Birth Control-My New IUD-and other Various Forms of Birth Control

There just HAS to be a blog on birth control. Otherwise, it would not be a good blog, right?In the last few months of my pregnancy, I could not stop thinking about the I.U.D. (intrauterine device), and many times, when something keeps coming to me, I check it out. It could be a God "Breeze". I was thinking we needed a form of birth control that was more permanent than what I used last time, and the IUD kept coming up in my thoughts. I researched them, I found a couple of people who have them inserted and have had great experiences, I had the baby, I called, made an appointment, I went today and I had it put in. So easy. God helps make my life so simple...I love it!

About mid-pregnancy, I started thinking about the IUD (intra-uterine device), and began researching it. There are two different ones. ParaGard has a copper wire wound around it. It lasts for twelve years. Mirena releases progestin and lasts for five years. The Mirena IUD is hormonal and the ParaGard IUD simply sits in your uterus and the copper kills sperm, so when the sperm hits the copper wire, it dies. No hormones....fairly natural. I am opposed to anything foreign in my body, but this seems more natural than my diaphragm, fingers, and spermicide every night...right? The following is my story on the insertion of the IUD:

Miley ate twice last night, so I took a chance on her not needing to eat for awhile. I drove to Lone Star ObGyn (midwives who practice in the hospital), and parked. It took me a good 15 minutes to fill out all the forms. One hour after my initial appointment time, I got to go weigh (oh, fun), and then got my blood pressure taken. I finally got my own room and waited a little longer for the midwife. (I LOVE Lois Stauffer...favorite chick on staff, there). Lois comes in, chats for a minute, shows me a photo of the uterus with the IUD inserted, talks about side effects-possible heavier cycle, and then give me a cloth wrap. It takes me all of two seconds to don the wrap, I wait 5 or 10 MORE minutes. She comes in, I get on the table, and two minutes later, she's done. Honestly, it was nothing of a procedure. I would say it felt the same as a pap. Basically, she stuck what looked like a soda straw to the back of the uterus, then took a little something else and pushed the IUD down the straw. It popped out and into my uterus in no time flat and that was that!

Lois' tips: first of all, the IUD has a string that hangs out of the cervix. This is the string they pull to get it out when you want it taken out. She said she likes to leave a little length so as not to "lose" it. She said if it's too short, it can get pushed up into the cervix and get a little lost. Apparently, your uterus is either straight, tilts forward, or tilts back. Women with extremely "tilted" uterus' (?) or extra heavy periods, are not great candidates for this birth control. Everyone else, it sounds like, can do it. The OPTIMAL time to have it inserted is around 8 weeks after the birth. She prefers for you to be breastfeeding, have just had a baby, and not to have a cycle for a month or two while your uterus gets "used" to it being in there. One can have it inserted at any time, but the easiest best way is post-partum. My insurance paid for it in full, I just had a co-pay. So, for forty bucks, I have a twelve year "pass" for free sex without babies. (should I write that out loud?)

I cannot promise you the same experience. Your doctor may be mister big hands and it hurts horribly or something, but for me, this was one of the easiest, smoothest transitions of my life. I'm not big on getting parts "tied". God forbid something would happen to me, or my husband, but we do things in life so that we may be prepared. We have our wills ready and we have our tubes free from snips.....just in case.

Lois said that a lady comes in every year for her pap and that woman has had hers in for six years without one issue. She said the lady's doctor cut the strings too short, so she does a sonogram every year to make sure it's still there.

It sounds as if once your uterus gets "used" to it being in there. There's not an issue. I went on a jog tonight and wondered if jogging might push it out. I know they can expel themselves, but don't know how common this is? If mine falls out, you will be the first to know. This is my third birth control trial. The first was the diaphragm...great place to start, by the way, and I liked that, but DH thought he could feel it. Then I went to the cervical cap. A nice neat little "hat" for your cervix made in England. LOVED this one. So easy and comfortable, I would forget about it was the only bad thing. One must use spermicide with both of these and I found that American spermicide irritated me. So, I found a yahoo group that uses caps and diaphragms and I joined the group. That group gave me a link to a natural spermicide (called FemProtect) made of vitamin C that you could order from Europe. It's $25 per tube and is fabulous. If you are frequently using your cap or diaphragm, this stuff is worth the cost. It's totally non-irritating. The email to order FemProtect is as follows: enquiries@naturalgynae.com

Simply email Elke Sedlmeier and she will hook you up. You pay with paypal. I really really like the midwives at the Baptist Hospital for this. They are very well informed on all of the birth control methods and seem to be pro's at doing what they do in this area. I hope this blog helps someone. I will blog again if I have any problems with this method or issues along the way. Birth Control is a big subject with lots of ways to go. Hormones and tube ties are just not for me....any other suggestions, shoot 'em my way.