Paraguard or non-hormonal bc.

[helpme11111.livejournal.com]

Long story really short, I have problems with HBC and will not be taking any more hormonal methods. I use condoms religiously in my long term relationship and don't really mind, but i am a little worried about the condom breaking for two reasons: 1, plan B is hormones, and I really want to avoid them! and 2, I've recently read that plan B will not prevent pregnancy if ovulation has taken place—is that wrong? It seems wrong to me, but i'm not very knowledgable.

I'm looking for experiences with the Copper IUD, both bad and good. Anyone?

Comments

[lorrainec.livejournal.com]

Plan B works primarily by delaying ovulation. It is unlikely to do you any good if you have already ovulated, unfortunately.

Check out the iud_divas community, it's a great resource for Paragard (and other IUD) questions. I had one for a while and loved it, and I would recommend them in general. However insertion does hurt (more for some women than others) and it can increase bleeding and cramping during your period. That wasn't a big deal for me, but if you already have heavy bleeding and painful cramping it could be bad for you. Your uterus needs to be a certain size, it can't be inserted in all women.

Don't let anyone tell you nulliparous people (if you are) can't have it, that's completely untrue. Your uterus may be smaller than that of a parous person, or your cervix more stubborn though. Some women have it expel for one reason or another. If you do decide to get it, go to someone who is experienced at inserting them. I've read that inserter experience is the best indicator of success with the IUD.

[nickelshoe.livejournal.com]

Just so you know, most pregnancies are from sex that occurs before ovulation, not after. During your fertile time of the month, sperm can survive several days inside you while the egg is only viable for about 24 hours. So Plan B does still prevent pregnancy most of the time even though it doesn't appear to have any effect after ovulation.

[svexsal.livejournal.com]

I LOVED my Paragard. I second the suggestion to check out iud_divas.

[evilnel.livejournal.com]

I had my Paragard placed at the beginning of June and I LOVE it. I feel so secure on it (getting pregnant before I'm married would ruin my career) and it's totally hassle free. I check the strings once (or twice if I'm feeling paranoid) a month to make sure all's well, but so far so good! Insertion was a little ugly. I didn't pass out or anything but I had the worst cramps I've ever experienced and actually threw up on my way home. The worst cramping was the first day but I experienced cramping for about 5 days. However my period sort of started itself prematurely so I'm not sure if that was just cramping from the Paragard or from my period or both. It was manageable with ibuprofen and a heating pad.

My periods have changed slightly but have not gotten what I would call "worse" just different. I used to have two moderate days with bad cramps followed by about 3 more days of light bleeding. Now I have about 3 days of pre-period discharge, a light day or two with cramping, 2-3 heavy days, and 1 light day. I think it is now slightly longer than before (6-7 compared to 4-5) but only slightly heavier, and my cramps are actually better than they were before! It hasn't affected sex at all. I asked my partner if he could feel the strings at all and he said occasionally they poke him but he's never stopped during sex so I assume not badly enough to cause a problem.

Insertion is the worst part of it, and it's over pretty quickly. Everybody is different and it's really easy for some and really difficult for others, but if you have an experienced practitioner and your periods aren't too wretched, I say go for it. I like still having my natural cycle intact and not putting any excess hormones into my body.

[vertbio.livejournal.com]

Well, I personally have the Mirena IUD, which DOES have a low does of hormones. I honestly can't say anything negative about it. I know you want hormone free, but I still encourage you to research Mirena if you haven't already. It's a very small dose of progesterone only and many people either do not have side effects at all from it, or the side effects they do get are not nearly as bad as the side effects from the much higher dose and estrogen containing pills. I have no ill side effects whatsoever, it's like it's not even there except my periods are only about a quarter of the bleeding I had pre-IUD, and pre-IUD my periods were quite light.

As for Paragard, my only experience with it comes from somebody close to me who had it. After 3 years, she got pregnant and also had pretty bad cramps from it and heavy bleeding even after the first year. Before the pregnancy occurred she was even looking into getting on the mini-pill (progesterone only birth control) just in an attempt to lighten the bleeding.

Just do research on both and talk to a doctor and try to figure out what's best for your body. I was going to go with the paragard because I wanted hormone free, but I'm actually really glad I went with Mirena. I have a feeling I would have had more side effects that I wouldn't have wanted to deal with from Paragard. Just keep in mind that everybody's body responds differently to these things, so while I have no negative effects from Mirena, others do. And my friend had issues with Paragard (ignoring the pregnancy since that should be a statistical freak accident) but others here have mentioned improved cramps rather than worse.

[dkwgdk.livejournal.com]

Seconding the suggestions re: iud-divas and thinking about the Mirena. Oral contraceptives are extremely triggering for both my migraines and my mood disorder, but I needed a way to cope with my dangerously heavy periods. I've had the Mirena for about 18 months and it's been great! I haven't had any of the side effects I got from oral contraceptives (even low-dose ones) any my periods are much easier to manage. Of course, it's totally up to you and what you feel comfortable with, but if heavy periods are at all an issue for you, the Mirena might be worth considering.