Talk to Me About Paragard and Why Aren't There More Options?!

[wifecat]

I'm remembering why dh had a vasectomy 3.5 years ago! To have our last kiddo, we had to have that reversed, and we'll never go that permanent again, but man, birth control sucks!

I want to get paragard (I think). I'm only three weeks postpartum and I'm not sure how long I have to wait to have it put in (I know I asked my doctor at some point, but I can't remember what she said, so I'll ask at my six-week pp appt). Anyone else BTDT and what has your experience with paragard been? How long did you wait postpartum to have it inserted? Side effects? Did insurance cover it or was it all out of pocket?

If I have to wait a while to get Paragard, we have to find something in the meantime. I can't use hormonal birth control and I'm allergic to nonoxynol-9 (so no sponges/diaphragms/etc). Obviously, there are condoms. Gotta say, not having sex is more likely than us using those. Or...maybe they're better than they were, say, 15 years ago? Or maybe not...

So. Is there some other birth control method I'm forgetting? (Not natural family planning...we got pregnant with ds when I hadn't yet gotten my period back postpartum, and we got pregnant with #3 the first month after our vasectomy reversal, so by the time we have something to "track" we could already be preggo).

[JBaxter]

My sister had one but had it removed because of very heavy periods. What about the Depro shot?

[wifecat]

My sister had one but had it removed because of very heavy periods. What about the Depro shot?

Depo is hormonal - I can't do anything with hormones. :-(

[JBaxter]

sounds like you should use condoms until you can get a paraguard or get your tubes tied.

[Katigre]

There are better condoms out there - Google "top ten condoms" for the most recent ratings.

In terms of paraguard, I know women with it and almost universally they have heavier periods. That's the main side effect. It should be covered 100% by your insurance and is good for 12 years.

[Snow mom]

I had one between DD and DS. I didn't find the heavier periods terrible but I don't naturally have a very heavy cycle. It basically made a day or two longer heavy flow but same overall length if I remember correctly. What I did mind (TMI warning here) was the discharge it seemed to cause. It sounds like it might be your best option with your constraints.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I am on my second one. Super happy. First one was covered under old insurance provider. New one, new provider, had to pay $600 OOP.

I love it. Truly. I never had cramps or bad periods. Now, I might get a day of cramps worthy of an ibuprofen. That's it.

[acmom]

I was considering it after my 2nd bc like you I don't do well with hormonal BC and am allergic to spermacide. But then I had a friend and 2 acquaintances get pregnant with a paraguard! (one had a healthy pregnancy and the other 2 had miscarriages shortly after the procedure to remove the paraguard). I don't know the details and there may have been issues with placement etc., but that, along with the heavier bleeding possibility, scared me enough to stop considering that option.

We use condoms and I don't find them that bad at all.

[gcc2k]

I have had the paragard for a year now. The verdict is still out.

I had it placed when DS2 was about 3 months old, so about 6 weeks after my 6 weeks pp checkup. The whole procedure felt similar to a pap, and then about a month later I had to return to get an ultrasound to make sure it was in place correctly.

I actually ended up getting my period a month or 2 later, which felt highly unfair since I was still nursing, even through the night. Since then my periods have been very somewhat erratic and closer together then they ever had been. (My most recent cycle was only 17 days?!?!) But when I had my annual exam a few months ago, she assured me that the paragard, being non-hormonal, wasn't causing my erratic and sometimes frequent cycles, but that was due to the fact that I'm still nursing. So that is why I still haven't decided if I like the paragard or not. I figure once I wean I'm going to give the paragard 2-3 more months to see if my hormones stabilize and if my periods go back to how they were in my teens and twenties pre BC.

I will agree that my periods are somewhat heavier, especially compared to when I was on the pill. They are usually not longer, but the flow can be very heavy for a day or so. The annoying thing is that sometimes the flow is heavy in the first few days, and sometimes it's heavy at the end. So it can be hard to predict when I need the super tampons.

[daisysmom]

I hated the paraguard. Super heavy periods of me. Like periods that gushed so heavy (tmi warning) that the tampon would fall out. I know this isn't a universal side effect but everyone I knew with one had this side effect too.