I had a hormonal IUD prekids and it was the best periods of my life - 6 months of weird bleeding (definitely in the shedding category) and then monthly neat tidy normal heavy bleeding with moderate cramps. I couldn’t tolerate the pill at that point.
Post kids the IUDs did not work for me. One was splitting pain with crazy hormonal moods, ripped it out and tried again and still had the crazy hormonal moods. Horrific and dangerous.
People are either a success story or hate them. No in between.
Another option before a hysterectomy is an ablation. Mine has lightened my bleeding but I think I still need a hysterectomy but I know many people have 100% success
I have a Mirena IUD because of heavy periods and migraine history (ie, blood clot risk with some hormonal pill BC). I also have PCOS/PMOS so my use case is a bit different than the standard.
The IUD does not stop my periods. It did improve the experience somewhat (the volume of bleeding with IUD is far more manageable) but I still have periods at a regular frequency.
I do prefer it to the pill options - the ones I can take, I’ve had bad side effects with & I am not great at remembering to take them.
I do think some people have anatomy that’s not very IUD friendly, just something to be aware of. Mine was partially expelled and not working (copper, not Mirena, but AFAIK the shape is the same!) and I couldn’t tell it was out of place.
I had a great experience with mine. It didn’t hurt that bad to insert, like the equivalent of a pap. They did an ultrasound to make sure it was in the right spot.
I still get a very light period but this last time it wasn’t even heavy enough to fill a tampon (which compared to pre-IUD but post-pregnancy I was bleeding a ton). I got mine mostly for period control because it was insane after giving birth.
My OB told me not to do copper because one of the side effects was even heavier periods. I am very happy with the results.
Throwing the arm implant into the mix. The pill was a disaster for me because I sucked at taking it the right time and my mental health went super into the toilet during off weeks/when the schedule was disrupted. I tried the IUD and it was a hard NO from my body. From the insertion to the 6ish months I was able to keep it in.
I switched to the arm implant in 2018 and I love it. I get some mild spotting randomly and more hormonal breakouts (stupid jawline), but the steady release of hormones works for keeping my crazy away and it’s been approved for up to 5 years so comparable to the hormonal IUD. Much easier insertion/replacement.
I had 2 Mirenas and it was great to not have to think about it anymore. Pre-kids it stopped my periods altogether, now I have 2ish days of light flow. No noticeable side effects for me, I think I got pretty lucky.
There are a few studies out there exploring whether fertility may be suppressed after long-term IUD use. It’s inconclusive but something to consider for anyone who might want to be pregnant in the future. Unclear whether that contributed to my “unexplained infertility” Levonorgestrel IUD: is there a long-lasting effect on return to fertility? - PMC
I’ve never done BC pills because I knew I wouldn’t keep up with the schedule. I’ve done Nuvaring and Depoprovera shots in my 20s and IUD’s post kid. I’m currently on my third. With my first IUD my period stopped immediately (which also happened with the Depo shot, but it’s worth noting that my first IUD was put in I think six weeks post birth and I was breastfeeding so I’m sure my body’s baseline hormones were wild). I went entirely without hormonal BC for a while because I wanted to check with my body, my irregular periods returned, and eventually I got my most recent (third) IUD. After insertion I still got three-ish periods before they’ve stopped completely. I’ve been advised that IUDs are often prescribed to help level out menopausal hormonal fluctuations as well, since that was a thing I was also asking about while at the OBGYN office.
I never had an IUD, but I was on hormonal birth control for close to 40 years. I found that with the Depo shots I had no periods at all, and the same was true of the low dose progestin-only birth control pills, which don’t have a sugar pill phase. But those were in the last few years before menopause, so I’m not sure that had the same effect for everyone. The trick with those is that you have to take them at the same time of day every day.
I think that one got taken off the market a while back. Mine is the Nexplanon and it’s only 1 little spaghetti inserted in my upper arm. I got my redone last year and they’ve been expanded to a 5 year life cycle from the previous 3 year.
I was on birth control pills for many years (from about 21 - early 40s I think?). I switched to a Mirena IUD at the advice of my doctor because of the risk of blood clots/stroke as you get older.
I had super light periods on the pill even without skipping the sugar pills (like a day or two of spotting). With the IUD I generally don’t have a period at all and when I do it’s even lighter.
One thing I preferred with the pill is that at least I knew when I was due for some spotting. With the IUD it’s nothing for months and then randomly a little spotting.
I’m also in perimenopause so some of these changes might have happened anyway without switching birth control methods though.
It’s kind of irrational, but I don’t like that I can feel the strings of the IUD if I check with a finger. They can trim them if they are getting in the way, and some people probably find it reassuring that they can still feel them, but I just don’t like it and don’t really have a good reason why.
I would have stuck with the pill if my doctor didn’t want me to switch because of my age, but I have other medication I take daily already so one more pill doesn’t matter. The Mirena IUD has been fine, but the advantages of it weren’t super relevant for me so overall I’m kind of lukewarm about it.
I am very enthusiastic about my Mirena, but I found insertion very painful (no childbirth) and maybe my uterus is slightly tilted in a fashion that made it harder to insert. Laughing gas the 2nd time managed the pain well.
No I take Simpesse, which comes with 12 weeks of regular pills and one week of ‘sugar’ pills. I just skip those and go straight to the next pack when I’m done. I only pay like $53 every three months since I use the GoodRx coupon for it.
thank you all for chiming in on your various experiences with oral contraceptives, IUDs, and the arm implant! this jogged my memory that I have PCO/S so that probably affects what makes sense for me. I sent my GYN a message along with my fertility workup records!
I wish I had remembered to bring those in when I went in last week to save myself an office visit but at least it’s all free this year since I hit my OOP max from delivery a baby and the jaw surgery!
Does anyone know a good google or other search to do to find a local newspaper’s feed? There’s a town in MO we’re seriously considering. Almost ALL the houses for sale are on one road.
So, I’m curious, is the water contaminated? There was a string of burglaries, or… or… ? And how to find out. I can figure out sexual predators, find the Chamber of Commerce and the local statistics, including a crime map which shows local areas. But not the local paper.
I’m reluctant to believe the crime maps. Most of the crime in our town happens at the ski mountain/attraction… we live on the backside of it. In our neighborhood, there has been 1 break-in in the past 30 years. If you look at the crime map for our area, it looks rife on this street, because the other side of the loop the street makes encompasses the resort and 1/2 the condos…
but at least it’s all free this year since I hit my OOP max from delivery a baby and the jaw surgery!