Mirena?

[emmymae]

I have recently been to the doctor to go off of the pill for birth control and am considering different methods of birth control. There's one that I have been seriously thinking about going on and that is the intrauterine device Mirena. I just wanted to ask anyone's opinion on this method and if you have a information involving health risks, etc. Any advice or opinions you have about it or any other birth control for that matter, would be very helpful! Thanks a lot!

-Emily

[penswriter]

I had the mirena inserted after i had my twins. WORST MISTAKE EVER!!!! I was in that 5% that just did not get along with the added hormones and estrogen. My hair started falling out, horrible acne outbreak, gained 45 lbs, depression, miserable and moody. It was just awful. I do know of others who have it and love it.

Now I just had my b/c changed back to ortho tri cyclen lo. I was on the mini pill but couldn't remember to take it at the exact same time every single day.

Definitely talk over all b/c options with your ob/gyn, get pamphlets, do internet research and anything else you can to know what is best for you.

good luck.

[Westguy1003]

Well I wasn't reccomending that the morning after pill be used every single time they had sex. That's not what its designed for. Yeah it messes up your hormones and your cycle but so does 9 months of pregnancy! Any and all of these pills and shots and patches are going to mess with your hormones. That's what they do.

She's just a little freaked out because her sister got pregnant so she's looking for some extra protection. In reality condoms are usually going to be enough if they're used properly but in the event one does break it wouldnt be a bad idea to have that morning after pill handy only for those situations and not as an every time precaution. It might make you sick or a little off kilter for a bit but I think she'd prefer that to being pregnant.

If you want to try depo or any of the other options then that's fine but the reality is that a good, brand name condom with spermicidal lubricant is over 95% effective (some studies will say 99%) if used properly.

[sweetpea03]

I know you said your mom has endometriosis, but that doesn't mean you will get it. 3 of my aunts have endo, but my mother doesn't, though I ended up with endo myself. It's really not something that is for sure that you will get. Everyone's body reacts differently, so it's up to you. You can try the depo shot and see how your body reacts to it. I wouldn't recommend the whole keeping the morning after pill near by, those pills really mess up your hormones and cycle. The patch is another good choice, I've heard a lot of good things about it. good luck with it all.

[emmymae]

My boyfriend and I always use condoms. My stepsister who is my age just got pregnant and it's made me want to be extra careful. I've recently been on the pill that you only get your period every 3 months and I don't like it very much. And before that I was on regular pills. I've been on the pills since I was 14 and yeah I just don't like having to take it everyday, I often forget and it causes me to have really bad cramps all the time. I haven't really heard much about the patches, I'll ask my doctor about it though, I go in again on Wednesday and have to decide what I want to do then.
There's just so many different things to choose from. I've narrowed it down to three now though, the iud, the ring, or the patches which I will talk to m doctor more about next week and decide then.
Thanks sweetpea03 and Westguy1003 for your advice and suggestions, they have been very helpful!

[Westguy1003]

From what I understand, (again, I'm a guy), diaphrams aren't really considered to be that effective anymore, and certainly not as good as some of the better things out there. There's also the birth control patch that looks more or less like a nicotene patch.. That might be something to look into. Is it just the hassle of taking a pill every day at the same time that you want to avoid?

All these birth control things have side effects since most of them mess with yer hormones. You could always make the guy wear a condom if you don't want to be bothered with it, and keep the morning after pill in your home just in case, although that is meant to be taken as an emergency and not every day.

[emmymae]

Yeah I've heard some good things about the shots too, one of my friends is on them, however my mom said she had a really bad experience with the shots, she said she bled for months after she got them. She said it's because she has Endometriosis, which just about every woman in my family has, and I could have it or get it or something, so she doesn't want me to go on the shots. So I've been looking more into the Mirena thing or the Nuvaring. There's also diaphrams, but I heard they're less effective then the pill. Soo, I dunno.

[Westguy1003]

I'm a guy but an ex of mine was on the Depo shot and she seemed pretty happy with it. Essentially the same as the pill but you only need to get the shot every couple of months instead of taking the pill every day.

[sweetpea03]

well many times the gyno would prefer to give this type of birth control to women who have already given birth, as it has less possible complications. There are risks with any birth control option, so ask any questions you want to your doctor. The Mirena IUD is highly effective. Though have you also thought about the depo-provera shot? just another type of BC to consider.. good luck.