My awful experience with a copper IUD
Here's my story: I got a copper IUD in October 2016 thinking, "how great! An incredibly effective method of birth control that doesn't use hormones!" It seemed perfect.
I had the procedure done and it wasn't that big of a deal. The procedure itself hurt a lot, but the pain was gone as soon as it was done. But 2 days later, a pain I had never felt before started and it didn't stop for months.
The pain was in my cervix. It felt like contractions trying to dilate my cervix and expel the IUD, I was in pain all the time. When my period started that first time since getting the device, the bleeding didn't stop for 15 days, and once it did stop, I still spotted almost every day until the period began again. The cramping continued regardless of where I was in my cycle. It was terrible.
On top of this, I began noticing intense symptoms of depression and anxiety. I've been depressed before, but my anxiety was going through the roof. I began cutting again (something I hadn't done for years), I felt isolated, I began having suicidal thoughts and I had panic attacks weekly.
It turns out, even though the copper IUD doesn't use hormones, copper directly affects estrogen production in your body. With an excessive amount of copper in your body, estrogen levels will be thrown off and you can experience the same kinds of symptoms you'd have with hormonal birth control (depression, anxiety, weight gain, etc).
Finally, I got pregnant with the IUD. I'm depressed, anxious, experiencing excruciating cramps and now, pregnant. Everything was terrible.
At this, I had the IUD removed. The early pregnancy miscarried and finally I feel like myself again. My mind is clear, my emotions are stable, I'm not cramping for the first time in 4 months, I feel like 1000 lbs have been lifted from my shoulders.
Obviously, the copper IUD works for a lot of women and for that I am glad. But please, please do your research, understand what you're putting in your body, know the risks and benefits. I wish I had done more research to avoid these awful last 4 months. 😪
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