My Mirena IUD Experience: The First Week(ish)
Day of insertion. I took 800mg Ibuprofen before insertion and it wasn't too painful for me. More of an uncomfortable cramping feeling, but not a sharp pain like I was expecting. After getting the strings trimmed I can't feel it at all. Cramps continued but not severely- didn't take more ibuprofen at all the first day. (Insertion was around 4pm, went to bed around 11pm.) There was mild spotting- my doctor warned me about this ahead of time. It's normal for the first few weeks and even up to 6 months.
Day 1- Woke up and felt fine- didn't take any ibuprofen at all because I was being optimistic. My spotting was pretty much nonexistent but I left my pad on just in case. (No tampons! Doctor warned about the strings not softening for the first week and that could be a very bad combination.) I was fine until around noon- then the bad cramps started. Lamaze breathing technique cramps. Thankfully I had put ibuprofen in my purse- took 800mg and the cramping subsided. Still no spotting that evening so I felt it was safe to take the pad off.
Day 2- Traveling. Took Ibuprofen at 5:15 A.M. Had a busy day planned and didn't want to give the cramps a chance to rear their ugly head. Drove 3 hours, went shopping all day with my mom, walking around normally. No cramps until around Noon, realized my Ibuprofen had wore off. Another 800mg. (This is a prescription strength dose, talk to your doctor to find out the proper dose and pain reliever for you.) Took mom home, drove the 3 hours back home- everything was great! No cramps thanks to the ibuprofen.
Day 3- Skipped Ibuprofen this morning. Didn't take until the cramping started around 11 A.M. Only took 600mg- cramps are less severe today. I do have mild spotting when wiping, but not enough to warrant a pad or even panty liner. Overall I'm having a great experience so far. I was nervous about coming off my artificial hormones from the combination pill and having mood swings- but so far I'm doing good. I don't want to jinx it but hopefully this continues.
Day 4- Skipped Ibuprofen again this morning- went for an hour long walk. (Okay, shopping, I went shopping.) Took some around 11 A.M again when mild cramping started, 600mg. Very mild spotting when wiping, still not enough to wear a pad. I have noticed mood swings today- however with me coming off hormonal combination pills I don't blame the IUD for this. My own estrogen issues along with coming off the pill is most likely to blame. Nothing too severe yet, just felt like crying for no real reason. Also extremely fatigued, but unsure if that's related to anything. Resumed working out today, finally. Noticed uncomfortable cramps when doing any weights that put pressure on my abdomen- will be skipping those for awhile until the cramping gets better.
Day 5- Woke up and there is more spotting than yesterday. Still not enough to put on a pad (thankfully) but definitely more. 9 A.M- more spotting and cramps started. Blood is now red, so heavier spotting but still not enough for a pad. Tried to make due on 400mg but it wasn't helping the cramps, so I took an additional 400mg for 800 total. The Ibuprofen did the trick- was pain free for most of the day after and only extremely mild cramps after. Spotting lasted until the evening and finally stopped. Not enough for a panty liner. Mood swings causing me to cry for no real reason- still think that's related to coming off the pill and not getting the IUD.
Day 6- I had errands to run so took ibuprofen in the morning- 600mg. This kept me cramp free all day, only a mild twinge in the evening. Spotting is about all cleared up now, some when I wipe but other than that fine. Haven't had to wear a pad at all. I am fatigued today but that's probably not related to the IUD. Mood swings have improved some but still some crying for no reason.
Day 7- Finally, first week down. Overall the entire week has gone fairly easy- cramping is easily resolved with ibuprofen. 600-800mg seem to be the best dose for me (this is also my normal dose for headaches or period pains.) Some spotting but not enough for a pad or even panty liner. Fatigue and mood swings probably unrelated to the IUD itself- I always have a hard time transitioning from pill to pill so coming off it completely it makes sense to have similar mood swings.
Days 8- 14: GREAT NEWS- no longer need Ibuprofen. There is some minor cramping left but only twinges here and there. Spotting isn't constant, some full days without it- some days with only spotting once when wiping. My hormones have started to settle down nicely, no more random crying for no reason. And a little personal detail: the combination pill completely killed my sex drive. I hadn't notice how much until my body was no longer on them. Coming off those pills has resolved that- I'm hoping it will continue to help the other issues the pill caused me.
In summary- the IUD is so far the best decision I've made for my personal healthcare and birth control choice.
Day 1- Woke up and felt fine- didn't take any ibuprofen at all because I was being optimistic. My spotting was pretty much nonexistent but I left my pad on just in case. (No tampons! Doctor warned about the strings not softening for the first week and that could be a very bad combination.) I was fine until around noon- then the bad cramps started. Lamaze breathing technique cramps. Thankfully I had put ibuprofen in my purse- took 800mg and the cramping subsided. Still no spotting that evening so I felt it was safe to take the pad off.
Day 2- Traveling. Took Ibuprofen at 5:15 A.M. Had a busy day planned and didn't want to give the cramps a chance to rear their ugly head. Drove 3 hours, went shopping all day with my mom, walking around normally. No cramps until around Noon, realized my Ibuprofen had wore off. Another 800mg. (This is a prescription strength dose, talk to your doctor to find out the proper dose and pain reliever for you.) Took mom home, drove the 3 hours back home- everything was great! No cramps thanks to the ibuprofen.
Day 3- Skipped Ibuprofen this morning. Didn't take until the cramping started around 11 A.M. Only took 600mg- cramps are less severe today. I do have mild spotting when wiping, but not enough to warrant a pad or even panty liner. Overall I'm having a great experience so far. I was nervous about coming off my artificial hormones from the combination pill and having mood swings- but so far I'm doing good. I don't want to jinx it but hopefully this continues.
Day 4- Skipped Ibuprofen again this morning- went for an hour long walk. (Okay, shopping, I went shopping.) Took some around 11 A.M again when mild cramping started, 600mg. Very mild spotting when wiping, still not enough to wear a pad. I have noticed mood swings today- however with me coming off hormonal combination pills I don't blame the IUD for this. My own estrogen issues along with coming off the pill is most likely to blame. Nothing too severe yet, just felt like crying for no real reason. Also extremely fatigued, but unsure if that's related to anything. Resumed working out today, finally. Noticed uncomfortable cramps when doing any weights that put pressure on my abdomen- will be skipping those for awhile until the cramping gets better.
Day 5- Woke up and there is more spotting than yesterday. Still not enough to put on a pad (thankfully) but definitely more. 9 A.M- more spotting and cramps started. Blood is now red, so heavier spotting but still not enough for a pad. Tried to make due on 400mg but it wasn't helping the cramps, so I took an additional 400mg for 800 total. The Ibuprofen did the trick- was pain free for most of the day after and only extremely mild cramps after. Spotting lasted until the evening and finally stopped. Not enough for a panty liner. Mood swings causing me to cry for no real reason- still think that's related to coming off the pill and not getting the IUD.
Day 6- I had errands to run so took ibuprofen in the morning- 600mg. This kept me cramp free all day, only a mild twinge in the evening. Spotting is about all cleared up now, some when I wipe but other than that fine. Haven't had to wear a pad at all. I am fatigued today but that's probably not related to the IUD. Mood swings have improved some but still some crying for no reason.
Day 7- Finally, first week down. Overall the entire week has gone fairly easy- cramping is easily resolved with ibuprofen. 600-800mg seem to be the best dose for me (this is also my normal dose for headaches or period pains.) Some spotting but not enough for a pad or even panty liner. Fatigue and mood swings probably unrelated to the IUD itself- I always have a hard time transitioning from pill to pill so coming off it completely it makes sense to have similar mood swings.
Days 8- 14: GREAT NEWS- no longer need Ibuprofen. There is some minor cramping left but only twinges here and there. Spotting isn't constant, some full days without it- some days with only spotting once when wiping. My hormones have started to settle down nicely, no more random crying for no reason. And a little personal detail: the combination pill completely killed my sex drive. I hadn't notice how much until my body was no longer on them. Coming off those pills has resolved that- I'm hoping it will continue to help the other issues the pill caused me.
In summary- the IUD is so far the best decision I've made for my personal healthcare and birth control choice.
Comments
Post a Comment