Weddingbee boards

I love my Mirena, and have posted about it before on Weddingbee. And here's what I said, on a post looking for pros/cons:

I got my first one inserted in 2004, and just got my second one a few months ago. As many bees have noted - the insertion HURTS HURTS HURTS. They say to expect "pressure" on your cervix. They are lying. It. Hurts. But it's over after a minute (tops), and then you don't have to do it again for years.

Pros:

• I don't have to worry about having my period. It stops a couple of weeks after the new IUD is inserted, and doesn't start again for about 4 years.
• It's crazy-effective. IUDs tend to prevent pregnancy 99.9% of the time, which is way higher than almost all other forms of birth control.
• It's really low maintenance. You just have to remember when to have a new one inserted, and check it every few months to make sure you can still feel the string.
• Cost-averaged over the life of the device, it's not very expensive.

Cons:

• Seriously - the insertion is really uncomfortable. My gyne told me to expect "some pressure" on my cervix. She is a liar. Or my cervix is exquisitely sensitive.
• Up front, it's pretty expensive, and a lot of insurance companies don't cover it.

And just FYI - the Mirena is the hormonal IUD. There's also the Paraguard, which is the non-hormonal version. The Mirena lasts 5 years. The Paraguard lasts 10 years. I know that prior pregnancy isn't necessary for the Mirena, but I'm not sure about the Paraguard. Either way, though - if you know you're not going to want to get pregnant for the next 4-5 years and you're in a monogamous relationship (no STD protection with either of these), I'd definitely recommend talking to your gyne about using an IUD.

I have a Mirena IUD and LOVE it. It’s not the one from the swimming commercial though, so not sure if Mirena is really want you want reviews on(?)

It did hurt like a *mother* to have inserted, but it only took about 30 seconds and it wasn’t anything you can’t handle. Take asprin beforehand. My OB/GYN gave me an Rx to take beforehand to help with insertion (sorry if TMI), and while it probably did help, it made me feel very sick to my stomach. So, I ended up taking the day off work that day. It wasn’t a pleasant experience – but wasn’t terrible and was totally worth it in the long run.

The first few months I also had pretty bad cramping – on and off. It wasn’t worse than the worst period cramps I have had – about the same, but was more frequent than the usual once a month.

Since then though, it’s been awesome. No pain, no remembering to take pills, totally secure I won’t get pregnant for up to 5 years (or less if I want), and best of all – no period! Woohoo!!