My Birth Control Experience | IUD, Side Effects, & My Advice

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Welp. This is by far my most vulnerable post to date! So, if this is your first visit to my blog, I promise it’s not this intimate all the time LOL. I’ve been wanting to share my experience with you guys for the longest time for a couple of reasons:

1) I love having honest conversations with my readers. As long as it doesn’t concern other people, I have no problem being open and authentic about my experiences. Especially if they can help others!

2) I believe women should talk more about their health. We need to share we’re not alone in all of the craziness our reproductive systems put us through! Females are strong as hell, babes. I was inspired by the lovely Dani Austin last year and knew once I got my IUD I would do the same thing.

With my wedding quickly approaching in June, I knew I needed to get down to business on picking my contraceptive option (You know. So I could get downnnn to business. eh, eh??). I’ve never been on birth control before so I was almost overwhelmed with all of the options! Let’s break them down, shall we?

Common Birth Control Options:

Condoms: ~85%

Isn’t marriage all about the perks of skipping those awkward late-night moments picking up Trojans from CVS? Pass.

The Pill: 91% effective. Taken Daily.

Like condoms, the effectiveness of the pill essentially all comes down to the user. I didn’t really trust myself to take something so important on a strict schedule. I can barely remember to take my daily vitamins.

Shots: 94% effective. Every 3 months.

Even though the shots aren’t frequent, I’m a bit too squeamish to put myself through that 4 times a year!

Arm Implant (Nexplanon): 99% effective. Lasts 3-5 years.

They’re super low maintenance, but I was honestly too scared that I would bump it. I also have smaller arms and was afraid it’d not only hurt when implanted but look visible in my bicep.

Hormonal or Copper IUD (intrauterine device): 99% effective. Lasts 3-12 years.

So that leaves my debate between the copper and hormonal IUD. While the copper IUD (Paraguard) spares you from being pumped with extra Progesterone (aka lady hormones), you’d still have a regular menstrual cycle. I’ve never been the one to find the “beauty” in periods so I was willing to try this out! I ended up choosing Liletta, a 5-year IUD that prevents pregnancy. With only annual check-ups needed, it seemed like the most stress-free option.

Liletta IUD – The Procedure:

Whew boy. They try to prepare you for what it feels like but I was NOT ready. My friends were pretty 50-50 on their experiences with their IUDs. They either loved it and went back to work the same day or were curled into the fetal position for the next month. I was just hoping I was somewhere in the middle.

I took some Ibuprofen 30 minutes beforehand and into the doctor’s office I went. Honestly, the procedure itself may have been stronger birth control than the IUD! When I realized that childbirth would be 10x harder than that, any “baby fever” I had melted away. They say it’s like a “really bad period”, but that’s probably because there aren’t better words to describe how it feels. It also didn’t help that I’ve never really experienced bad period cramps before. The entire thing was probably 10 minutes in total but felt like 30. Thankfully, my doc gave me some Xanax to pop and I had my fiance, Will, holding my hand the entire time. There was a moment where I almost told them to stop because I changed my mind because it hurt so much! But by that time, we were done!

Aftermath:

The cramps were intense. I won’t lie. In fact, I almost made my heating pad a bridesmaid because we were definitely best friends for a week or two there. I got my procedure on a Friday afternoon and had constant, intense cramps until Tuesday morning. After that, I would get them periodically throughout the day. Slowly, I weaned myself down from 3 ibuprofen to 2 to 1. All within two weeks. Now I get cramps about a week before my period but nothing one or two ibuprofen can’t fix!

I’m exactly 2 months post-IUD and just had my checkup. Everything is going according to plan, thank God! Like I said earlier, I’ve had friends and family members have traumatic experiences with them so I’m happy mine went so smoothly! My cycles are a bit heavier now and last longer (before I was super light and lasted 4-5 days, now I’m pushing 10. UGH). My gynecologist shared that it takes up to 6 months for your body to get used to everything and that will be right around my wedding. Here’s hoping my uterus will get whipped into shape before then!

My Final Thoughts:

Would I do it again? Absolutely. I’d highly suggest getting an IUD, even the Liletta IUD if you’re looking into contraception. While it’s not the most comfortable procedure, it’s the most effective! Plus, knowing I won’t have to worry about any of that during our first year of marriage is such a weight off my shoulders. Please consult with your doctor beforehand and don’t just take my word for it haha. But if any of you are thinking about getting one in the near future or have experiences of your own you want to share in the comments, go for it! If this helps even one woman, then it’s all worth it.

LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH!

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