copper iud

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-10-2004
copper iud
4
Wed, 03-10-2004 - 10:44am
Hi there,

I just had a copper iud inserted this week. First day was very crampy and uncomfortable. Hope it will get better. Looking for feedback from other women on the iud. Did you get heavier periods? Are you comfortable with it? Any other changes?

thanks!

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-12-2003
In reply to: jeswatek
Wed, 03-10-2004 - 12:00pm
Good Morning and Welcome! It is so good to see more and more women comming here looking for advice and support!

I'm 20, in a long term monogomous relationship and have never had any children, so here is my experience with my Copper IUD: I had it inserted October 4th 2003, so I've had 6 cycles since then. I do get a little heaver cramping the day before and the day that I start my period, though. Not including the first cycle (I was mid cycle when it was inserted), they have been spaced at 28, 28, 29, 21, 28, 35. I thought I was fairly regular for the first few months, but last month I was a week late so I'm starting to wonder if this might be the first sign of things changing with me. My periods have actually gotten a little lighter since I've had the IUD as opposed to how they were while I was on the Pill. They don't last as long as they did on the pill either! While I was taking OCs my periods lasted from Wednesday to Monday and now they tend to be only about 3-4 days!

So far, I'm really happy with the IUD. It is worry-free birth control that I dont have to think about again until April 2006 (my IUD is good for 36 months)! The benefits far out weigh the downfalls for me. Good Luck and hope you are as happy with yours as I am with mine!

*MG*

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
In reply to: jeswatek
Wed, 03-10-2004 - 5:12pm
I have the Mirena IUD....The first couple of months I had cramps not every day but every now and then--Ibuprofen worked well (taking 200-400mg every 4-6hrs)...I've had it for about 8 months now and I haven't had cramps in "I can't remember how long"....The first few periods after getting the IUD were heavier and came every 2 weeks....It' has gotten better! Periods now are basicly spotting for a few days....My dr says it will get even shorter....So if at first things don't look so good hang in there--hopefully it will get better for yoU!!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-10-2004
In reply to: jeswatek
Tue, 03-16-2004 - 8:48pm
Thanks for the reply! I've been spotting every day and hope this is just for the first month! The first day was very bad and crampy! And the advil helped! I plan to stick it out for a while. I figure the first month is the worst! Thanks again!
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-15-2003
In reply to: jeswatek
Tue, 03-16-2004 - 9:35pm
I've used copper IUDs for most of my adult life, about 25 years. I've never had

a problem with them. Maybe a little crampy for an hour or two after insertion, but

nothing much. My periods were no heavier, no longer, etc. I did have to stop using

them for a while in my late 20's because I expelled a new one because, my doctor said,

things were "too tight" down there because I hadn't yet had a baby. Once I had my baby,

I went back to the IUD, and have used it ever since. It's the perfect device for me.

Good Luck!