Copper IUD

karebear2301

Hi ladies. My doctor has been talking to us about contraception post delivery and has suggested the non-hormonal copper iud. I remember some posts about women not having a good experience with the copper iud, but not much explaination as to why. Can you ladies relay your experiences in more detail because I want to know of any side effects I should expect if I choose this option. Thanks!

rholbrook7

My manager just got the copper IUD a few weeks ago. For days after she had really bad cramps, and couldn't come to work. Then she started bleeding. She went to the doctor and had an ultrasound done, and they found out she had an ovarian cyst. It ruptured while she was at work, and they had to rush her to the ER. They are looking into the correlation between the cyst and the IUD. I'd say, before doing any type of birth control, research your options. Make sure you know what you are putting into your body. Read through all forms before you sign, and if there's anything you don't like, remember that you don't have to agree to it.
Honestly, everyone is different. Every woman's body reacts differently. Know your body, and if you get it and something feels off, get it removed. But I'd say research is your best bet.

chelseajeanene

I had it a couple of years ago because i can't have any hormonal types is birth control. I thought it was seriously going to be fantastic and that just wasn't the case for me. The doctor says take a Tylenol after its inserted for slight cramping. I was doubled over in pain hysterically crying from the amount of pain I was in. Now I already have extreme period cramps so this was on an entirely different level, I haven't given birth yet but I can only imagine that's how real contractions are. It takes awhile for you not to notice it being there, you can feel it and it's an odd sensation. My DH could feel it during sex and he hated it, but when he did hit it, it made me want to scream cause it hurt. Then when I got my first period I bled for 33 days straight very very heavily the entire time and finally just could not put up with it anymore and had it removed. Once removed the bleeding stopped the next morning. If you do choose to get it I hope this doesn't happen to you, but this was my experience. My health teacher in high school didn't recommend them either because hers got lost inside her body, but I figured I'd be fine..not the case

momofsweetps

I had the mirena and it was horrible. I bled from April when I had it put in until the end of January. It also caused an infection in my uterus. Some people have success with their IUDs, I was one of the lucky ones who didn't.

 

mrseh5

I'm afraid I had a really bad experience too. I had it inserted and the pain was terrible I was doubled over with cramps and I've had two children. I ended up fainting and had to have it removed. Never again.

Growingapepper

Ive have mirena and paragard. The insertion is pretty painful for both, but it's only temporary. You might have some seriously bad cramping for a day or two afterward as well, but it's only 2 days, the bc will last you 10 years so I think it's worth it. The paragard made my periods a little heavy for the first two days of the cycle, but other than that they were regular. I got bad cramping with the Mirena but not the paragard. Butttt I did get pregnant while I had Paragard because it moved down from my uterus into my cervix without my knowledge so be careful of that.

karebear2301

Wow. Thanks for sharing your experiences ladies. I am definitely going to do more research but I'm not sure that it's for me. I know every woman is different but none of these experiences sounds like something I want to go through, especially as a new mom!

verveine407

I had the Paragard (the Mirena is not copper, and it is has hormones) and had a good experience with it. My doc had me go to have it inserted by someone he said had literally done hundreds of IUD insertions. I would ask how many your doc had placed before letting anyone touch me down there. I could see how just a little off in angle or pressure would be very painful. It hurt but was so fast, they also checked the placement immediately, and gave me pain medicine to take home in case I got cramps. Since there is no hormone my periods stayed pretty normal after that, I am guessing if you have severe cramps or PMS this might not help since copper is not used typically to treat menstral problems. I am not prone to cysts or PMS or even cramps and nothing much changed. If I noticed any difference it was my period flow was slightly heavier and that it lasted only 3-4 days at most. I felt it was good basic long lasting birth control - I would totally recommend for someone with no extra symptoms to fix. I had planned to keep mine in longer but fate stepped in and I met my husband and we decided to start a family. I had my copper IUD in for around 2 years. The nice thing about no hormones was there was no fertility downtime.

I will say it again because I think it really mattered and that was to ask how many IUDs your practitioner has placed. Just because they offer an IUD doesn't mean they put them in regularly. It's your body!

mdk2015

I was so excited to try a non hormonal birth control that lasted a while! But I didn't have a good experience. I had a Paragard for 5 years. I had a lot of problems. I cramped constantly, worse after sexy time and it made my periods much more crampy and heavy. I started noticing the copper coils breaking down and pieces appearing and without going into detail it was a weird mess. At that point Id had it and scheduled the removal. First attempt the IUD broke. Instead of it being an intact "T" it came out an "L". One of the arms broke off because it was embedded low in my uterus. After an ultrasound they gave me two options; 1 exploratory surgery, 2 live with it. I chose 2 because of the possibility of scarring, didn't want surgery, etc. The bad symptoms went away after the majority was removed. I noticed my skin even became clearer and my hair stopped falling out as much which I later learned can happen with higher levels of copper. Considering my body was breaking down the copper I believe the correlation. There were barely any coils left when it was removed. I'm sure theres more to add, but that's all I can think of at the moment. If you have questions message me! Have a great day!

kmkrehbiel

I had a good experience with Paraguard as well. I had a similar experience as PPs for the insertion. It was VERY painful the hours afterwards, but I was fine the next day, and went to work with no problem. The biggest con of Paraguard was that my periods were heavy and lasted a solid 7+ days every month. I had worse cramps than before too, but nothing I couldn't handle. I thought the period discomfort was worth the peace of mind when I really didn't want to get pregnant. I felt so much more "secure" than with the pill or the nuvaring which I'd tried in the past. I also liked not putting hormones in my body. I took it out in June after I got married, and was pregnant in December. It worked just like it should have, and I'll likely get it again when my husband and I are done having children. Hope this helps!

littlemama1227

I had Paragard for 8 years.  It worked well for me because hormonal BC was a no go.  Insertion wasn't a big deal for me because my doc gave me cervix softening meds to take the night before.  I also got some percocet to take after for pain and I think I took one of them and it was fine.  I didn't think it was too bad.

The Paragard can definitely make you have a bit heavier period although I barely had cramping during periods when I was on it.  Overall I think it was a good method for me!  

SBH0078

I didn't have any physical problems with it for 2 months.... Then it fell out without me knowing. I'm 8.5 months pregnant with my little IUD surprise

JenLovesDesign

I had 2 mirena for a total of 10 years before I got pregnant. Best birth control out there as far as I'm concerned. No monthly gift and worked perfectly.

pregat40

I had the copper one the paragard also for like 7 years, other then heavy periods for the first few months, I loved it and had no complications. I only removed it because I was single and celibate for many many years and didn't need it anymore. I had no problems with insertion however removal hurt a bit.

blondehairblueeyeditalianbaby

I had paragard for a little over a year. My periods were awful. They were very heavy and lasted more than a week. They also came very frequently. I would have about 1.5-2 weeks a month without bleeding. The cramping was horrible. I didn't think that insertion or removal was bad.

conchispitita

Just found out yesterday a family friend still got pregnant with a copper IUD, but didn't realize it until she was 26 weeks along and had to go to the ER.
I was thinking of getting one before hearing this, but I think I'll take my chances with fertility tracking.