Mirena question
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Me neither! This is sucky! It's keeping me from poling (and we all know how evil that is.)
I clicked on this thinking Mirena was some crazy new move I hadn't heard of... LOL oops
I had a mirena put in a few years ago, and I had cramping for about.. 45 min? I think I took a tylenol and held an ice pack to my lower abdomen, then drove home. Lol. It is different for everyone, I have never had any issues, and am VERY happy with mine! I plan on having a new one put in next year. I would highly recommend it. And to note, I am 28 now, and have never had kids. So even though I was not the "ideal" candidate for mirena, it has been wonderful so far!
Brief update. So it's been 2 months since I got the mirena. The cramping did eventually stop after I got it inserted, but it took a full week of me being on ibuprofen and using a heating pad. Now that I through that part, I am having light periods, but they are lasting about 10 days. Hopefully that will decrease. The cramping isn't too bad during that time. It's much better than when I was using no bc and would be in the fetal position from the pain. I am breaking out soooo badly though! Like teenager status. All over my face, neck, and back. I miss yasmin for that part. It made my skin fairly clear. What I find weird is that I get a sort of light brown and dark brown spotting during my period, in between the normal colored blood (sorry about the TMI.) Why is it BROWN?? It sorta weirds me out.
Mirena will all thin the lining of your uterus making it an unwelcome haven. Think of it as an exfoliation of the lining. Basically it is just blood that has been floating around long enough to have oxidized to be brown. You get a similar type thing if you have a DNC done.
DeniseL ·
I have had two Mirenas in the last ten years, going for my third in a couple weeks. The brown spotting is normal, mine comes and goes but I would not panic :)
Thanks for the update Sensual. As I've now had a (massive) blood clot in my groin/thigh/leg, I can't be on the regular pill anymore. The main reason for being on it was to control/know when (pretty much to the hour!) my periods were to happen, and if inconvient timing, I could skip them for a month or two. Basically, my only option now is an IUD (mirena).. but if it's causing spotting/bleeding anyway.. I don't want to risk that. I have a.. ahh.. huge issue/psychological thing with periods.. i.e. I find them shameful, hugely. I tried a pill that didn't have estrogen in it, and I would have one week of period, then one week not, then one week of period, etc. So, that wasn't a keeper. (Even typing this is hard!!) Also, I've not had children... and I'm ok with pain (Aren't all polers!?) but I'm worried that it's perhaps not a great idea for me. Argh. Freaking lady problems!! :|
I am on my second mirena, have not had children and used to have heavy bleeding for about 2-3 days and then tapering off. My second day was horrible to the point of being rolled up into a ball and not able to move when it came to cramping. My first Mirena I had spotting for about 6 months before I finally had nothing. Every once in a blue moon I will get a little spotting...and I mean little. I am on my second Mirena and really have not had a period for about 7 years.
Everyone is different, but the mirena is supposed to make your periods lighter, which is has for me. My periods amount a pink tint on toilet paper in the bathroom. I can wear one pantyliner a day and be fine. I think I have one instance of red blood, then back to pink. The brown clots are the thing that are weird (they aren't huge clots though.) I haven't had ANY spotting so far. Just my light periods that are a little longer than usual. The insertion pain wasn't fun, but it's not unbearable either. My nurse gave me the cervical numbing shot, which surprisingly didn't hurt very much. I didn't even feel when she was measuring my uterus. The only thing that sucked was the cervical clamp and the actual insertion.
Cervical clamp?!?! *Obscenity* 😲 I'll be looking into it in the next month or so. Thank you so much for your help ladies!
Yeah, it's what keeps your cervix open for the insertion. I didn't feel it at first (from the number), but as she was prepping the mirena to insert, I started feeling it and in my head was going "wow that isn't fun at all."
Onahnie ·
Not sure how much different the Mirena is from the Nova T (or Paragard is the equivalent in the US, but it is slightly different in shape)--i know it's slightly thicker in the hormone wrapping, but not that much. Anyway, I have the Nova T, which is the copper threaded IUD (can't have hormones, so the Mirena was out for me). Supposedly, the copper one gives you more painful and heavier periods, but I haven't really experienced either. Insertion was kind of a bit**, but it just felt like one giant cramp when the sound (the instrument that measures how deep your uterus is) went in through the cervical canal, but it passed as soon as the sound was removed. I had the same cramping sensation with the IUD plunger (the Nova-T comes preassembled), which didn't really pass as the IUD was inside my uterus. Had fairly strong cramps that first day, but was ok the next. Anyway, I never had any type of cervical clamp, so not sure about that one... (never had kids either)--although that first day was pretty crampy, on and off, I didn't feel it was THAT bad (the cramps were bad enough to freeze me in position) to deal with, considering the payoff in the end. I really can't recall how long they lastes, as it's been so long, but it wasn't anything horrible. I'm on my second one now (I do need to get it changed again), but I've been on it for about 7-8 years, so I'm very happy with it. TMI alert: I do get a bit of spotting a few days before my period, but then again, the copper IUD isn't meant to reduce flow though, and, in most cases, makes them heavier and much more painful (I guess I just got lucky with body chemistry).
Onahnie ·
Ha, I just realized my post was slightly confusing. I meant the cramping didn't pass after removal of the IUD plunger, as the IUD was in my uterus (this was with my first one). I also meant, when I said I've had it for 7-8 years that I've been using it as birth control for 7-8 years, not that I had the same one (the Nova T has a "suggested" insertion time of 2.5 years... however, my MD had said it was fine to leave it in longer for me, until I basically wanted it changed, which was about 3.5 years after the first one, as I started to get more spotting, which went back to normal after my second one was inserted, which was same appt that hte first was removed). Hope this clears up any confusion from the previous post.
yes im also not sure how similar paragard is to mirena but i hav paragard the copper iud and i didnt hav any cramping at all, ive had mine almost 3 yrs, (its good for 10) and i love it, best part its hormone free!
Onahnie ·
If I recall correctly, in shape, the mirena and the nova t are practically identical--both T's with curved upper arms (like eyebrows), except the nova t has copper wound around the upright part of the T while the mirena has a hormone coating, which is a bit thicker. Neither have anything on the upper arms. In contrast, the paragard is a T with straight upper arms, perpendicular to the base (exactly like an uppercase "T"), again with copper around the base and possibly the arms as well, I don't remember. (it's the one in the US while the nova T is the one in Canada--mirena is available in both). Even though the mirena is a bit thicker, the issue isn't the IUD, but the thickness of the plunger (a plastic tube, essentially), as that needs to be able to pass through the cervical canal; however, the sound itself is thicker than the plunger, so my MD had said if that didn't go in, then I wouldn't be able to have the IUD inserted. On a side note, I actually cannot check for the strings on mine, as I am unable to reach my cervix. On my last physical, they were not dangliNg out of my cervix, so I had to go and have an ultrasound done, which showed the IUD was still perfectly in place, so I was told it wouldn't be too bad for removal, as they have a little hook instrument they could use to fish out the strings.
In Europe they are testing IUD's without the top t portion. I am hoping htey will be out here in the U.S. when I am ready to get a new IUD. This one is already on the market (just not in the U.S.): http://www.contrel.be/ABOUT/RESEARCH%20user.htm This one is in the trial pheses still, but it is like a frameless mirena: http://pubmed.cn/19135571 Pictures of the Fibroplant are at the bottom of this page: http://www.contrel.be/Articles%20and%20videos/9%20Treatment%20of%20menorrhagia.pdf
If some politicians get their way all of these will be illegal in the US. I have not heard or seen these frameless ones.
I highly doubt those crazy amendments will pass. Certainly not in my area.
Also, I'm hoping that those amendment proposals will stop once the November election is over with...but you never know... The frameless ones are in Europe. It seems the U.S. is frequently behind in medicine advances. There is another version of the depo shot out in Europe that doesn't have the calcium loss warning.
Good lord. Just checked ballotpedia. There is a personhood amendment on there that is still in the process of getting sugnatures. It specifically singles out "certain birth controls" in it...but I still don't think it would pass int his state even if it made it to the ballot.
Onahnie ·
Well, it's not only being behind, but it also has to do with clinical trials and safety clearing. In North America, it takes ages for new medical technology to be deemed safe for public use. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing---i work in a highly technological medical field. For what we do, there are much more advanced treatments available in South America and Europe; HOWEVER, these are all in experimental stages of the treatments, meaning, they do not yet have concrete outcome or long-term results. Instead, they are making their newest technologies available to the public immediately, without knowing the current safety and/or outcomes of the procedures. So, personally, while it may seem like other countries are much more advanced in their treatments, I'd rather wait to know they are safe and effective treatments, especially where my health is concerned! Remember the IUD scare of the 80s? I can't remember the exact brand, but it was the Dalcon or Dalkon or something that caused it---massive amts of women got horrible infections and became sterile as a result (which is the "scare" that people have about IUDs causing infertility and the reason there are still many MDs choosing not to insert them in women who have not yet had children)--the reason was because the strings were made of an absorbant material which ended up being the perfect pathway to introduce various nasty bacteria and pathogens straight into the uterus. Once the results from that batch of women came back, they realized the mistake, but, unfortunately, the blame was put on IUDs in general, in public opinion. Besides, even looking at the permanent IUDs (the all plastic ones) from the past causes me to shudder when I see their shapes/sizes. (you can see some of the older ones here: http://www.contrel.be/IUD%20GENERAL/Mhistory.htm The Dalkon was the one that looks like a prehistoric ocean creature, second row from the bottom, first one on the left--like a shield with multiple barbs) That being said, I still think I'd personally prefer the T shape as opposed to that frameless one... seems less like to travel around in there and I can't imagine that insertion would be any different. (you can see the paragard and the mirena shapes here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrauterine_device The nova T (canada's copper IUD) is identical in shape to the Mirena)
en.wikipedia.orgIntrauterine device - WikipediaOnahnie ·
Hmm... just read a bit more and realized that the frameless one is sutured to the fundus (inside top of uterus) to keep it in place. So I guess it wouldn't really travel. But I'd still not have something sutured in me, unless absolutely necessary.
I was wondering how they kept it in place. OMG...I cannot even imagine! How are they suturing this thing in place? I know for me even dilating my cervix a teeny amount to get the depth and insertion of my mirena was not pleasant. How are they getting tools in there to suture these things? ((shudder shudder)) Yeah, many of the politicians who are against abortion believe that life starts at conception. If that is the case then since you technically have a fertilized egg with an IUD they would ban this type of contraception. It is the belief that this is a type of abortion.
Chem - Did you see that the only people allowed to discuss the recent birth control "issues" publicly were all men??? The women were not allowed to be televised, or just not allowed to ague in favor of it at all. From what my doctor (and the insert) said about the mirena, yes, it can prevent an empryo fromattaching to the uterine wall, but it also prevents ovulation from the hormones, in addition to preventing the passage of sperm. Onhanie - I don't think Europe puts things on the market early. I believe they have pretty stringent medical guidelines as well.
I just read that the issue was denied and that all employers, religious or not, must allow for coverage of birth control. Funny thing is, this has been on the books for YEARS (family planning) but for some reason they are trying to make it an Obama thing. Europe actually does get things to market before the US. But then again, Europe is not as sue happy as the US is. (I worked in pharmaceutical and drug discovery for about 10 years before switching fields)
