My period for January started on the first of February because recently, my IUD has decided to confuse me. And since November, my period has been coming with very painful cramps.
I got my IUD on the 7th of January, 2022 after having unprotected sex while ovulating. Even though I used an emergency contraceptive immediately, my friend told me emergency contraceptive doesn’t work during ovulation and she advised I get the copper IUD as it helps prevent pregnancy as long as it’s inserted 5 days after unprotected sex.
For starters, an IUD, also known as an intrauterine device, is a small, often T-shaped device that is inserted into the uterus to prevent pregnancy. It’s categorized into two; the hormonal and the non-hormonal. The hormonal are Liletta, Kyleena, Mirena, and Skyla. It’s the same hormone used in many birth control pills. These types of IUDs tend to make your period lighter and may be a good option if you have heavy periods. While the non-hormonal is just one which is the Paragard also known as the Copper IUD. It can cause your periods to be heavier, especially at first.
When I got my IUD, I had to get Ibuprofen to ease the pain that comes with inserting the IUD. I had light bleeding till my period started. At first when I got my period, I was confused because I thought it was implantation bleeding — I had pregnancy scare. It was heavy on the first and second day and on the third day, it stopped, just like that. This made me even more scared because I wasn’t used to my period being that way. A week after, I figured it was in fact my period when the pregnancy test result came out negative.
After the first month of getting the IUD, my menstrual periods no longer scared me. They were heavy on the first day with little to mild menstrual cramps and for the rest of the remaining days, my periods happened smoothly. This meant a lot to me because before I got my IUD, my period used to be very heavy for at least 2–3 days with nausea inducing cramps and I thought the copper IUD was going to worsen it.
I was enjoying the IUD until July when my period refused to come. It came though but it wasn’t like the normal menstrual flow I was used it. It came in form of a bloody discharge and this happened from the end of July all through August. Everyday, I had bloody discharge. Although, there are days were I had light flows. This bloody discharge also came with mild cramps. In September, I finally had a normal menstrual flow and with mild cramps. Same thing happened in October. But in November, I had a very heavy period, I can’t remember the last time my menstrual flow was that heavy. And then the cramps were so bad, I remembered rolling on the floor and crying. The cramps were so bad, I vomited too.
Then in December, my period came late; on the 31st. But with mild cramps and average flow (because it was neither light nor heavy). We are in February now, and i completed my January period — that came in February — some days ago.
There are pros and cons that come with using an IUD, especially the copper IUD. The only pro is it takes away the anxiety that comes with having unprotected sex. You get to have sex without being anxious about getting pregnant. And you also don’t get pregnant. But I have heard it’s not 100% safe and there’s a chance you can end up with an ectopic pregnancy.
The cons are a lot. First of all, days after my period, I still have cramps. I like to call it post-menstrual cramps. When I have this cramps, I already know I am going to have a light bleeding. Another con is my period has become even more irregular. Every month, there’s always a surprise and my cycle is no longer 24–28 days but even more.
This is both a pro and a con. When I first got the IUD, my first menstrual period came with the usual full boobs. But from February to December, I think, none of that happened. I thought the IUD had changed my boobs. But in January, my boobs became full again and up until now, it’s still full. I don’t know, the Copper IUD doesn’t affect the body as it is not hormonal, but I think I’m noticing my body change. Maybe it’s just my body doing its thing.
I’m thinking about taking it out and going for an implant. If I am to advise a woman on contraceptive, I will tell them not to go near the Copper IUD but they can talk to a gynecologist first to see what works for their body.
