anonymoose96 but I was just informed by the bf that he wants us to plan on having a baby sooner than in 5 years so I'll prob be taking my Mirena out in 3 years or so. I had pretty mild cramps before the Mirena so the cramps i got after insertion were uncomfortable on my pain scale but not intolerable.

My biggest worry is that because I've never been pregnant that my uterus will reject the IUD and "spit" it out. I've even had dreams about it. I just hit the 3 month mark where another poster said her's was expelled which has increased my worries. I'll try to update after I go to the doc/finish month 4.

[mumblestutter]

hey moose! i understand your dilemma. it took me alot of reading to feel confident i was informed enough to make a decision about getting my iud. i have to second dayglow - this thread is tremendously helpful. i also spent alot of time lurking around on livejournal. they have a very useful community at http://community.livejournal.com/iud_divas.

as you noted there are a couple of major flaws with both communities - often it's impossible to figure out a woman's age & whether or not she's ever been pregnant from the posting alone. also, there's the "word of mouth" problem. when people are unhappy about something (be it their iud or service at a local restaurant) they're going to talk about it ALOT more. many, MANY posts on the topic are scary, written by women who are worried that something is going wrong. it's really easy to be overwhelmed reading posts by people who have had uncomfortable or unhappy experiences. also, there are very few long term updates.

personally, i've never been pregnant, have had my copper iud for almost exactly 2 years now & am totally happy with it. i don't feel the need to talk about it much, but i do encourage friends who are curious or mention not pleased with their form of birth control to look into iuds.

[anonymoose96]

anonymoose96- I would suggest you read through the whole thread. There are lots of posts that relate to the questions you are asking. I have the copper IUD and love it. I haven't heard anything about the Mirena affecting sex drive. The hormones are at a very low dose, so I think it would be unlikely, but I guess it would depend on the person. If you had a tendency to get very bad cramps, the Mirena might be a better choice for you. But read through the thread and see what you think.

I did browse several pages but found that often no one specified if they were nulliparous or what type of IUD they had. I was just hoping for situation specific advice.

[dayglowpink]

anonymoose96- I would suggest you read through the whole thread. There are lots of posts that relate to the questions you are asking. I have the copper IUD and love it. I haven't heard anything about the Mirena affecting sex drive. The hormones are at a very low dose, so I think it would be unlikely, but I guess it would depend on the person. If you had a tendency to get very bad cramps, the Mirena might be a better choice for you. But read through the thread and see what you think.

[anonymoose96]

I am considering a IUD because I'm tired of the pill killing my sex drive. Unfortunately prior to hormonal birth control I was very prone to cramps of doom that left me curled up in a ball trying not to vomit for at least 2 days each month. I'm kind of afraid of trying the copper IUD for that reason because I have heard that it increases cramping and bleeding. However, I'm also concerned that the Mirena IUD may still affect my sex drive since it does contain hormones, although a smaller amount. Also, I have never had children so that puts me at higher risk for expulsion.

Has anyone here been in one or all of these positions (which ones)? If so, what was your experience with the IUD, what kind did you get, etc?

Thanks in advance!!!!

[miss-e]

I've had a Mirena for (exactly!) 2 years... I'm one of the lucky ones who had very little pain/discomfort during insertion. The doctor who inserted it was amazing...I went to a nearby university clinic where new doctors are starting to practice, so a couple of other new (female!) doctors were observing.
I felt a bit crampy and bloated for a few days afterwards, it never was as bad as a full-on PMS attack though. The best thing is that I ended up with no periods at all (just occasional spotting!)
I was a bit worried about the hormones as the pill had caused weight gain & loss of sex drive, luckily this didn't happen with the Mirena (either due to different hormones, or a much smaller amount of them)
Some things that might be better with the copper IUD would be: lower price, no hormones, and a longer life span (of the IUD that is!)
My mom was a bit concerned as she remembers the horrors of the Dalkon Shield in the '70s... but then again even the pill was pretty dangerous then, the hormone levels in it were insanely high! It's like a whole generation of women were birth control guinea pigs (lab mice/rats?)

[turbojenn]

Tainted - Zoya's right - read back a few pages for our fitting experiences...I'll say that while getting it inserted wasn't fun, it beats the hell out of the ups & downs of taking BC. You shouldn't have any weight gain with a copper IUD. I'm on month 7 with my IUD, and while I've had much more intense cramping and longer cycles with the IUD, things are getting a bit better each month, and I'm down to about 2 days where I need to take meds for cramping, and I expect in a few months, things will level out. Sexually, all has been well with the IUD, better than well, actually, since I no longer need to worry about forgetting to take the pill.

[zoya]

hi Taintedvampyre -

read back through the archives of this thread, myself and a few others have given detailed accounts of our experiences getting fitted with an IUD. most of us wrote them really soon after we'd been fitted, so they're definitely first hand accounts, rather than something we vaguely remember now.

I still get some cramping with my periods, but after 6 months of having it in, it's getting less and less every month.

if you don't have an IUD that has hormones, I don't see why you'd gain weight with one, I dont' know anyone who has.

hope this helps

[Taintedvampyre]

Please pardon my "noob-ish" questions.
I've considered getting an IUD, I just have a few questions.
If anybody can help me out, that would be great!
Had anybody experienced any kind of weight gain while with their IUD? That would be my concern, next to winding up getting pregnant.
Thank you for these reviews, as much as I'm worried about what the crampings are going to feel like, I just don't want the hassle of having to constantly deal with my birth control.
Has anybody known somebody to get pregnant even when they had an IUD?
People talk about 'fittings', how does this procedure go?


(I haven't talked to my nurse yet about this, I'm just hoping for a heads up on what to expect before I ask her most of the same questions)

[Persiflager]

Hi bright_eyes!

My boyfriend can feel the strings slightly if we have sex during my period (as that's when the cervix is lowest), but I don't think it's possible for the IUD to be knocked out of place. I felt well enough to attempt intercourse about a week after I had it fitted, and I did find deep penetration uncomfortable (induced cramping). We avoided doggy-style for a few weeks and stuck to me being on top so that I could control depth. About a month after I'd had it fitted, everything was fine.

Good luck!

[bright_eyes]

Hello all!

Im new to this forum but so very glad ive found this thread! Ive been toying with the idea of getting an IUD and decided to go for the plunge as BC pills turn me in to something resembling the gruffalo on a bad day. Tomorrow is the big day! eeeeek!

I have many curiosities about having intercourse with the coil, im worried the BF will feel it or knock it out of place. We do get a little adventurous and some times rough. Im also concerned ill be put off naughties forever and when I finally succumb to advances it will hurt like hell.

Can anyone be so kind as to put my mind at rest?

Thanx

xxx

[sanshigirl]

My period is about to start soon so I did feel a bit of a sharp pain the other day while getting out of bed but still I think I'm a bit lucky as it hasn't been intolerable.

I'm just still scared that it's gonna somehow fall out because so far things are going a bit too well.

Thanks again for the info y'all!

[humanist77]

sanshi, i freaked out too after I got my copper T, because I couldn't feel the strings at first. I'm pretty sure that was only because my cervix and surrounding tissues were really swollen for a few days after the procedure, so the strings just got lost in there. But after a week or so, it went down and I found them easily.

It's easiest to find them right before, during or after your period, when your cervix is at its lowest. Otherwise, bear down (like you're taking a dump) so your cervix is pushed downwards. good luck!

Mine has been pretty good lately-it'll be 2 years in June. My cramps are manageable and I think the amount of blood each month has leveled off. Still a lot more than before I had an IUD, but not nearly as much as the beginning. This has by far been the best form of BC I've ever had. As long as things keep going smoothly, I'll definitely keep mine in until I can get health insurance for Essure.