Recently, I have been hearing from many of my friends about their desire for a more permanent birth control solution; considering I have had the ParaGard IUD for about a year now, I thought I would share my thoughts. That being said, a HUGE disclaimer: I am not a doctor and I don’t claim to know all the answers. I am just going to speak from my own personal experience.
Speaking of experience, I have had quite a long one with birth control in general. I started taking the pill at a pretty young age to help with my acne (ahhh RIP pre-teen skin) and to help regulate my period which was never normal. I would bleed for 3 weeks sometimes and then not get my period again for months which honestly sucked.
I am a firm believer that not every woman’s period is the same and that every woman reacts to birth control differently. Looking back, I knew almost right away that hormonal birth control wasn’t reacting well with my body. Even when taking the pill, my periods were irregular and my symptoms varied by months. Some months, my mood swings would be out of control and the next, I would feel fine but my cramps (both in my uterus and in my back) would be unbearable. Then, I wouldn’t even bleed at all for a few months. I had to switch brands of the pill a few times due to either insurance reasons or a bad reaction to the brand. Even so, I stuck with the pill for about 7 years – knowing that I got the ability to have my freedom from those little pills.
When I turned 19 and started dating my long-term boyfriend (shout out to you, boo!), I decided that I wanted to look into a more long term birth control solution. That is when I began doing research into the world of birth control. Although I considered my health education in high school progressive, I quickly realized that just seeing my health teacher put a condom on a banana hardly even scratched the surface of what I needed to know to make the correct decisions about my own body.
After some thought, a lot of Google searches, and a consultation at UHS, I decided to go with the Nexplanon Implant – a 4 inch rod that is inserted just under the skin on the inside of the arm. I chose this option for a few reasons: (1) I could always see it and (2) because I was a little afraid of the IUD. In addition, Nexplanon lasts for about 4 years. The process of getting it inserted was super easy and painless. The worst part for me was getting my finger pricked (LOL, I’m a baby, I know). However, while most pill birth controls contain two hormones (estrogen and progesterone) the implant only has one (progestin). Unfortunately, the progestin did not react well with my body. For the first few months, I did not get my period at all, which was incredible. However, soon I started spotting (just bleeding a little) and that did not stop for a few months which was very irritating. If I was a little younger, I might have stuck with the implant, but at that point, I was over just accepting birth control for how it was.
After I got the Nexplanon removed (which was just as easy as getting it put in), I decided to try another permanent option: the IUD. Now, I was a little freaked out about the IUD for a number of reasons. However, after doing more research (including asking many, many friends and UHS), I found that a lot of the things I was freaked out about were myths I had internalized as fact. Here are a few of them:
Myth #1: The procedure is invasive and is going to hurt: Okay, I have a confession about this one, I did think the procedure hurt. But, I have an incredibly low pain tolerance and I did not get it done during my period. If possible, the doctor will do the procedure during your period because your cervix will be the most dilated. However, because I hadn’t gotten my period in months because of the Nexplanon, I didn’t have my period, and thus I found it painful. However, I found that even then, the pain was bearable (and only lasted for about 3 seconds) and many of my other friends did not find it painful at all. In terms of it being invasive, it was not more so than a typical gynecological visit (which we should all be getting anyway!).
Myth #2: It is expensive: This one is partially true. The IUD is really expensive which lead me into the mega-complicated world of insurance. However, the Affordable Care Act does cover IUDs as do many other insurances.
Myth #3: It is going to be hard to tell that the birth control is working: With the pill you can tell it is working because you physically take the pill and with the Nexplanon implant you can tell it’s working because you can feel the insert While this especially worried me, I found that the IUD is even more effective than the pill because it takes away the user error, such as forgetting to take the pill at the same time every day, which I, for one, did so many times.
Myth #4: You will be able to feel the strings during sex. The IUD has strings that hang down outside of your cervix into the vaginal canal but many women’s cervixes are not totally centered and thus many times you or your partner won’t be able to feel the strings. If your partner or you can really feel the strings, you can try different positions and foreplay will be your friend. When you get turned on, your vaginal canal will lengthen (who knew, right?!?) and that will make it harder to feel the strings! Once again, if this continues to bother you, try another method! Remember, birth control is your right!
Myth #5: My periods were going to get worse: I decided to get the ParaGard, which is the copper IUD for a few reasons, including that it lasts up to 10 years and because I was sick of dealing with the way hormones were affecting my body. However, my periods have gotten worse; I have bled more and my cramps are worse. If you see this being a huge problem, there are other hormone IUDs including Mirena and Skyla and Liletta which can even cause a lighter period! However, although my periods are heavier, they are regular for the first time in my life and I have birth control for the next 10 years, which I wouldn’t give up for anything.
Over my journey with numerous forms of birth control, the most important thing I learned was when I realized I was over accepting birth control for how it was. Every body is different and every birth control option is different. It is not your personal job to “suck it up” or “just be grateful you have this option at all”. It is YOUR RIGHT as a human being to control your body and your fate the way you see fit; if this includes birth control (because it for sure does not have to!), you have the right to find the best option for you.
So to get an IUD or not? I can not answer this question definitively in one way or the other, but I can say that my experience was overall very positive – I would recommend it to anyone. All I can say is to do your research, ask questions, ask your friends, ask your doctor, ask Google, and don’t be afraid to trust yourself.
Some great resources: