ive been thinking bout getting one instead of taking birth control but ive heard mixed reviews. Anyone have expericence with one, good, bad, whatever?

12/4/2007 11:14:07 AM

I think Ambrosia does.

12/4/2007 11:39:40 AM

I think that she does too.

I know that they recommend them for a lot of women who have had children, but don't want to get pregnant again for a few years. The new IUDs are supposed to be better than the older ones. The older ones use to be known to cause more female issues.

12/4/2007 11:51:45 AM

yes, she does--jesus, why do i have to be the one to know these things...

12/4/2007 12:02:46 PM

I have the Mirena IUD and know alot about them.

what exactly do you want to know?

They are extremely ideal for women in a longterm monogamous relationship because the strings do allow STDs to travel into the uterus which can lead to PID (pelvic inflammatory disease) which is linked to infertility.

I LOVE my IUD. its great. I have the one that has progesterone so my periods are alot lighter to non-exsistant which is great, and I never have to worry about a back up because the effective rate is the same as a tubal ligation though its not permenant.

The Mirena lasts for 5 years, though you can get a copper one that lasts for 10 years. Some women experience heavier bleeding on a copper one which is one of the reasons why I did not want that one.

I have also never been pregnant.

[Edited on December 4, 2007 at 12:24 PM. Reason : ..]

12/4/2007 12:23:31 PM

have you tried the nuvaring?

12/4/2007 12:40:38 PM

Nuvaring ftw.

12/4/2007 12:48:22 PM

nuvaring /= IUD

plus, i hated it.

12/4/2007 1:55:32 PM

nuvaring made me moodier. I like seasonal.

12/4/2007 2:04:27 PM

My wife has Mirena. She had previously been on the patch, which made her MUCH moodier and made her gain some weight. This new thing is perfect though. Pop it in and forget about it for 5 years. And this from a couple got pregnant with one kid using condoms and another 2 days after taking off her patch! If this shit doesn't work and we have #3, both of us are getting fixed.

12/4/2007 2:48:27 PM

I had a Copper-T IUD (no hormones) put in about 2 years after I was married. I have never had kids, so the doctor was skeptical about putting it in, and I should have listened. It was the most painful experience in my life, and I have endometriosis, so I know what pelvic pain is like. The cramps were so unbearable that I tried to sleep the whole time I had it. I took Ponstel (a prescription NSAID for pelvic pain) every 4-6 hrs as said, but it didnt even touch the pain. I ended up in the ER 24 hrs after I had it put in because my uterus had swollen up to like 3 times the size it was supposed to be and the IUD ripped my insides apart - I had to have surgery to take the scar tissue out after that, and ever since then, its been extremely painful during my period (more than it was before). If you havent had a child, DONT GET IT. Its not made for people who havent had kids, and thats why it doesnt fit as well in them and why they have problems. Just be careful.

12/4/2007 3:59:41 PM

whatever works


raw dog FTW!

[Edited on December 4, 2007 at 4:01 PM. Reason : j/k]

12/4/2007 4:00:51 PM

lol classin' it up greg!

12/4/2007 4:09:48 PM

just sayin

12/4/2007 4:16:22 PM

^^^ thats pretty much what im worried about. I already have slight endometriosis and my mother had it badly before she had to get her uterus removed. So there is already some predisposition for female problems in the family.

I dont have kids but i would like to in about 5 years (given being married or just having a compentent partner whatever). Im on the nuva-ring now and i do really like it but its expensive ($50 a month) and i get chronic sinus infections, so im on antibiotic treatment ~ 4 times a year. Birth control is effected by antibiotics and that is the primarly the reason i want the IUD (becuase it is effective at preventing pregnancy regardless of medications). Im uber freaked out about getting pregnant after ive been givin medicine for an infection but im not really into the whole irregular bleeding and ovarian scaring thing.

12/4/2007 4:20:42 PM

I do.

I love it, and intend to use it as BC as long as it's an option.

The hardest part was finding a dr willing to give it to me. Just as I was going to begin lying, and requesting it as an emergency contraceptive, I found a dr. (one @ Wilkerson OB-GYN, in case you have no luck) willing to give it to me. I went in, was sounded, and came back on my next cycle <3


+1 to Unipride's post. All of it.

Quote :

"If you havent had a child, DONT GET IT. Its not made for people who havent had kids, and thats why it doesnt fit as well in them and why they have problems. Just be careful."

That's some really horrid advice. Nulliparous != bad candidate for an IUD. Yes, there's a reason drs don't like giving them to nulliparous women, but that doesn't mean it's a bad idea, for every. single. woman. Which is what you have tried to make it sound.

Quote :

"I already have slight endometriosis and my mother had it badly before she had to get her uterus removed. So there is already some predisposition for female problems in the family."

I would raise these concerns in the same breath that you ask for the IUD. There may be additional assessments required to determine your capability to have an IUD. You do have some good reasons for wanting one, which work in your favor.

12/4/2007 4:53:04 PM

Quote :

" Im uber freaked out about getting pregnant after ive been givin medicine for an infection "

simple solution: just don't have sex while you're taking your antibiotics.

12/4/2007 9:45:54 PM

it makes your BC ineffective for your whole cycle.

12/4/2007 9:55:59 PM

^truth

[Edited on December 4, 2007 at 9:58 PM. Reason : beat to the punch]

12/4/2007 9:57:42 PM

thats why im looking at the IUD in the first place. My BC is $50 a month but i usually get a sinus infection ever 4 months so i end up taking medicine about every for months. So basically my BC is ineffective 1/4 of the year. I waste $200 bucks + whatever i have to spend in condoms (assuming im actually getting laid :beatup. Small price to pay to not have a baby but if i had an IUD it would cost less, be more convient, be more effective, but also come with more health risks.

12/4/2007 10:04:08 PM

^^^i'm pretty sure you're only supposed to use extra protection during your antibiotic duration, so that means that antibiotics only affect during the duration of therapy. Also, it's really depends on what BC you're on. Antibiotics are more likely to affect newer BC (aka lower dose of estrogen).

12/4/2007 10:35:38 PM

my ex had one. im pretty sure this is god's gift to man.

12/4/2007 10:57:38 PM

Actually, there was a study recently that said that antibiotics did not help sinus infections, for various reasons.

My sister has an IUD after child birth and is very petite. They had to cut the size down because it could be felt during sex.

12/5/2007 11:26:13 AM

I saw the thread title and thought it said IED.

So I guess this is not about terrorism.

12/5/2007 1:27:15 PM

The IED thread got deleted. Nazis.

12/5/2007 1:36:49 PM

i saw ^^ that as well. Thank you for playing dr

12/5/2007 1:37:21 PM

Quote :

"Actually, there was a study recently that said that antibiotics did not help sinus infections, for various reasons."

That's retarded. My ex-gf had one for weeks and it just happened to start clearing up a few days after she started antibiotics? I doubt it.

12/5/2007 2:46:51 PM

it was on the news. It was done in brittan.

Many people can get a sinus infection from a cold, those should be cleared naturally anyway. But when they persist for then 2 weeks or start spreading, or if you have complications that would make clearing the infection harder ... idk, im not sure those circumstances were taken into account

12/5/2007 2:49:14 PM

Quote :

"I LOVE my IUD. its great."

haha, i laughed when I read that for some reason

12/5/2007 2:56:16 PM

Quote :

"Actually, there was a study recently that said that antibiotics did not help sinus infections, for various reasons."

Something tells me that those "various reasons" are mostly due to the infections being viral. Antibiotics are only useful in cases of bacterial infection, which are less common than viral infection.

12/5/2007 3:12:18 PM

Quote :

"My sister has an IUD after child birth and is very petite. They had to cut the size down because it could be felt during sex."

I've felt an IUD string during sex, but I don't see any way you could feel the IUD itself. You'd have to be past the point of "bottoming out" to the point of penetrating the cervix--I think the festivities would come to a screeching (literally) halt before you ever felt the IUD (assuming you have a footlong penis and are even capable of such a feat).

12/5/2007 3:28:52 PM

strings creeped me out the first time. was like wtf mate.

12/5/2007 5:09:44 PM

how much does this thing cost?

12/6/2007 9:17:04 AM

Out of pocket?

I dunno.

It all ended up costing me $20, when my folks had BCBSNC. With their current (really fucking shitty) insurance, it'd probably be in the $200-$300 range.

The gyno's office billed BCBSNC $435 for the Mirena alone, and who knows how much for office visits. BCBSNC treated it as a preventive healthcare visit, so $20. And then the gyno's office didn't bill be anything for the second appointment, when I actually got the IUD

12/6/2007 9:20:23 AM

Yeah, I've always heard $500 - $600, which is another reason they don't want to give it to younger women - they're afraid you'll change your mind and want to have kids too soon and it won't be worth it.

12/6/2007 9:32:02 AM

Really? I was told it was pretty cheap and usually covered under preventative insurance.

And as far as changing my mind (unless it hurts, scars me, or i bleed profusly) there is nothing that would change my mind about wanting a kid for at least another 2 years. But really id like to wait for another 5 or 6

12/6/2007 9:40:25 AM

Well the price I said was the total cost, so what you'd pay if your insurance didn't cover it. But obviously if you have insurance you'd only pay a part.

12/6/2007 9:44:47 AM

that iud seems like it would be cheaper than 3-5 years of birth control pills. when i get my prescription filled, on the papers that come with the pills, the pharmacy puts how much you have saved by using your insurance so you can see what the actual charge is...and Jen said it was costing her $50 a month...

12/6/2007 9:47:49 AM

yah, thats the price with my insurance. IDK what the fuck is up with that. Nuva ring isn't exactly cheap but i forget to take the pills and the patch was just nastey and itchy

12/6/2007 9:57:08 AM

my gf said she loves hers....aint got that bitch preggers yet so we shall see...

12/6/2007 9:58:27 AM

haha, wtf

12/6/2007 10:15:32 AM

Quote :

"that iud seems like it would be cheaper than 3-5 years of birth control pills. "

Oh, it is.

$0.33/mo for BC? Hell yes.

That's part of why they're the most used form of BC worldwide (quoting the nurse on that one; it seems like that'd be true if you exclude industrialized nations)

12/6/2007 10:17:09 AM

i see the benefits of it....

my pills are only $20 for every 3 month supply though...I get the generic kind though

12/6/2007 11:45:23 AM

the copper-T cost my insurance around $1000 with the office visit and the IUD (the IUD was $700 and I think $270 or so to put it in) - they paid 100% of it thankfully, but Im sure they hated paying the extra $500 to have it taken out the next day in the ER

12/6/2007 12:29:41 PM

Quote :

"i forget to take the pills "

what the fuck?

12/6/2007 3:02:36 PM

^what is so hard to understand?

12/6/2007 3:15:04 PM

Quote :

"that iud seems like it would be cheaper than 3-5 years of birth control pills. when i get my prescription filled, on the papers that come with the pills, the pharmacy puts how much you have saved by using your insurance so you can see what the actual charge is...and Jen said it was costing her $50 a month..."

my bc is $60 a year

^ i think hes reacting to how or why a girl would forget

i take my pills at the same time every day as if my life depends on it (because it does). i dont care where i am, i can always take a moment to stop and take the pill.

12/6/2007 11:14:21 PM

yes, believe it or not, females are human and as such can sometimes forget to do something

this is huge news and hasn't been widely reported yet, but stay tuned for more coverage as the story develops

12/6/2007 11:16:15 PM

I also have endometriosis, thats another reason for getting the Mirena. Due to the endo, I did have cramping and some pretty bad pain with insertion but now that its been nearly 2 years I am totally fine.

Most insurances cover the costs, total mine cost ~$70 because they also did an ultrasound to check placement since i'm small. The easist thing to do is just call your insurance and discuss it in advance.

I did have the nuvaring with my IUD (very long story, and no I wont go into it) but the IUD is so much more comfortable and you never have to keep track of anything.

12/7/2007 8:30:38 AM

Ladies with Mirena, did you lose your period? Just curious, my wife pretty much lost her special friend when she got on this, though she had also breastfed for the first 8 months, so we aren't sure if it was because feeding and IUD, just IUD, etc. Did yours completely disappear, skip to once every few months, or just lighten up a lot?

[Edited on December 7, 2007 at 12:31 PM. Reason : ]

12/7/2007 12:30:32 PM