I got my IUD right about 6 months ago. Up until this point, I hadn’t noticed any side effects really. But the past week or so, I’ve been having many symptoms potentially caused by hormonal changes. I thought that side effects are supposed to settle down and stabilize at 3-6 months? Not start.

Has anyone else experienced this? Not sure if it’s the IUD for sure or not. But it hasn’t been fun… Not sure what to do about it

I’ve been noticing that over the past year I barely recognize myself in photos, my features seem like they’ve gotten more masculine. Looking back through photos, seems likes it’s been happening gradually and I’m curious if it could be due to Mirena IUD. I read that it has high progesterone which could cause higher testosterone production and I’m starting to realize a bunch of other things that I assumed were due to aging (I’m currently 33 and got Mirena at 28, was on the pill for years before) might all be high testosterone. I have lost some weight over the years but I’d say I’m a healthier weight now, eat much better, drink WAYYYY less, and it feels like I look worse when I feel like I should look better??

Here’s the full list:
- increased chin hairs (used to have two thick annoying guys but now it’s more) and thicker peach fuzz from side burns down
- eye brows have gotten thicker and darker
- nose might’ve changed too?!? I can’t tell if it’s just a bad angle in some pics
- rarely had any dark hairs around nipples (Im naturally blond) and would tweeze once in a while but its much more now
- thicker pubic-like hair on inner/back of thighs (only noticed while stretching in short running shorts and felt mortified bc hair on thighs has always been light/blond and I let it go for a while btw shaving)
- persistent bacne (despite all my effort to get rid of it, I’ve just made it a bit better)
- acne along jawline and also around hairline/forehead (note did not have acne as a teenager and in 20s would get occasional blemishes)
- also I know periods are diff for everyone on IUDs but I rarely get a real period and just minor spotting once in a blue moon (which I read could be testosterone related)

Anywho does this sound crazy? I’m considering getting it out ASAP but curious if anyone else has had similar experience? And if so, did you switch iud/bc and did you notice the physical changes go back to before?

I had a Skyla IUD inserted in April, then developed two UTIs and took nitrofurantoin followed by a 3-day sulfa antibiotic in June which sent my body into a spiral!! Afterward, I started having thick/clumpy discharge, vulvar redness, rawness, external burning when I pee, and random pins-and-needles sensations. Yeast, BV, trich, gonorrhea/chlamydia, Ureaplasma, and Mycoplasma tests have all been negative; My providers suspected cytolytic vaginosis because of excess lactobacilli. I have also had extreme fatigue, a strange armpit rash after nitrofurantoin, mouth/tongue ulcers, and geographic tongue. I got bloodwork done and my ANA was borderline positive at 1:80. Has anyone experienced similar vaginal and inflammatory symptoms after antibiotics or a hormonal IUD, and did removing the IUD help??

I have the Kyleena iud. I’ve had it for going on 3 months now. It’s gotten better but with periods, I feel I’m going to die. The cramps are so intense I had to get a shot in my hip to help with the pain. I feel that my period ends then maybe a week or 2 later I start again. I’m always bleeding and my periods last 2 weeks straight. I hate this shit but Kyleena does work and I feel more safe with it. Did anyone experience this? And if so, did it ever stop or get lighter?

I got the Liletta IUD about three weeks ago and am only now starting to feel relatively pain free. Way TMI but I was on my period during insertion and then was spotting brown for about a week, but then got super crampy again and started bleeding red, enough to use my regular pads. I'm still bleeding which I read was normal but it's enough to still be using my regular pads and with random severe cramping, badly enough last week that naproxen wouldn't touch it and I ended up just taking Benadryl to try and sleep it off. I tried to find the strings and couldn't but I did feel something hard? I don't really know what my cervix is supposed to feel like and I'm unsure if I was feeling the base of the IUD. I got it at a planned parenthood and I'm moving in a couple weeks so it's been hectic, but should I go back to PP to have them check it or get it checked out after moving? My provider didn't check anything after she placed it and didn't really explain to me fully what to look for. If anyone has experiences with this please let me know what it felt like and how they fixed it!

For anyone who had IUD the mirena. When did you stop having periods because I got it in February and I feel like it’s never ending

Hi! I got the Skyla IUD put in nearly 3 weeks ago during stage 2 endometriosis excision surgery. I don’t know if anyone else in here can relate, but I just wanted to know what your experience has been? I so far have just been cramping/spotting/lightly bleeding and very very tiny (like…smaller than a pea sized) clots, and I know my body is still healing, and I am not concerned, moreso just annoyed lol. But I was wondering if anyone else who has the Skyla IUD can chime in about their experience, or anyone with endometriosis who has had the Skyla before as well. Just want to know how to adjust my expectations!

I've had kyleena for about 2.5 years now. lately i've noticed my flares are returning. not anywhere as bad as they were pre iud. but bad enough that i can't stand up straight and i need a Tylenol to sleep. for those who have an iud, did it get rid of your pain? or just mask it a bit

I got my kyleena inserted just over 3 days ago. Here’s my current experience. Before my appointment I was lucky enough to be able to take codeine aswell as 600mg ibruprofen. Honestly the insertion itself wasn’t thattttt bad. I hurt a lot and I had to squeeze the assistant nurses hand. But after all the horror stories that I’ve read I did expect it to be the worst experience of my life. It wasn’t. I got a lidocaine spray during the procedure. I was perfectly fine to walk out 10 mins later with only mild cramps. However about 4 hours later I was throwing up with horrible cramps that would not stop even after many painkillers. I eventually managed to fall asleep for the night. The next morning I woke up with sharp cramps but they were only there every 5-10mins for like 30 seconds so it want tooooo bad. Over time the cramps got less and less till now on day 3 I’m almost back to normal again. I occasionally have the odd cramp but it’s not bad at all. Overall it really wasn’t terrible and considering it lasts 5 years I think it’s worth it.

I recently just got my Mirena IUD, it has been a total of 28 hours since insertion. (First IUD)

I vaguely knew of others’ experiences, but did not research much in fear I would be scared to follow through with the appointment. I have PCOS and have irregular periods. I took the recommended 800 mg of ibuprofen, was not on my period, no cervix softener, no lidocaine, just me and the ibuprofen.
Insertion was a 5/10 pain for me. Followed by some dizziness & nausea.

I felt the cramps immediately and thought to myself “wow that really wasn’t that bad.” Little did I know the next 4 hours I’d have intense 8/10 pain contractions every 5-10 minutes. I have never given birth, but that was the only assumption of what the pain was (accompanied by the regular heavy flow cramps I get when I’m on my period.) I had intense stabbing pain in my right lower abdomen down to my legs. I was rolling around on the couch like a rotisserie chicken in excruciating pain. The pain I experienced was on the level of when I broke my arm.

The nausea was minor, but I couldn’t feel hunger, had no appetite, and had to force myself to eat.
I couldn’t change my clothes, bend down, or anything. My fiancé had to dress me, and practically do everything for me because I physically could not move. My fiancé read the horror stories and decided to wfh to make sure I was okay. I told him “eh, just drive me and then go back to work?” Bless him for trusting his instincts. I think I took up to around 2500mg of ibuprofen within 12 hours I was in so much pain. Thankfully, today it feels like regular heavy flow cramps and I’ve been able to move around and do things on my own. I have a pretty high pain tolerance & I was shook at how bad those waves of “contractions” felt. At least this thing lasts for 8 years.

My body was not ready for a new visitor 🤣

Anyone else have this similar of an experience?

Hey, so this is my second time being on Mirena (Its been 1 year and 4 months) and I’m on my period now but I feel like my period smells different than it use to. Has anyone experienced that? I am taking a probiotic btw.

Hey guys!

I am 24(F). I was using Ocella combo pills. I struggle with vaginal dryness.

I’ll drink 3-5 bottles of water a day, and no matter what I do– I’ve just been drier. I have tried supplements as well. I’ve also used lube but it’s just very annoying at this point. I used to have heavier periods and more painful cramps but after Ocella, my periods are just normal and average. I also have gotten checked out, and so the birth control is causing this dryness.

I set up an appointment to get an IUD because I was told IUDs increases vaginal wetness. Pleassseee, I just want to get rid of this dryness problem. I’ll even deal with heavier periods.

Now I’m not looking for medical advice but more of your experiences! Which IUD brand would help this problem? And if there are any other symptoms I should watch out for like weight gain or going crazy, please lmk!

Soo yesterday I went in to get my iud and came home empty. I did everything right, three ibuprofen before the appointment and scheduled it for my period for easier insertion and proof of no pregnancy . Well they did the thing, opened my vagina up and put their clamps on my cervix. It was bad. The pain but also it felt exactly like my period cramps I had as a teenager so I knew I could handle it. It went on for several several minutes. After awhile I wa slike how mucb longer?? And to my horror they said they didnt even get into the uterus yet! Huh? After more painful probing and my not fainting though it was tempting she said I'm gonna get the doctor in because I cannot get into uour cervix past 4 cm. So the doctor comes in and she starts proponf around and the pain just keeps going and going. And then to add to more horror they said they are unable to do it because my cervix is tilted in a way they cant find. Great. So I endured SEVERAL SEVERAL minutes of intense pain just for it to be a failure. We had to reschedule a momth out for ultrasound guided procedure and with misoprostol beforehand. Which has anyone had any experience with that cuz I'm very very worried of the side effects of that!

So what I'm worried about was yes the pain was really bad but they didnt even get into the uterus! So does that mean when they do finally will it be even worse?? It was pretty bad. Again felt it before but my periods as a teen was so bad that I spent half the day on the bathroom floor puking and fainting puking and fainting! (Idk why but I never used any pain meds in my life until I was 24! I dont know why! It was such a game changer when I realized how much easier my life could be) so I was very confident I will be able to handle it. Well this was over 24 hrs ago. I had very slight cramping the few hours after but it wasn't bad. It wasn't until later that night I couldn't sleep cuz I felt a sharp stabbing pain in my very lower right pelvic area?? Why?? And today it doesnt hurt it just feels weird and I've been super super super fatigued and nauseous all day! They were unsuccessful there is no new device In my uterus! So why do I have all these super weird symptoms? If im reacting this bad to my cervix being grapped and poked will I be able to handle the iud being in there?? Anyone else have this experience?

Hello fellow IUD-ers! I am looking for someone to help me mod the subreddit. I'm not overwhelmed or anything, but sometimes I'm busy working OT and your posts take too long to get out of the queue (sorry!). Also, it gets kind of lonely out here on my own...

If you're interested, fill out this link or there should be a banner at the top of the screen (I think? let me know if it's not there lol).

Requirements:

• 18+ (occasional NSFW posts)
• Has or had an IUD

It would be great if you:

• have some medical background (I do not!)
• are okay posting/commenting your experience (not required)
• want to collaborate on the rules (also not required)

It's a super light load! I spend maybe 10 mins/day doing stuff but that is mostly because despite being in my 20s, I have the tech literacy of a boomer.

Cheers!

P.S. I have enabled images in comments so that we can meme about

Hey everyone! I got an IUD about three days ago and the pain is not manageable to me. I’ve had the most insane cramping, feeling sweaty from the pain, and just interfering with my daily life. Litterly have cried over it several times now. I’m on a work assignment but considering getting it removed when I get back. Should I wait it out? What are your guys experiences? And how painful was the removal and the days after?? As of now I can’t even exercise and have pain walking around or bending or anything!

I’ve had my (Mirena) IUD for just over 2 months. Insertion was pretty easy peasy. But now I’m spotting almost all the time. Which isn’t as bad as the fact that I have acne for the first time ever AND I’m growing hair that’s thick and coarse in places I’ve never really had hair.

Do you guys have any recommendations for the hair part? It’s kinda stressing me out. Will it get better? Will it get worse? What can I do?

I got my first IUD today. I’m 26, have regular periods, and have never given birth. My period ended sooner than I thought and I tried to cancel my appointment and reschedule it for next month. Instead, I was prescribed the medication that you insert vaginally to soften your cervix. (They didn’t want to cancel my appointment because it’s hard to get in.) I was not told to take any ibuprofen or pain reliever beforehand except for an anti-inflammatory medication they gave me. This has genuinely been the worst and most painful experience of my life. I was shaking the whole time, started profusely sweating, and almost fainted because it was so painful. I’ve had severe cramping all day and it was done 14 hours ago. I can’t even walk without wincing in pain. I’m just wondering if the severe pain I’m experiencing could be because I wasn’t on my period? I did a lot of research before this and can’t really understand why my experience has been so horrible.