IUD troubles

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-15-2004
IUD troubles
3
Tue, 07-13-2004 - 4:29pm
Hello all!

This is not a question, but I just had to vent about it, because it is driving me a little crazy thinking about it.

In May of this year I had the Copper Paragard IUD inserted. Up until then I had been on several different kinds of birth control including OTC, OTC-lo and OrthoEvra. None of the homronal bc options agreed with my body, so I decided to go with the IUD. I am very happy with my choice, so far it has worked well for me.

In June I missed my AF altogether, and for scheduling reasons I had to push my post-insertion appointment to today (one month after I was supposed to have it). I also missed my period this month. So ever since June I have been a little freaked out that I am pg, but that is very unlikely considering the IUD and my BF and I use condoms as well. I went into my appointment today and told my Gyn. about my situation. She said that it's possible that since I am coming off of the hormonal bc, that my body is now readjusting to it's own time schedule. Which would make sense since before being on bc, I was pretty unregular. But I have never missed 2 months completely. So my gyn. had me take a blood test "just to be sure". And I am now awaiting the results.

So I will probably be pretty anxious until I find out for sure what is going on with my body...I just thought it might help to vent a bit. Has anyone else been in this situation with their IUD?

Thanks in advance for your replies!

~*Shopgrli

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
In reply to: shopgrli
Tue, 07-13-2004 - 5:33pm
I've had the mirena IUD for 11 1/2 months.I haven't had a period since the last week in May.The string's in place and I did a test to satisfy my husband and it came out negative.My dr said as long as the string's in place there shouldn't be a problem-since a side effect of getting the Mirena can be stopped periods....I love it but it can be nerve wracking....I know how you feel....
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-14-2004
In reply to: shopgrli
Tue, 07-13-2004 - 9:44pm
First - There's a difference between the Paraguard and Mirena IUD is that the Mirena IUD uses a small amount of progesteron (hormone) to block conception. The Paraguard is hormone free.

Second - Frequently when you go off the pill and you were irregular before, you will take a while to readjust your cycles. I went off the pill in '92 to try to have a child. Because I'd never been regular before, I immediately went back to being irregular. I won't tell the whole story here... more suited for a infertility board... but I never did get regular because I'd developed Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and hadn't known it, because the pill was the treatment of choice at the time and I'd already been on it. PCOS as it's called is often develops/becomes apparent in late adolescents. I was 17 when I started OC. Anyway... 8 YEARS later I finally became "regular" as other women have known it to be... and conceived my beautiful son. After his birth I started searching for b/c again... I tried several versions of OC but they all made me sick, so I went to the Paraguard IUD. Since I was already regular "finally" I stayed regualr.

What I'm trying to say here... and I'm sorry it's so long... is that it's very possible that your only reason for missing 2 AF's is the cessation of the pill. After I stopped the pill it took about 6 months before I had a period.

Hope this eases your anxiety a bit.

Jenn

"Many Persons have a wrong idea what constitutes true happiness.  It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose."  Helen Keller
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-15-2004
In reply to: shopgrli
Wed, 07-14-2004 - 4:17pm
Thank you both for your responses. They did put my mind to ease..at least as much as possible. I hope that you are right and that my body is just adjusting to no longer having hormones in it. I am probably just worrying about nothing.

Thank you again for your help!

~*Shopgrli