Anonymous
IUD Menstruel Periods
August 11, 2009 - 11:36am
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I have an IUD and I was told by many people that your body continually produces the blood that your body has normally before the IUD was inserted. If that is true, where does all of that blood get stored within the body? What I thought, was that the IUD prevented your body from producing the monthly menstruel cycle and the blood wasn't produced as much, hence the lighter periods. Please clear this up for me? I have heard some horror stories of women who have had scary issues because of built up/back up blood and Im nervous to whether or not they are true.
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You are right that the Mirena IUD (it contains the hormone progestin) can prevent a monthly menstrual period altogether or make it lighter. (There is another type of IUD that is hormone-free, and the copper from the IUD is what help prevents pregnancy).
Your body does not "store up" blood for your menstrual cycle, whether you are using any type of birth control or not. The blood from your menstrual cycle is shed once per month through the vagina, and is actually not a pool of blood as you might think. It may seem like a lot of blood, but a typical menstrual period is only about an average of 1.5 ounces of blood and tissue (over 3-5 days). What you are shedding during a period is the lining from your uterus that builds up in preparation for the implantation of a fertilized egg---that's why it's not a pool of blood that circulates or is stored...the thicker tissue and blood is attached to the uterine wall and then literally shed through the vagina. If you do not experience a period, or it is lighter, it means the uterine lining did not thicken or build up in the first place.
The "scary stories" you have heard may be part-truths, so don't' believe everything you hear! Some women may have bleeding disorders or other conditions that were pre-existing before using the IUD.
Do you mind telling me how old you are, and what type of IUD you are thinking about using (the hormone-containing Mirena; or the copper IUD called the ParaGuard)? Do you have any other questions about birth control or your anatomy?
I am 37 years old and I have the Mirena. I had it inserted December 2006. I am a smoker so my doctor reccommended taking me off of birth control and using the IUD. I haven't had any problems, but like I said, had always wondered about the blood producing now that I have it. Thank you for helping.
Glad to hear back from you!
Did your doctor recently recommend that you use a different IUD, or are you referring to three years ago that your doctor recommended "taking you off of birth control and putting you on an IUD (Mirena)"?
I ask because I was assuming your doctor has recommended the ParaGuard for you, since it is hormone-free. The IUDs are still birth control, so I wasn't clear on the recommendation to take you off of birth control, unless it was to take you specifically off all hormone-containing birth control or to take you off of estrogen-containing birth control? There are birth control options that are hormone-free, including ParaGuard IUD and barrier methods (cervical cap, condoms, diaphragm, sponge). There are birth control options that are estrogen-free, including Mirena IUD and birth control pills that contain progetin-only.
From my understanding with women who smoke and use hormonal birth control, that it can lessen the effectiveness rate of the hormones in the contraception, and can increase your chances for pregnancy and heart disease....but this may be only with contraception that contains estrogen. Do you know? If not, you may want to check with your doctor, as this is important information. Most importantly, did your doctor explain the reasons why your particular IUD was recommended for you (and, which one was recommended)?
I'm happy to hear that you have not had any problems with your IUD; many women love this form of birth control. You may be interested in reading the Planned Parenthood information on IUDs.
When the IUD should be removed... say 5 years. If for any reason, if it is kept in the body for more than 5 years (the recommended period) what side effects it will have?
Interesting question. The side effects of leaving an IUD inserted longer than 5 years (for the hormone-containing IUD) or longer than 10 years (for the non-hormone version) can include pregnancy (the hormones are no longer effective, or the actual IUD material may become weaker/not as effective). Another possible side effect could possibly be infection, if the IUD is left in for an extremely long amount of time past its "expiration" (again, the actual IUD material may weaken), but I have not seen this documented anywhere...just an educated guess that this could be a possibility.
Why are you asking?