Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I was going to offer you comforting words, but I just realized that this is happening today! How did it go?!

Sigh. It could have been much worse. I'd committed to going to a coworker's birthday party and was able to throw two potato salads together (it was a meat barbecue so...I wanted to be able to eat something), but at her house I started to get really drowsy but tried to hide it. At the end of the night, I walked into a glass door. FACEPALM. I wasn't even drinking. It was pretty embarrassing. I so shouldn't have left the house.

I'm in a lot of pain now but not as much as last time. My doctor was AMAZING, and her training nurse was just saying soothing and nice things to me throughout the process.

I'm just really embarrassed that I acted drunk (when really, I'm just a clutz) around coworkers. I guess it could be worse.

Yeah, I was worried about the pain after reading this thread, but when I got my Mirena (18 months after giving birth), it didn't hurt at all. There was a little pinch when the doctor actually put it in, but my cervix was like, so what? I felt tough.

I'm about four months in and not having regular periods, which is okay with me. I bled every day for the first six weeks but not since.

I forgot to say! My doctor complimented me on my shiny cervix. Weird. But okay. My cervix is better than your cervix.

I'm having my copper IUD (Nova T) replaced with a Mirena on Tuesday. Got the new thingy from the drugstore yesterday and understood why the information leaflet says "When you buy Mirena you will get a big box, but the IUD itself is very small.". I mean, I saw the boxes the copper IUDs come out of, and they were like 1/10 of the size of this! What the dickens is in there?

My copper IUD came in a huge box that took up half my bag. I didn't get to look in there, but I just assumed it was to keep the strings straight and not let them get tangled or something.

I had my paraguard replaced last week. My old one had decided that it didn't like where it was living, so it began wandering around my uterus, eventually lodging itself into the endometrium. This was really strange because usually if an IUD is going to wander, it does so within the first three months of insertion. I had my old IUD for three and a half years.

The removal was a bit painful, but no worse than the pain I was having per-removal with it sticking into my uterine lining and all. The new insertion went well. After I left the doctor's office I started to feel a bit dizzy and sick. I proceeded to vomit, take a half-hour nap during the car ride home, then I felt perfectly fine.

Yea...so..when I was supposed to get my IUD before I flaked out on the appointment.

Awkward question, but would they still give me it even after what happened with Ada? I've heard stories of doctors denying long term birth control after things happening..

They keep copper IUDs in the midwife's office here (they can do that because they're free), so the packaging is long but skinny.

I was a little surprised the switch was more painful than the first insertion. It makes sense though, my cervix was irritated by the removal of the old IUD and closed up. It's in now, anyway, and if it works out I won't have to have another one put in for five years! (Or, I'm hoping, after having another child.)

Shanti - that seems really weird that they would deny it! I have no idea. And (I don't know you, but) I'm so sorry for your loss.

do you mean because you're still grieving? i can't imagine a doctor denying you birth control unless there is an issue with your lady parts. from what i've heard, as long as you're more than 6 weeks post partum, there shouldn't be any reason they wouldn't give you one. if you want one and they tell you no, find another doctor.

Hormonal birth control can affect your mood, so I guess that would make sense to avoid them for someone who is grieving - or at least monitor the patient's mood more carefully. And some long term methods like shots give quite a high dose of hormones. A copper IUD doesn't really have that kind of side effects though. (And: I'm only a nursing student and only know the basics.)

ah, ok. that makes sense! this is why we have nursing students here!

I had a dream last night that I was curious about how my IUD was doing and just pulled out out myself. "Oh yeah, looks fine," dream-me said before remembering you can't just put it back in.

I was so glad to wake up and remember it's still in my uterus.

I've had the new IUD for a week, and I suspect it's the reason I feel less than great. I'm a little nauseous and don't want to eat, tired and a bit sad all the time. I'm hoping this is temporary, or I'll have to try something else - I'm having a really hard time studying at the moment.

Feeling much better already, such a relief!

Hey all, new to the boards, found this thread, wanted to share.

I was one of the statistical minority who got pregnant while using the Paraguard. This happened 2 years after it was inserted; apparently it had "slipped".

My advice to all women out there with IUDs is to get your IUD checked every year (up to the point it needs to be replaced, of course) if you aren't already doing so.

Having said this, I still think that IUDs are a terrific birth control choice. Can I say that? There, I just did.

Uh oh. What do you mean by "get it checked?" Like, at your annual women's health exam do they need to do something special and really poke around in there, or can we assume they're checking for 'slippage' already? Does checking the strings monthly help?

No, nothing extra-special -- just that if you have an IUD, those yearly women's health exams are important so that a healthcare provider can check its position. (That's the message I got from my NP.)

Additionally, I had not been performing routine self-exams. It could be that had I been doing so, I would have noticed something amiss, but I really cannot say for sure. Definitely check in with your provider regarding self-exams.

I really do want to stress that what happened to me is extremely unusual. My Paraguard worked great for 2 years, and the Mirena I had after the Paraguard was "bulletproof" for the 2 years I used it (had it removed due to hormone discomfort). I posted to testify that no birth control is 100% effective 100% of the time.

If anyone has more qs about the experience, please do feel free to PM me. IUDs are a super valuable resource in women's health!

Annual women's health exam? Is this standard in the US? I mean, I get pap smears, but that's only once every three years.

And I know it often gets worse before it gets better, but I've been bleeding/spotting for two whole weeks now after getting my hormonal IUD - no fun at all.

amonik, my PA has recommended a pap/womens health exam every 3 years. I think that's a new recommendation here...it had been an annual thing until pretty recently.

I have an IUD and my dr. didn't say anything about checking it's placement...but it's definitely something I've thought about especially since my next exam is set for 3 years from now.

I believe that a pap smear every 3 years is standard in the U.S. (up to a certain age). After I got pregnant and had the 2nd IUD placed, my NP recommended that I get yearly checkups for the sake of the IUD.

I'm sorry to hear about all that spotting. I had a similar experience. After the spotting stopped, I had no evidence of a period for 2 years.

Yeah, here they recommend a PAP every two years, so I don't get any sort of lady exam on a more regular basis. Now I'm worried!

Hm, I think my IUD knew I was talking about it! I've had contant non-menstrual cramping all day today. I have a love-hate relationship with this thing! It would be so nice to have one in my life week without cramps :-/

I had constant, mild cramping--very similar to the two or three days that used to precede my period--for about two months. Every once in a while I'd get a BIG cramp. I'm finally feeling normal again and I love my IUD.

My insurance recommends a check-up every 1-3 years. I would probably go every other year if I didn't have my IUD, but now that I have one, I go each year just to be on the safe (ie, less anxious) side.