This is about gynaecological things. You have been warned.
It’s been nearly 4 months since th birth of irishbaby, and, much as I love her, I want her to be an only child for the next 2-3 years. I’m breastfeeding at the moment, but it’s not exactly a foolproof or long-term method of contraception.
So, I went to the family planning clinic for a Mirena today. Well, it didn’t happen.
My last Mirena (also known as the-best-invention-since-sliced-bread) was put in under general anaesthetic, and I’ve never been through labour (irishbaby was a planned c-section) so I wasn’t anticipating a fun afternoon, but it turns out my cervix has decided that it has heard about this “dilation” thing and wants no part in it.
Take it from me, you never want to her your gynae doc say “I think we’re going to have to abandon this, the probe is just bending because your cervix is shut tight”.
I got a cervical block (which wasn’t bad, despite the fact that it involves needles) as the doctor thought it would be a good plan “just in case”, so it wasn’t painful at all, thank goodness. But really, to go through all that indignity and discomfort without a pay-off is extremely irritating.
Stupid cervix.
So now I have to go on the waiting list for getting it put in under GA…again. The worst part is that it will take a few months to organise, so I’ll be taking a progesterone-only pill in the meantime. Really, really annoying.
Sorry things didn’t work out - that is very frustrating. Be careful with the progesterone-only pill, though and make sure to take it the same time every day. I know a few people off the top of my head (myself included) who got pregnant on it.
I’ve wanted to get a Mirena but the potential side effects scared me off. I’m on Yasmin at the moment and it’s treated me well but I’m very bad about remembering to take it at the same time every day. :smack:
I just called my gyn yesterday to get Mirena. Said it will be 3 weeks for them to check my insurance, wish they would of told me this months ago! He made it seem like all I had to do was call and schedule an appointment. (Have 2 kids, and last was born 8 months ago)
I am a bit nervous about the potential side effects, but I’ve been on the pill before and didn’t seem to have a problem then. The copper IUD bothers me too, heavier periods ugh…
Good god. Lucky you had the block. I had no trouble getting mine, but had no anesthesia and it hurt like hell.
Best thing I ever did, though. I’ve had my Mirena for about a year, and I’m still a little pissed at my doctor for not trying to talk me into it earlier.
re: the side effects - for me, they were much, much less than those I had on the pill. Totally worth the switch, IMO.
Yoiks - bent the probe??? You must have a Cervix Of Steel!!!
Never had an IUD of any sort, but the one time a doc tried to do an endometrial biopsy in-office, she had to give up for similar reasons (though as far as I know I didn’t damage any equipment). In my case they were planning a hysteroscopy / D&C anyway, which was to be done under heavy sedation in a hospital, so the doc just did the endo biopsy then. I do remember that after the doctor gave up, I felt so dizzy I nearly passed out.
In the interim, take heart in the fact that if you’re on the progesterone pill, added to the fact that you’re still nursing (not foolproof but it certainly reduces fertility in a lot of people), you should be OK for the time being.
To sidetrack things a bit, how did you like the Mirena? I’m never allowed to be on regular hormonal birth control again after my PE, so the Mirena is my only hormonal option (since the hormones are topical to the uterus instead of being released systemically).
Guns, I know you’re not asking me, but I hope you don’t mind me answering - I LOVE my Mirena. I was on BCP for about 10 years, and I don’t really remember how things were before, so I can’t say for sure that there are no side effects from the IUD, but if there are, they are very, very minor. My cycle was a bit funny for about five months, but after that it was great.
I’d have a dozen of them at a time if they’d let me. With my first one, I didn’t have a period for the first 4 1/2 years, and when I did start having them again they were very short and light, with no cramping and very little PMS. I especially loved the last part, because before the Mirena I felt ready for the booby hatch about half the month–I was having such severe mood swings I once seriously considered putting a kitchen knife in my husband’s head because although he was taking out the trash, he wasn’t doing it fast enough.
With this one, I’m still having periods a year after insertion, but they’re getting to the point where it’s really just a few days of moderate spotting. Still no cramps or PMS to speak of.
Of course, everyone’s body responds to hormones differently, so there’s no real predicting how it’ll be for you. But everything I’ve ever seen indicates that negative side effects tend to taper off over time.
I will say, however, that if your cervix hasn’t been dilated before, take any drugs your doctor wants to give you. Nobody likes the phrase, “we’re gonna need a dilator in here.”
You can search for my thread about my first insertion–it was about 6 years ago.
When I say the Mirena was the best invention since sliced bread, I truly mean it.
Normally, without hormonal contraception I have 21 day cycles, with 7 days of bleeding, lots of pain, PMS from hell and just general awfulness.
The various pills made my skin awful, exacerbated the PMS mood swings and while reducing the amount of bleeding and increasing the length of a cycle, generally were not exactly great. The exception being Dianette, but I was on that for the maximum time recommended and by the end of the 5 years I had a cervical ectropion, which was not fun. Dianette isn’t approved by the FDA, but I believe you can get it in Canada as “Diane 35”.
Mirena- my horrendous periods became the occasional day of painless light spotting. Bad skin became good, and my mood was always great.
Oh yes, and my fertility returned very fast- I got pregnant with irishbaby less than 90days after having it removed.
There is a reason I’d rather go through a general anaesthetic (and was willing to let someone stick needles in my cervix) instead of just taking a pill every day. For me the Mirena is totally worth it.
I’ve assisted with several IUD insertions since I started working in a gyne office 3 months ago. Some people love them, and some people become impatient for those first few months where your period can get really wacky before they calm down and have them removed, IMO prematurely. It does take time for it to settle in and meantime you could bleed for weeks on end and have cramping, but it’s usually smooth sailing after that if you can wait it out.
On the cervix thing, did they try to dilate it with instruments? I’ve seen and helped with many different procedures and surgeries in my career, and most things don’t faze me. However, when I first witnessed the use of dilators, I almost passed out. You can hear the tissue, usually sclerosed, separating and ugh, it’s not a sound that one should hear. It still gets to me on a visceral level. And then the cervical block, with the needle in the… aaaah! Oh boy, that’s just wrong.
Oh yeah, she tried a cyto-brush, a simple probe, a uterine sound and dilator…no go.
I used to work in gynae, and so I knew EXACTLY what was going on down there… which didn’t actually make it easier. “You may feel a little pinch” is actually “I’m sticking needles in your cervix” and “you might get a wee cramp” is actually “I’m trying to jam a piece of plastic up your cervix”. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.
The experience did at least confirm that my pain thresh-hold is on the higher side though- years of excruciating period pain tends to give a good perspective on what a bad cramp actually feels like.
I’ve just had my one-year anniversary with mine, and I’m already planning on the tactics I’m going to use to get some industrial-strength painkillers for when they insert my next one. This includes buying illegal street drugs, if I have to. My doctor, who is great, but who has never had an IUD, told me I’d be fine if I just took a few Advil beforehand. She also advised that I’d feel “a little cramp.” Nope. Not doing that again.
The only thing I don’t like about it now is that it hasn’t eliminated my periods like I’d hoped.
I loved my Mirena. I had not been pregnant before I got it, and while the insertion hurt fairly badly, the pain only lasted about a minute or two. I did take a tylenol 3 I’d been hording before the insertion, which helped.
Getting it out was worse–the doctor who put it in had cut the strings too short and they had to dig around in my cervix for 30 minutes to find them. Not fun. Still, I definitely don’t regret getting it. I had no period at after the first 3 months or so, and no other side effects. My fertility returned immediately–I got pregnant about 2 weeks after getting it removed.
I am not a doctor, but a tight-cervixed nulliparous friend had her second Mirena installed after her doc gave her a nice dose of Misoprostol the day before, and it went very, very smoothly for her. Don’t know if that might not be an option for you due to all the recent stress down there, but I’m surprised it wasn’t suggested.
I loooooooove my Mirena. I hope I never have to use another form of birth control, ever. I had mine inserted 2 years ago, when my son was about 4 months old, and the insertion was a piece of cake for me. (My cervix is apparently the opposite of irishgirl’s - I was only in labor with my son for 5 hours, and I’d been dilated to 5cm for at least 4 days before he was born.) So I took a couple of Advil before the appointment, and was very mildly crampy afterward, but it was definitely No Big Deal.
(And I hear you, irishgirl, about that whole no-sibling-yet-thank-you thing. I was nursing around the clock and my period still came back when my son was only 10 weeks old. 10 weeks! I made the Mirena appointment quickly, believe you me.)
Oh - another potential issue with the Mirena, Shot From Guns: my insurance covered the device, but not the insertion. I had to pay that out of pocket. Which made no sense to me - what, they want me to carry it around in my pocket? Yeah, that will do the trick… :rolleyes:
Love my Mirena. Love love love it. It’ll be 5 years next May, and you can be damn certain I’m getting another one in there just as soon as (or before) the current one comes out. Love it.
My periods have stopped pretty much entirely, which is nice. (I never had heavy ones anyway, and only mild cramping stopped by regular grade Tylenol, but I don’t miss them.) I haven’t noticed any other changes really; I never PMS’d much either (but I’ve been on hormonal birth control for years; BCPs for 10 years before the Mirena). Love it.
I love that I never think about birth control, ever. No “did I take my pill this morning?” No planning for vacations to either try to match up the cycle or make sure I have enough pills. No going to the local Walgreen’s for quarterly refills. And now that I don’t have periods anymore, I don’t have to stock those supplies either (tho’ I do still have some for visitors). My sister-in-law was up to visit once and asked me to pick some up at the store while I was there, and I’d honestly forgotten where they stocked the tampons and pads! Love it.
Other than the co-pay for the office visit for insertion, I don’t remember paying a thing for mine. In any case, it’s a steal at 10x the price. Insertion did suck (I’m childless), but I was all right by the next day.
Seriously, I can’t say enough good about it. I’ve evangelized about it here before - it’s really rather embarrassing. But hey - some women love their moon cups, I love my Mirena. Did I mention I love it? Love it.