I had the great luck of easily conceiving both my girls and although I am grateful for that, the thought of being pregnant a third time made my palms sweat thinking about it.
My youngest was sleeping through the night. My oldest was potty trained. I had nearly gotten my pre-pregnancy body back. I was almost sure it was time to call our family complete.
My husband was completely willing to go ahead with a vasectomy but the idea of never having a period again with an IUD was very appealing. I decided to make a consultation with my OBYN and we discussed the options. A week or so later I went in for the IUD to be placed. I had heard horror stories of how bad it can be, so I prepared by taking a couple Tylenol an hour before my appointment. My doctor used an ultrasound machine to place the IUD, so overall it wasn’t too bad except for all small pinch and the end and some cramping later that day.
I went on my way excited that this was crossed off my to-do list and I could move on. However, over the next month I had a constant light period. Unsure if this was normal or not, I made another appointment just to check nothing had gone wrong. The doctor said everything looked fine and that light spotting is not uncommon. I left feeling relieved and hopeful that this was temporary. As time went on the spotting stopped and eventually there was no need for tampons or pads.
Unfortunately, a few days of every month I would still feel fatigued, irritable, and bloated. I gained 5-10lbs and I just didn’t feel like myself. At this point I was concerned with how the IUD might be affecting my body. At 27 years old, I would be using birth control for another 30 years or more and I couldn’t imagine that this would be my new normal.
I finally made the decision that this wasn’t the best fit for me. By this time, my husband and I were very sure that our hearts were full with our two girls; and we would be fine with closing the door to having more children. My amazing husband went through and had a vasectomy and a few months later I made my appointment to remove my IUD. It was as simple as them pulling it out.
In my situation an IUD was not the answer, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone who plans to have children in the distant future.
NOTE: We’re not doctors here at FMB – always talk to a medical professional with questions. But, as mothers, and women, we do think it’s important to discuss our own personal experiences with health.
I had THE WORST experience with my IUD. Now we’re NFP/FAM and I’ve only gotten pregnant when we wanted to 🙂
So glad you found something that works for you. Congrats on your growing family!
I had a HORRIBlE experience with the Mirena IUD. I got it because I was an elite runner and had trouble with the hormonal pills. Estrogen gave me high BP and progesterone never leveled out and gave me 2 periods a month. When I got the IUD placed, I went into vasovagal shock and passed out. I woke up shaking and sobbing from the pain, and my ears were ringing. It was almost unbearable. My admonem immediately swelled up and I bled heavily for nearly 2 months. I put on 5-10 pounds as well and felt like I still had the symptoms of a period one week a month with the fatigue, headache, moodiness, and bloating. For a week after having it placed I couldn’t run or work out at all, I could barely even get out of bed because of the sharp pains. I had it checked and they said it was placed fine but my uterus was just sensitive to the “foreign object.” Going to the bathroom (#2) was so painful and I continued to get vasovagal shock and passed out a few times. Once it got to feeling a bit better after 2-3 months, I still cramped and bled after every hard workout or long run, which meant I bled 3-5 days a week. The cramping was better than a period, but still unpleasant and unnecessary! After 8 months of torture and trying to give it time, I finally got it removed! That part was the least painful and I immediately felt relief, physically and emotionally. I will NEVER get an IUD again and would absolutely never recommend it to anyone. Worst experience of my life.
Lindsey, I’m so sorry you had such a horrible experience! I’m glad you did what was right for your body and you’re feeling better.
Comments are closed.