https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 29 Apr 2026 21:42:43 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mirena-v-bcp#post-1859847 Fri, 12 Sep 2014 08:54:07 +0000 loveisstrange 1859847@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I took BCP in college and had BAD side effects. Lots of weight gain, severe mood swings, etc. Ive had a Mirena for 2+ years now. Completely happy. Insertion was pretty painless for me, no bad side effects to speak of and I havent had a period since my LMP when I got pregnant with C. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mirena-v-bcp#post-1859828 Fri, 12 Sep 2014 08:47:01 +0000 sunshineandsushi 1859828@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Was on BC before kids for about 6 years and had Mirena inserted after kids, for about 1.5 years now. Granted, I never really had side effects from BC, so have similarly had no side effects from Mirena. Except, practically non-existent periods. It is awesome. I will say, though, that the IUD insertion hurt worse than my c-section delivery. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mirena-v-bcp#post-1859661 Fri, 12 Sep 2014 07:36:30 +0000 Smurfette 1859661@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was on BC before LO and had no issues. I have had no issues since getting my IUD. I love love that I don't get a period. I still have small spotting, but it seems to finally be stopping. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mirena-v-bcp#post-1859606 Fri, 12 Sep 2014 06:49:39 +0000 Mae 1859606@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Beebug: you are what scares me! Lol. If I didn't know you I'd prob have had an iud placed already. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mirena-v-bcp#post-1859509 Fri, 12 Sep 2014 03:34:14 +0000 Beebug 1859509@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I know I don't need to type my story to you, but I think my overall BC advice is that I wouldn't do any type of BC that can physically mess with you, aka end up in the wrong spot.</p> <p>I know I'm in the minority with the worst odds happened to me, but lesson learned. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mirena-v-bcp#post-1859507 Fri, 12 Sep 2014 03:14:23 +0000 lamariniere 1859507@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have the copper IUD, and while I can't compare the things you want to know, it is AWESOME not to have to remember to take a pill every day! If you are not concerned about hormones, I would go straight to the IUD. (I didn't want any, which is why I went copper). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mirena-v-bcp#post-1859377 Thu, 11 Sep 2014 22:28:47 +0000 jhd 1859377@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was on BCP during grad school. My body just doesn't handle it well at all. I had Mirena placed shortly before our wedding and had it for three years before removing it for ttc. I had another one put in about a month ago. I have had positive experiences. Periods never went away completely but they were so light they were barely noticeable after a while. And I didn't have any reactions to the hormones that I can tell. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mirena-v-bcp#post-1859345 Thu, 11 Sep 2014 22:09:56 +0000 Mrs. Bee 1859345@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Pen: i didn't have a period for practically 5 years between pregnancies and breastfeeding. not having a period would be glorious! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mirena-v-bcp#post-1859322 Thu, 11 Sep 2014 21:55:21 +0000 woodentulip 1859322@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was on the BCP for about 10 years before having kids, then off for about 5 years and then this past March I decided to go with Mirena. </p> <p>I can't really say what kind of side effects I had from the pill, primarily because it was so long ago, and also because I was a hormonal teenager when I went on it. Nothing was bad enough to cause me to stop using it though!</p> <p>I posted about my experience last weekend having had Mirena--I ended up with a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, that was likely about 8 weeks in (as is estimated by my beta levels) and unknown because I didn't have any periods on Mirena (which was totally side awesome!!). The OB who I saw and operated on me said that while an IUD can cause an increased risk of ectopic, she had not seen one with Mirena because its failure rate is so low. That being said, she also suggested that I consider other routes of BC now, and we agreed and during surgery she removed my IUD. Because we were not trying to get pregnant, and because I wasn't having periods, and had no other classic early pregnancy signs, I was unaware of my pregnancy.</p> <p>I had no other side effects from Mirena. I am by nature an anxious person and I was worried that it would be amplified by the hormones, but instead until last week, it really was fabulous. My only word of caution is that if you start feeling 'off' in your abdomen, even before it turns into pain and bleeding...go get it checked out! Never in my wildest dreams did I think that things would turn out as they did. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mirena-v-bcp#post-1859306 Thu, 11 Sep 2014 21:50:09 +0000 Mrs. Pen 1859306@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Bee: i read the same thing about periods and that sounded treacherous. The mire a, with no periods, sounded appealing.<br /> @Mae: Junel (loestrin). It's what I was on prior to TTC many years ago so I decided to stick with it and no side effects for me whatsoever! The hardest part is simply remembering to take it every day ;) I still get normal periods with it too. No cramping though which is AWESOME- they used to debilitate me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mirena-v-bcp#post-1859301 Thu, 11 Sep 2014 21:47:26 +0000 yoursilverlining 1859301@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I stopped using BCP years ago (like....many years ago!) because no matter what kind I tried, no matter how low the estrogen, I got super sick every month for several day at a time on BCP; heavy vomiting that would last 1-3 days only while on BCP.</p> <p>I've had Mirena for several years in total (before and after LO), and never had any issues like that. I did have on and off spotting for months with the first Mirena, but once that went away I had no periods at all, so it was worth it. No pms symptoms that I've noticed, though I never had a lot to begin with anyway. No negative symptoms at all. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mirena-v-bcp#post-1859299 Thu, 11 Sep 2014 21:45:46 +0000 Mrs. Bee 1859299@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i've heard so many scary stories about both types of iuds. so even though i really wanted one, i just went back on the pill. on my local parenting listserv (which has about 5k people on it), there were literally dozens of horror stories in such a small sample. that's what really scared me off. but i also know tons of women who absolutely love it!</p> <p>bcp is a reallllll pain though so i might still consider an iud. i'd go for mirena even though it is hormonal because i hear the periods on paraguard can be killer. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mirena-v-bcp#post-1859289 Thu, 11 Sep 2014 21:41:37 +0000 LovelyPlum 1859289@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: Thanks! I don't know...maybe I am naive, but I was more scared of the concept of IUD in general than in Paraguard in particular. Once I decided that we needed some secure form of BC, I seriously looked into IUD, and once I decided I wanted one, Paraguard seemed like the only real option for me. </p> <p>@oliviaoblivia: lol! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mirena-v-bcp#post-1859257 Thu, 11 Sep 2014 21:27:45 +0000 Mae 1859257@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@oliviaoblivia: lol! that is awesome. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mirena-v-bcp#post-1859256 Thu, 11 Sep 2014 21:27:42 +0000 Espion 1859256@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@oliviaoblivia: lol! A side awesome. </p> <p>@Mae: The OB I saw last loooooves the Mirena. She says that most women will eventually have really light or no periods on it, and it is a smaller dose of hormone. It is probably what I will end up with. While we are two and through, I don't want to do anything permanent to DH or me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mirena-v-bcp#post-1859254 Thu, 11 Sep 2014 21:26:44 +0000 Mae 1859254@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Pen: The copper iud would be so perfect if it wasn't so damn scary. It is what my midwife recommended for me. But I'm scared. Which pill are you on? Ortho Lo was better for me than Ortho, but still a huge difference from being off hormones all together. </p> <p>@LovelyPlum: I hope it goes well for you! I feel like its one of those things where for MOST people it works just great. I keep coming back to it because I think it would probably be fine... and I worry that if I don't make a decision soon I'm going to end up with irish twins (and then no husband because if I told him I was pregnant any time in the next year there would be a husband shaped hole in the front door.... lol) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mirena-v-bcp#post-1859250 Thu, 11 Sep 2014 21:25:10 +0000 oliviaoblivia 1859250@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had tons of side effects from BCP and only one from Mirena.</p> <p>The one from Mirena was no period for for years. I prefer to call it a side awesome. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mirena-v-bcp#post-1859242 Thu, 11 Sep 2014 21:21:45 +0000 LovelyPlum 1859242@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So I can't really answer your question, but I just got the copper IUD today! I was in the same boat with hormonal BC, so I didn't want either Mirena or the pill. We'll see how it goes, I guess! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mirena-v-bcp#post-1859236 Thu, 11 Sep 2014 21:20:13 +0000 Mrs. Pen 1859236@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was in the same boat as you after weaning... I did talk to my doctor about the IUD's and she recommended the cooper one... But I couldn't stop reading horror stories about them... And then my mom told me an IUD is what caused my aunt's infertility so that made the decision for me. I'm back on the pill now, and it's low hormone, no side effects so I'm happy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/mirena-v-bcp#post-1859227 Thu, 11 Sep 2014 21:17:18 +0000 Mae 1859227@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I can't decide on PP birth control. A IUD appeals to me because it seems pretty fool-proof and easy, and I had bad side effects from BCPs (even Ortho Low). Because I didn't do well on BCPs I was thinking the copper IUD might be better because it is non hormonal, but it seems to have its own set of scary side effects. </p> <p>I know that they say that the hormones in Mirena are easier on you than BCPs, but I'm wondering how true that is for most people. </p> <p>If you have been on both Mirena and BCP.... did you find the side effects comparable? Especially interested in people who didn't react well to BCPs! </p>