Mirena - 5 week checkup and the whole run down :)

[mangofandango.livejournal.com]

This morning I had my 5-week checkup with the doctor who inserted my IUD. Actually, it was supposed to be a 5-week checkup, but she had to bump it back to the 4th week because she's going to have her baby any minute. Heh. :)

So, as I reported to her, here's how the past 4 weeks have gone:

I had had my period for 2 days when I got the Mirena inserted. I continued to bleed for a week afterwards, and I had cramps about that long, too. (I took the Vicodin she gave me for the first 2 or 3 nights after the insertion, in order to sleep cramp-free). I spotted for the 2nd week, and then stopped. I'm just starting to cramp a bit again, and I'm having a teeny bit of old blood and tissue come out, but no actual fresh period yet. I think I might be working up to one, though, based on the new cramps and the new (old) spotting.

I had trouble reaching the strings at first, but I think I've figured it out now. For the past week or so they've been easier to reach because my cervix is low (another reason I think I might get a period soon). At first, we could both feel them during sex, which was a little annoying, but now they seem to have softened, because I don't notice them anymore. Ryan says he still feels them, but that they aren't bothersome or pokey in any way, and they seem to be curling up more now.

As for the effects of changing from Mirecette to this - I notice I've been having some mood swings lately, but I've also been more stressed than usual (school starting, working, etc.) and it's still only the first month, so I'm not too worried about that. Other effects have been good - I had one migraine in the first week, but that was probably estrogen withdrawal (just like if I'd been on the placebos of my pill), and no migraines and only a couple of mild headaches since. My sex drive is in good shape (although it was on Mircette, too) and it may have actually gone up.

The doctor took a look and said everything seemed great, and she said she had been wanting to know how it was going, since I'm the youngest patient she's ever given an IUD. She didn't even charge me for the office visit!

I also feel like raving about this doctor one more time - if any of you are in southern RI and looking for an OB/GYN, let me know and I'll tell you where she is and stuff. I would seriously want her to deliver my baby if I'm around here then, and that's a big thing for me. She's been really great - she's open-minded, she actually listens, and she's got more... finesse than other doctors and nurses I've had performing internal exams and stuff - she's very gentle, and there's just something else about the way she does things so that even painful things (like the IUD insertion) are manageable. I've also been really happy with how inclusive and even excited she's been about having my husband come to these appointments with me. I know I mentioned this before, but it's rare that we get to hear about the good doctors and the pleasant experiences, so I thought it was worth mentioning again. :)

Also, if there's anything anyone wants to know about that I didn't mention, please let me know.

Comments

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

I'm that happy with my doctor, too. She's not accepting new patients, though, so I don't advertise her anymore. :)

If the boy I live with and I had intercourse more often, I'd definitely get an IUD. (Well -- I would if my doctor approved. I'm not in a monogamous relationship, and though I don't have sex with lots of different people, I have sex with two, and that might be too many.) I can't take the pill, I get tired of condoms, and the IUDs made today are reasonably safe and effective.

(I know someone who had to have an IUD removed so that it wouldn't leave an IUD-shaped mark on her developing fetus, though. They aren't foolproof! I'm not sure how they got it out without causing a miscarriage, but it worked out.)

[mangofandango.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've heard about people getting pregnant with an IUD in. It's practically miraculous since the Mirena is so effective, but I know it happens, and I've always wondered exactly how they take care of that without hurting the fetus. It's pretty weird.

I would hope that with a poly-friendly doctor, they would let you have one in your situation, because it doesn't seem like any sort of huge risk. But doctors tend to be so jumpy about IUDs anyway, that I bet you'd have to do some searching. It is a great method for me so far though, since like you, I can't handle estrogen but I don't like condoms, and I don't want children for at least 5 years.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

My boyfriend (joedecker) and his wife also share my doctor, and each said hi for me last time they were in. She knows the situation, and her reaction when I first described it to her was, "Oh, cool!"

That said, because IUDs can increase the risk of pelvic infection, many doctors consider non-monogamous women to be ineligible for them. I'll discuss it with her next time I see her -- like if I ever get health insurance again. :)

[katlynel.livejournal.com]

On the other hand, if I recall correctly, you're not fluid bonded with your other partner and thus I can't really think of anything that would lead to PID or other infection from it, unless there was perhaps condom breakage or the like.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

No, I'm only fluid bonded with the boy I live with. But condoms don't prevent every STD. I'm not sure whether IUDs increase the risk for the things condoms aren't so good at preventing, such as herpes or HPV. (My not-fluid-bonded boy is also excruciatingly good at getting tested, is very honest with her about his sexual activity, and my doctor knows that. I'll ask her what she thinks when the time comes. But my fluid-bonded boy and I don't have intercourse often enough, at this point, to make it worth the cramping and spotting that can happen.)

[katlynel.livejournal.com]

I would guess IUDs don't increase transmission risk for the skin-contact diseases such as herpes and HPV. However, the important thing is that neither herpes nor HPV contribute to PID. Same deal with syphilis, scabies, and molluscum contagiosum. (From Planned Parenthood website: "Condoms offer very good protection against infections commonly associated with PID.") Just some food for thought, though of course it's a moot point right now anyway.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Yeah, thanks. :) But I'm still curious, so I'll discuss it with fluid-bonded-boy and my doctor. :)

[septembergrrl.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the report! What about weight gain/appetite? That's my worst side effect on the pill, and while an IUD sounds great in every other way, I don't want to try another method that will keep me gaining half a pound a month.

[mangofandango.livejournal.com]

I have gained no weight at all, not that I would have minded that much since I am already underweight.

I'm not sure whether the estrogen in the pill contributes to weight gain or not, but I think it does. the Mirena has no estrogen, just progestin, and I haven't heard of weight gain being a big deal with it anyway, really. It's such a teeny dose of hormones (like taking 1-2 mini pills a week) that I would think it wouldn't be too much of a problem.

[septembergrrl.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It's time for my annual anyhow -- I'll ask the doc if she does IUDs when I make my appointment.

[nebb-is-crunchy.livejournal.com]

[mangofandango.livejournal.com]

Don't blush, it's okay. :) I'm glad you asked!

IUD stands for intrauterine device. In other words, it's a thing (most are T-shaped, and they're maybe 2 inches long or something) that is placed in the uterus to prevent pregnancy. Mine is called the Mirena, and it's a hormonal one, meaning it releases a little teeny bit of progestin into my uterus, and that's part of how it works. It thins the uterine lining and thickens the cercival mucus, but it also just works by being there - there's not a good explanation as to why, but the Mirena is one of the most effective forms of birth control.

Here (http://www.fwhc.org/birth-control/iudinfo.htm) is a good page to read up on more info about IUDs. :)