June 2009 Weddings
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
**Shag and Choo**
I figured I should probably start a new thread for this conversation. Can we talk IUD for a minute? My mom keeps telling me that I should get one, but I'm not really sure about it. I haven't done a lot of research on it because I've never really considered it, but this conversation makes me curious. I've been on bc since I was 18 (I'm 26 now), and just got off last month because my libido has been HORRIBLE. Now we're just using condoms, but they suck so bad (I'm allergic to latex, so we don't have a lot of options in the condom department). I can't imagine using condoms for the rest of my child-bearing years, but I don't like any form of birth control that I've tried to date.
Re: **Shag and Choo**
Welcome to the club. I technically cannot be on the pill due to a suspected blood clotting condition, but my doctor allowed me to stay on a low-dose version (I had to sign a consent) because I was so terrified of getting pregnant. The pill killed my libido and could have killed me (IF a big enough clot formed) and post-wedding I was ready to say PEACE OUT PILL.
Along came the idea of the IUD. I did a shitton of research and then went to my doctor. She agreed immediately. If you want to know the gory details (they're really not so gory), I'll tell you how it went. If you can handle my story, I say go for it!
I survived the RoLex wedding and all I got was this lousy husband.
One&Only Palmilla - Los Cabos, Mexico
Are they hormonal at all? I don't want anything hormonal. Artificial hormones and me do not mix well, I just sucked it up for fear of being with child. I'll never go back to anything hormonal if I can help it.
I don't mind gore or pain. Don't get me wrong, I'm not some freak who enjoys it, but it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me.
I like playing with fire, C, you know that. I went off BC about 6 years ago and have been having unprotected, pull-out-before-he-finishes sex for that entire time. Stupid? Yes, probably. Could I have gotten pregnant a million times over? Yes? Did I? Nope!
Anyway, I should have probably done more research than I did, but I did do quite a bit. I never really had THAT many problems while on BC Pills (other than the fact that I got pissed off very easily.(that might have had nothing to do with the BCP). So I automatically figured an IUD wouldn't be much different in the hormones department.
I got it in last Monday. To insert it, they first stick a tube about the girth of a straw unto your cervix to measure it and to see how high they have to stick the IUD in to stick. That part was pretty unfomfy. I just took a deep breath and it was over before I knew it. Then they prepare the IUD for insertion. That part was a lot more painful, but not unbearable. I was really crampy on Monday night after getting it done, most of the day on Tuesday, and in the morning on Wednesday. Paul and I got busy on Wednesday night.
For the past week I've had random lower abdominal cramps which go away quickly (kind of feels like I need to go to the bathroom).
As for side effects, I think everyone says the most common one is getting acne, and gaining weight. There are other horrible things that can happen, but horrible things can also happen with normal pills so I am not too concerned.
This is the story of the Copper Choo... (epic poem length)
The old-skool copper IUDs have zero hormones, and that is the one I have. The Mirena (the "a lot can happen in 5 years" commercials) has a low-dose hormone I believe, but they usually only give those to women who have already had a child. So, I'll give it to you straight. Hopefully Shag had a better experience than me and can reassure you that my uterus is just a freak of nature...
I first tried to get it inserted in August. When I went in for the appointment, my doctor measured my uterus and said it was "baby sized," meaning it would be incredibly painful to insert and IUD, and it might not even work. Her solution? Go off the pill for a month (it shrinks your internal ladybits) and we'll measure again. Ok. Celibacy for a month. Awesome. So I went back in September and she measured again, and, as predicted, my uterus had grown-- a smidge. Read: just enough to try, but it was going to hurt like a motherFer. I was so fed up with the pill I told her to go for it.
The insertion (I don't know why, but that word seems really gross right now) wasn't horrible-- it felt like a very strong menstrual cramp, but it faded very quickly, and I left the office in relatively little pain. Basically I thought I dodged a bullet. Fast forward an hour later--- BAM. Doubled over in pain. It felt like a combination of severe cramps and knife digging into my ute in two places. I was a mess. I stopped everything that I was doing and crawled (crying) into bed with a heating pad-- for a week. The pain rarely subsided despite taking narcotics. I talked to my doctor every day and she even made a house visit (granted, she is a very good friend) to check on me. She basically gave me three options/outcomes:
Awesome options, right? I decided to stick it out because if it wasn't going to work, I wanted to know I had done everything in my power for it to work. That month of my life was terrible. I was in bed whenever possible. I could not sit straight up because the pain in my ute shot down to my virginia (pleasant stuff, right?). The cramps came and went, but the feeling of two knives in my stomach (presumably from the T shape) never got better. I still had to try to be a member of society (dinners, bachelorette parties, work, travel etc), but it was not easy. I did a lot of laughing-so-I-wouldn't-cry during this time. Thankfully, Alex was very supportive. He let me lash out at him and blame him endlessly for my pain with no complaints. He's a keeper.
Last part of the test was the dreaded AF. It was much heavier than my normal ones (tmi- but I bled through super tampons every 2-4hrs) and the cramps were relentless, but I made it through. I was terrified of going to my follow up appointment for fear of hearing that my beloved AF had forced the IUD out of my stupid ute. Thankfully, this was not the case (PHEW). The week after my AF, things took a 180 and I woke up one morning with minimal discomfort and it kept subsiding.
I still have twinges of pain, but they are more and more rare these days. Thinking about this whole process has brought me to the conclusion that I am a masochist because like I said, I would 100% go through it again to feel how I feel today.
Cliffnotes: My uterus is a total C U Next Tuesday and getting an IUD inserted was hellacious. Most people do not have this problem. I still highly recommend asking your doctor about it, especially if you have a "normal" sized uterus and you abhor the BCP. My IUD and I are now BFF. My ute and I are frenemies.
The end.
I survived the RoLex wedding and all I got was this lousy husband.
One&Only Palmilla - Los Cabos, Mexico
I'll add that part of the reason why I got a Mirena and not the Copper one is because Mirena pretty much guarentees that you have a lighter more manageable period. With the copper your periods and cramping are usually worse. Choo, if you can imagine, a super heavy tampon every 2-4 hours is my normal period accompanies by fetal position cramping on a monthly basis for at least 4 days. The other 3-4 days of my period are usually kind of light.
The Mirena has a really low hormone level, lower than almost all pills on the market (don't quote me 100% on that, but I am pretty sure it's correct).
Interesting.
My second AF with the copper was better than my pre-IUD AFs. My BCP AFs sound similar to yours (fetal position induced cramps), but they were never heavy. My last period was the best I've had in years - minimal cramps and flow. I think I've paid my dues to the IUD gods and now they're being nice to me?!
I survived the RoLex wedding and all I got was this lousy husband.
One&Only Palmilla - Los Cabos, Mexico
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, but your 'outer' size isn't necessarily an indicator of your 'inner' ladybits. I'm reasonably tall (5'7), but pretty thin, but according to my doctor, my ute was one of the teeniest she has ever seen. Working in an ob/gyn office for years I've seen the size discordance over an over (i.e. a "bigger" girl with a tiny ute and vice versa).
As for the pain associated with copper, I've never heard that before. Maybe they're bigger? ::runs off to research::
I survived the RoLex wedding and all I got was this lousy husband.
One&Only Palmilla - Los Cabos, Mexico
That was me that said something about the copper being more painful than the Mirena. I am not sure why, but I've heard that before. I think maybe the fact that it is copper and not plastic has a little to do with it. Not sure exactly if the shape is any different. I didn't do much research on the copper one only because my doc immediately told me if I am looking for a shorter/ligher period with less cramps he would never recommend the copper. Right there I stopped even considering that one.
Can I butt in too?
I was seriously considering getting the IUD after my second baby was born. The pill has also turned me from a superfreak into a nun (not in a good way). And I miss my old self.
Mirena looked like a good choice. Then my best friend who is a Nurse Practitioner and previously RAVED about her IUD, told me she suspected it was the culprit for her 'fibrous breasts', which she never had before getting the IUD and had to get a series of mamograms to check. I was speaking with my MIL and she swears up and down that her IUD was the cause ofher ?uterine cancer and subsequent hysterectomy, so I am extremely scared to get it because of these reasons. Did you come across anything else in your research that would make me change my mind and get it?
On another note: Choo, how will a tiny uterus affect your child bearing abilities, if at all??
I mean, the technology in the IUD has changed immensely since their intro to the market 30+ years ago. The only scary thing I found in my research (and subsequent discussions with the doctor) is perforation of the uterus, but it has such low statistics that I didn't think twice about it. It was literally more dangerous for me to be on hormonal bcp than any of the risks associated with the IUD.
As for the fibrous breasts, many hormones can cause this condition. My friend has breast cysts and fibroids on the BCP before she went off. The Mirena has a low-dose of hormones, so I guess it could have similar effects. As for the uterine cancer, I've never read any data to support the claim (not saying it doesn't exist, I've just never read it). In fact, the only research I've read says that BCPs and progesterone IUDs (like Mirena) actually lower the risk of endometrial cancer (uterine cancer).
As for my tiny ute, the jury is out. My mum had 5 kids with zero complications, so fingers crossed. I just hope it means I have little babies that are easy to push out!
I survived the RoLex wedding and all I got was this lousy husband.
One&Only Palmilla - Los Cabos, Mexico
I'm with Choo on this one. The worst thing I've read about (that had nothing to do with the hormones themselves) was preforation of the uterine wall, which the only way to fix is by getting surgery.
Side effects on the hormones is a different story. Hormones effect everyone differently. Some people gain weight, some people lose sex drive, some people get acne, some people's acne clears up, and for some people nothing happens at all. Since you've been on BCP before, angel, you know how hormones effect you. It's different for everyone. One thing I would not suggest is getting an IUD as the first birth control method you've ever used. Mirena has a lower dose of hormones than I think any BCP you can get, so if you're life was tolerable on BCPs then you should be fine as far as hormones go with Mirena.
The one thing I am worried about is gaining weight. I could afford to lose a decent amount of weight and the thought of putting on another 10lbs freaks the eff out of me, because it's that much more that I am going to have to work to take off. Also, I worry about the bewbs thing. I had a breast reduction about 2.5 years ago and went from probably F's to small D cups. If my bewbs start growing again I will cry / die whatever. I already have very fibrous breasts, so that part won't phase me, it's the size getting larger that I cannot afford to have happen.
hmmm, it may be worth looking into again then--thanks for the info. I hate pills and hormones and putting anything synthetic into my body really. But after having 2 babies in 16 months, I am BEYOND terrified of getting pregnant again. Like, you would probably have to go ahead and get the straightjacket out for me at that point.
My mom said people have been putting copper into their uteri for AGES in order to prevent pregnancy. She said a lot of wedding rings used to be copper and they would use that as ad IUD. Interesting huh?
I am sure you will be fine pushing babies out
Just wondered if it would be a factor at all.?