I-U-Don't? I-U-Do!

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  Posted by S Tue Jul 7, 2009 8:56am PDT

  Alicia, most doctors don't tell people that because it's hogwash. Get a life, my dear. Your body naturally and spontaneously rejects fertilized eggs on it's own at times without bc help. In that case, whose fault would that be??

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  Posted by Sarah McCollum Tue Jul 7, 2009 9:29am PDT

  I was using the NuvaRing...got pregnant and miscarriaged shortly thereafter. I did not want to be pregnant in the first place...so my doctor put me on Mirena. I'm engaged and he already has two daughters...so we aren't looking for children any time soon. My doctor knows all of this and was ok with putting me on Mirena. I will put out this warning though...Mirena has been a bit of a pain in the rear! I've been on it 5 months now and am just now getting through the side effects! Well worth it though in the long run!

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  Posted by Katie Rules Tue Jul 7, 2009 9:43am PDT

  Somebody else mentioned this too -- I was under the impression that the reason most doctors don't favor IUD for someone who hasn't been pregnant is because of the discomfort you can experience if that area has never been stretched by a baby. I imagine that pain would eventually go away after the initial insertion, but I've never received an IUD myself. I don't think modern IUDs carry the same risks of infertility that used to be associated with them.

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  Posted by AmyF Tue Jul 7, 2009 9:53am PDT

  I have had Mirena for over two years now and I absolutly LOVE it!!!! Inserting it was easy (I have had one child, 5 years old) It felt like a period cramp. Speaking of period cramps, I have none! I havent had a period for two years, it is the best thing ever!!! As for Alicia, your comment is rediculious, to say that you are essencially having an abortion each month is a comment from and ignorant person on the subject.

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  Posted by Jessica Tue Jul 7, 2009 10:46am PDT

  No pills - I agree that, if you really want the IUD, you should find another doctor. A good number of private physicians will insert IUDs for women who have never had a child. The reason why some doctors won't give a woman an IUD is not because of sterility or just because they don't want to, it's usually because they don't want to give the IUD to a woman who is at a higher risk of contracting an STD, usually teens and women in their 20s (even if they say they only have one partner - the chances of them having an increased number of partners over 5-10 years is greater than for women who are older). I have the Mirena myself, and personally, I couldn't be happier with my decision to get it. Unlike most of the previous posters, I've never had any problems with any hormonal contraception before but I decided to switch to the IUD after the economy tanked and I wanted to save money by not having to buy a pack of pills each month.

  HOWEVER, there are some other things you still need to consider before opting for an IUD. 1) Up-front costs for IUDs can be very expensive, especially if you don't have health insurance or if your current insurance does not cover birth control. The price I was quoted was around $500. 2) Yes, there is pain involved when the doc inserts the IUD, but this can be avoided somewhat if you take steps beforehand. My friend (who also has an IUD) told me to take an over-the-counter pain med at least one hour before my insertion appointment, and I would also recommend taking the whole day off from work or plan not to do anything else that day. The pain (at least for me) was like having really bad cramps on your period, and I did feel a little dizzy during the insertion process. The key to fighting dizziness is to take slow, deep breathes and to keep calm. And once you get home, lay in bed with a heating pad on your stomach - believe me, that's all you'll feel like doing.

  And as far as sterility and IUDs go - back in the 70s when IUDs were first invented and used, they were not high quality and did cause increased rates of infertility in some women. HOWEVER, the old problems with the IUDs have now been fixed with the newer versions, so the risk of IUD use and infertility is very low. As Dr. Kate posted in her reply, infertility from IUDs nowadays is almost always caused by an untreated STD or other health problems that health care professionals did not test for or treat.

  Another point of advice (I know this post is long, but this is important) is that you NEED to be careful about STDs, and you need to have an open, honest conversation with your partner, and insist to your doctor and that you (and your partner) get tested for STDs before inserting the IUD, even if you don't think you have one. The problem is, most STD cases go untreated because the person doesn't have any symptoms, and the only way to be 100% sure you are not infected is to be tested.

  Then, you and your guy have to sit down and talk about sexual responsibility, and be point blank with him that you both need to be faithful and not have unprotected sex with other people. Untreated STDs in women with IUDs can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) which causes sterility in women. So, be direct with him that he AND you need to responsible about being monogamous (or use condoms with the IUD) because your fertility and your health is on the line.

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  Posted by Mysterious Gryphon Tue Jul 7, 2009 11:05am PDT

  Alicia -

  You are incorrect to assert that IUD's do not prevent insemination. Please do some research on the subject before speaking about it.

  Mirena is a "combination" of hormones and irritant (so NO PILLS, be aware of that). It works exactly the same way as your Nuvaring does, or any other hormonal contraceptive. It just adds an extra layer of protection in case the hormones fail, and it last for five years without your having to think about it.

  Paraguard is made of copper, which is a natural spermicide. No, it's not a barrier method, but it essentially makes your uterus a hostile environment for sperm - thus, the little guys die before they can do any damage whatsoever. In my opinion, Paraguard should be standard equipment for every female over the age of 13, since it has zero side effects unless you have a copper allergy.

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  Posted by Lindsey M Tue Jul 7, 2009 12:39pm PDT

  I've had my IUD (the Mirina) for 3 years and had two children beforehand. I got pregnant three times (two births, one miscarriage) on birth control, pills, shot, patch. It did not matter. And I was a stickler for keeping up with it. I got the IUD because I kept getting pregnant. 3 Years later, still no pregnancies. I hope to take it out in another year or so and try for one more baby. Not that I will have to try. My husband and I seem to be overly fertile. But the pain was just as bad as my periods, which were pretty bad. But it goes away and I have not had a period since. That is three years, no period and no babies. Awesome, if you ask me. Although, that comment someone made about insemination and possible fertilization but no implantation, that concerns me. I will have to ask my doctor about that to be sure. I hope that is not true because I don't like the idea of my eggs being fertilized and then discarded because of something I had control over. But if all birth controls do the same thing, I am not sure what to do. I would rather have a BC that keeps me from getting pregnant by not letting the egg and sperm get anywhere near each other rather than letting them fertilize and then purging what could be a potential child. This is very interesting to me and I will get to the bottom of it.

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  Posted by KirstinG Tue Jul 7, 2009 1:34pm PDT

  A rather large number of women can't have children after using an IUD, so they usually only give them to women who have had at least one child. Its espacially common with Mirena. There ARE reasons why doctors say no if you haven't had a child. If you read the pamphlets, they tell you the percentages of women who have fertility issues after using the IUD.

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  Posted by AmandaG Tue Jul 7, 2009 3:52pm PDT

  Back in the day when I was thinking I didn't wanna ever be married or have kids, I asked about an IUD. The gyno's response? "No, you have way too many sex partners for that." Yep, she was a b---- . A BIG b---- . So glad she doesn't have a practice here anymore. I tried the patch, but that thing drove me nuts. And, I tried the ring and liked it except every now and then it would slip out, but it got too expensive. I considered the shot, but then I decided against it. I currently don't have the money to get any kind of birth control other then pills and I'm not a pill popper. I'll forget. So, I use the old ways. Condoms for me!

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  Posted by AmandaG Tue Jul 7, 2009 3:53pm PDT

  Correction: Just so there's no confusion or smart comments, when I said "condoms for me" I didn't mean to put on me per se, I meant on the guy, lol.

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