Vasectomy vs Hormonal IUD

I got my first Mirena when I was 17. I would describe the insertion process as uncomfortable but not painful. I did have a vagal response (came close to passing out) right after, but it didn't last long, I just needed to sit for a minute. I experienced very light cramping for about 4-6 days afterwards. I did lose some weight that year that may have been attributed to the birth control, I went from 120lbs to 100lbs (there were no other pressing reasons for the quick change in my weight other than the BC, perhaps stress as it was my senior year of high school). At the time, the Mirena was thought to be effective for five years, so I had it removed and replaced with another Mirena when I was 22. The removal and reinsertion was more uncomfortable than the initial insertion, but totally manageable in my experience. Overall, I did not experience many hormonal side effects that I noticed. I pretty much stopped menstruating after the first few months of having it, aside from very occasional, very light spotting. I would sometimes experience symptoms of PMS without the bleeding (a little fatigue, some mood changes). I did develop some cystic acne in the first 1-3 years of being on my second IUD, but it was truly not much and never lasted long. My favorite part of this method is how effective and easy to use it is. I was truly never concerned about pregnancy from 17-27 which allowed for a lot of freedom in terms of my sex life. In my long term relationship, we do not use condoms (both have been screened for STIs) and I feel completely safe and comfortable with my partner not pulling out (I know that's a personal detail but I what to emphasize that that's how effective it truly is in my experience). I did recently decide to remove my hormonal IUD and replace it with the non-hormonal IUD. My Mirena still had at least 2 years left in it, but since I had not had a period or had gone through that natural, hormonal process in 10 years, I wanted to give my body a break from hormonal birth control to develop that relationship with my body. If I did not have the option/privilege to change methods, I would have 100% kept my Mirena until it expired, and probably got a third one.

Love the Mirena!

This caused pain/vomiting/inability to sleep for 3 months after insertion. I was promised it would improve, and told to just keep giving it time. Severe menstrual cramps continued the whole 2 years that I had this. Doctors promised many times over the 2 years that my symptoms were normal and/or not due to the IUD(both incorrect). Around the 9 month mark I began to develop progesterone hypersensitivity autoimmune disease. This continued to progress until I removed it. This new condition landed me in the ER multiple times due to anaphylaxis: asthma, heart palpitations, high BP, frequent fainting, extreme rashes etc. I had to quit my job because I was not functional on any level. Luckily I eventually figured it out.

It is nice to never be worried about pregnancy. The random bleeding, frequent cramping unrelated to bleeding, and breast shrinkage has not been great.. but all better than pregnancy i guess. I am definitely more emotional. I used to cry 1 day/month typically day before starting my period. I now cry ~70% of the month.

While this birth control didn't cause me to bleed like several others had, I became depressed and had painful cystic acne all over my face and began to get some on my back as well. This was completely irregular for me.

8===D

Side effects: cystic acne & overall acne, metallic vaginal discharge, low libido & irritability. It was difficult to tell if IUD was in place since the doctor cut the strings too short. Went into OB & Planned Parenthood, they couldn't find it and were unsure if it fell out. This didn't give me a great deal of security as a BC since I couldn't tell if it was there or not...

when i got the iud put in the pain wasn’t too bad but after a short time the pain got worse and worse and i literally cried myself into exhausted sleep. my periods are just as long, heavier, and more irregular. my cramps hurt worse and they last longer, my breasts are always tender, i can’t lose weight i just keep gaining, my acne is either barely noticeable or flaring up very badly at random, and i almost always have a headache or migraine

I love that I don’t have to worry about taking a pill, but the painful cramps and acne that I’ve experienced make it not worth it to me. I will be switching BC methods soon.

Insertion is extremely painful, but I'm so glad I did it. I went from having debilitatingly heavy periods to no periods after having the first one inserted. After my second, my periods returned but are so light I only need to use very thin and light panty liners. I originally got this as a way to manage cysts that were growing and bursting on a yearly basis. This has completely stopped and haven't experienced a burst cyst since.