This is your your warning: You do not want to read this blog post if you are not comfortable with me talking about female anatomy and bodily functions! Don't say I didn't warn you....
After having my Mirena since September/October 2011, 2 and a half years or so, I am finally having it removed!! Yey! Hubby and I are ready to start trying to conceive in a few months so we are getting ready!
My appointment to have it removed is today! I have not had many problems with Mirena other than the insertion was a bitch and I will blame at least part of my 60 pound weight gain on it as well as the headaches and abdominal pain I occasionally have. Let’s start with insertion.
I was in college when I decided that the pill was no longer for me so I switched to Nuvaring. That only lasted about 2.5 years because I was getting UTIs about every 6 months which is insane! I blame the Nuvaring and spermicidal lubed condoms I was using at the time. Yuck! I decided that even having to remember something once a month was annoying so I began my research and came down to mirena IUD, copper IUD, or Implanon. Since I have an irrationally huge fear of needles, Implanon was eliminated pretty quickly. No thank you to a giant ass needle coming towards my arm! I’ll pass. So I was left with choosing between the two IUDs.
I did not really have a regular gynecologist so I choose one by my university with a good reputation. She was really great and I would go back to her! I went in thinking the copper IUD was for me as I did not see myself wanting kids for at least five years (turns out finding the love of you life kinda changes that…) and I had seen a lot of stuff about the hormones affecting fertility once you did start trying to conceive. This was a concern to me since I have been on birth control since I was 15 and I am now 24 (then 22.) In the short term, the copper IUD was more costly but it lasts 10 years versus Mirena’s 5. I talked to the doctor about my options and she told me my fears of hormones were unfounded and that women whom were on hormonal birth control had actually been shown to have a lower chance of ovarian cancer. There had been studies that had shown that the lowering amounts of scarring tissue from an egg erupting from the ovary every month (which the hormones reduce the occurrence of). Ok, but what about me knowing that I don’t want to have kids for a while? Yeah, but what if you decide you do? Crap. Ok, good points on all fronts. In the end I decided to go with Mirena because at least if I changed my mind about kids in 2,3,4,5 years, it wouldn’t be as much of a financial loss. At the end of the 5 year duration of my Mirena, I could reevaluate and decide if I wanted to have another one put in.
So now on to the insertion. Before she wen to put it in, the doctor did a pretty basic once over exam and she showed me a sample of the Mirena and let me feel the strings so I would have an idea of what I was looking for when I needed to. She then went in with a topical numbing agent that number and dilated my cervix. After that we had to wait about 15 minutes or so. Then when she went back in she had to straighten out my cervix to be able to measure my uterus and do the insertion. This was seriously the worst part! Think of the worst period cramp you have ever gotten and multiple it by at least 10! It was bearable but so very, very uncomfortable!! After that, the measuring and insertion were pretty quick. I had to lay there for a few minutes because I felt light headed, which they said was normal. Apparently, straightening out your cervix can cause a drop in your blood pressure which I was experiencing 100%! Ugh. I laid there for about 5 minutes and thought I was feeling pretty good. The nurse told me I could try to sit up but when I did I felt like I was going to pass out! Yikes! She made me lay back down and brought me something to drink. I had to lay there for what seemed like forever but it was really only about 15 minutes. When I was finally ready to go, I was feeling pretty good.
Hours after my Mirena was put into place, I began to feel the normal cramping. Nothing compared to what I had felt earlier, this was more of just a mild discomfort. It could mostly be managed with some acetaminophen and I could go about my day. For the next week or so, I continued to experience cramping off and on but it in no way affected my sex drive! I was quite happy about that. The cramping was always manageable and by the second week had almost completely disappeared. As far as my period goes, I continued to get it for a couple of months and it eventually became so light that I only needed the lightest of pads. It was pretty sporadic but eventually they stopped altogether which was the best thing about the Mirena (after not getting pregnant of course!) I still do not get a period but I do notice bloating and sometimes cramping around the time when I used to get my period but nothing I can’t handle!
Now, I get to have it removed in just over 3 hours! I cannot wait! I have read that some notice a big difference in their body almost right away and others see more of a gradual difference. I will update this post once it has been removed!
UPDATE:
I had my Mirena removed and it was nothing compared to having it put in! I mean really, I was done in less than 10 minutes! I went to the doctor, waited to be called back, went to the exam room, was asked about my history, and then laid back and before I knew it, it was over! The doctor explained it all, she said she would grab the strings, ask me to cough, and then pull it on out. This is exactly what she did and I barely felt it at all. I am not sure if the coughing is to distract you or to make you kind of help "push" the Mirena out but either way, it worked! I had very, very mild cramping on my right side for about an hour and now I am perfectly fine! I am sure there will be some spotting in the next couple of days but nothing I cannot deal with! If you are thinking about having your IUD removed but are scared of how it will be because of your experience with the insertion, believe me, you will be fine! There is little to no pain at all!
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