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AgilityPup

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Well tomorrow is the big day. Hoping I can get the IUD, but who knows. Not sure what my insurance covers and what it doesnt. I have pretty high coverage through my mom and dad but that is up at the end of March, so I need to get this all done before then. If I am going to get the IUD. Anyone have any knowledge of getting it through insurance?
 

Beanie

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Well tomorrow is the big day. Hoping I can get the IUD, but who knows. Not sure what my insurance covers and what it doesnt. I have pretty high coverage through my mom and dad but that is up at the end of March, so I need to get this all done before then. If I am going to get the IUD. Anyone have any knowledge of getting it through insurance?
Mine was through insurance but still cost me several hundred bucks. I know Stardogs had hers through insurance and it was dirt cheap. It may be different now because of all the recent health care laws... my depo used to cost $25, went up to $32, and now it is free. You can ask them to check before you have it inserted. That's what I did, then I decided to pay for it because over the five years, it was about the same as having four depo injections every year (that's how much it was... seriously, it was expensive.)

I've never heard of anybody having trouble with the insurance on it. The only time I ever had trouble was when I was on NuvaRing, because I was taking it continuously (without the break week) they were like "Hey you're using this too often" and my doctor had to send them a printed prescription that was written to show I was using it without the break week and it was prescribed to be that frequently, and it was fine. But never any trouble with any of my other BC methods I've tried.
 

stardogs

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Mine was $20 - the doc billed it as an in office procedure, so I just had the copay. Without insurance it would have been around $550 iirc, which was still cheaper than BC pills for 5 years, but yea, $20 was much nicer.
 

GingerKid

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I paid nothing - we don't pay for doctor's appointments in Canadia, and my insurance covered the Mirena, which would have been $380 otherwise. Even if I'd had to pay out of pocket, I probably would have still gotten it since it is way more cost effective than the pill, which would've been $900 over the 5 year life of a Mirena insert.
 

AgilityPup

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I paid nothing - we don't pay for doctor's appointments in Canadia, and my insurance covered the Mirena, which would have been $380 otherwise. Even if I'd had to pay out of pocket, I probably would have still gotten it since it is way more cost effective than the pill, which would've been $900 over the 5 year life of a Mirena insert.
Thanks. I live in NB so was hoping a Canadian would chime in.
 

Grab

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Those with IUDs..are bleeding issues common? I can't take any pills due to constant bleeding issues..same with the depo injections. this includes the pill with the highest amount of estrogen (or, as my doctor calls it,the last resort pill) So, trying to find some sort of option that won't cause constant annoying issues has been extremely irksome. My body hates things:mad:
 

Beanie

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Those with IUDs..are bleeding issues common? I can't take any pills due to constant bleeding issues..same with the depo injections. this includes the pill with the highest amount of estrogen (or, as my doctor calls it,the last resort pill) So, trying to find some sort of option that won't cause constant annoying issues has been extremely irksome. My body hates things:mad:
Mirena and depo (and Implanon, too) are very similar hormones. I was told since I did well on the depo I should expect to respond well to the Mirena. My UTERUS did - I didn't bleed on the Mirena - but the rest of me did not.
Changes in your cycle is the most common side-effect of Mirena (although this includes cessation of bleeding which IMO isn't a side-effect, it's a plus, LOL.) But the side-effects only affect an estimated 5% of users. Small comforts when you ARE that 5%. =P
Paragard, OTOH, releases copper instead of hormones, so that's besides the point of how you might have done on depo. However, changes in cycle are more common on Paragard, like 10%? Supposedly it gets better after the first year (that was my experience with depo, too; constant spotting the first year and then NO bleeding after that) but lots of women have it taken out before then because it's too bad for them to deal with.

Did you try NuvaRing? Although toward the end I was actually having lots of bleeding on NuvaRing too. I think I ended up with a month-long period... it's been so long and the depression really overshadowed everything else, but I do remember I was bleeding (and cramping) a LOT on the NuvaRing toward the end.
 

stardogs

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Dr gave me a prescription for mirena! Woot woot! And all covered under my insurance I am told. Yes! Have to wall until early next month but oh well!
Awesome! Did they give you any tips on what to do to make the procedure go more comfortably? I know in Canada they sometimes use a numbing spray/gel, for mine, I just took aleve and had something to dilate things a little the night before. It hurt while it was being placed, but was fine once it was in place, just some period type cramping.
 

stardogs

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Those with IUDs..are bleeding issues common? I can't take any pills due to constant bleeding issues..same with the depo injections. this includes the pill with the highest amount of estrogen (or, as my doctor calls it,the last resort pill) So, trying to find some sort of option that won't cause constant annoying issues has been extremely irksome. My body hates things:mad:
What kind of bleeding issues?

Like Beanie said, Mirena does stop periods completely for some women. I was one of them - had some spotting for a few days after placement and then nothing after that for going on 4.5 years!
 

Grab

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What kind of bleeding issues?

Like Beanie said, Mirena does stop periods completely for some women. I was one of them - had some spotting for a few days after placement and then nothing after that for going on 4.5 years!
Excessive spotting, etc. History shows that anything that normally causes "spotting" generally opens the floodgates in my case. Because my body hates me. a few days i could handle. I have no interest in bleeding for months (again) though.
 

stardogs

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Excessive spotting, etc. History shows that anything that normally causes "spotting" generally opens the floodgates in my case. Because my body hates me. a few days i could handle. I have no interest in bleeding for months (again) though.
I got the Mirena partly because I started having breakthrough bleeding on my low dose pill, but I'm not sure how it would affect your situation. Have you asked your doc?
 

Beanie

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Awesome! Did they give you any tips on what to do to make the procedure go more comfortably? I know in Canada they sometimes use a numbing spray/gel, for mine, I just took aleve and had something to dilate things a little the night before. It hurt while it was being placed, but was fine once it was in place, just some period type cramping.
HURT LIKE HELL being placed. After that it was just period-type cramping that was kept fully in check with plenty of Ibuprofen for a handful of days. They told me "take as much Ibuprofen as you want" the first day. I was on a pretty good routine for the first two days, the third I weaned a little, I think I took a single dose on the fourth day and that was the end of it. No cramping after that. I don't think I even had any ovarian cysts while it was in, which is pretty surprising because cysts can apparently be one of the side-effects.
Real talk though: it reeeeeally hurt when they were placing it, but only for a few seconds. But those seconds left a lasting impression on me LOL. I don't think I'll ever forget it. The doctor told me "you'll feel like an intense period cramp" and that was a SERIOUS understatement! So be prepared - but it seriously is over in just a few seconds!!
Supposedly you should be careful about which meds you take beforehand because one of them can inhibit blood clotting? Tylenol maybe?? I don't remember which one. =/

I didn't even have any spotting with the Mirena. They told me I should expect to bleed for a few days and sent me home with several pads... like real pads, too, not just liners. I put one in my underwear right after it was placed... and that was the only one I needed. I was kind of mad because I went out and bought an entire bag of liners and kept putting them in my underwear and needed ABSOLUTELY NONE OF THEM. Of course I had them later when I started getting the mucus discharge, but at the time it pissed me off haha. =P
 

Grab

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I got the Mirena partly because I started having breakthrough bleeding on my low dose pill, but I'm not sure how it would affect your situation. Have you asked your doc?
I am going to discuss it when I have an appt this month. Last time I just opted for the pill that had always worked in the past. But my body loathes me:rolleyes:
 

noludoru

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Grab, talking to your doctor about it might be a good idea, because most women I've met who used it had bleeding issues after it was placed - including me! Major ones for the first six months, then light spotting every 6-8 weeks. Hell, I've been spotting or bleeding three weeks out of four for the last 3 months. If I were you I'd be hesitant to try it, but if you can get past the first six months it usually works really well.

The insertion process didn't hurt much for me at all. It was like a cramp. I refused Tylenol after. So it's not too bad for some people, I think. When it's being put in also has a great deal to do with how much it hurts.
 

Lyzelle

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I'm not sure what to think about birth control anymore. I was incredibly depressed on Yaz, but super regular and not hormonal at all. Now on Implanon, a completely different hormone, I am super depressive and hormonal. And neither helped ovarian cysts. So. I have no idea.

And nothing is going up my cervix. That skeeves me out so bad. Maybe because my cervix is sensitive anyway.
Implanon was very painful to insert. Lidocaine HURTS. It might numb things after, but in the meantime your arm is on FIRE and it HURTS. I am no whimp to pain, no whimp to needles, but after that experience I can't do needles anymore. And everything in the last 1.5 years has been terrible. No periods for 3 months, bleeding for a month straight. No periods for 2 weeks, bleeding for two. Terrible cramps and mood swings. I need it out.

I wish estrogen was available for long term use, but they are all progesterone. Even NuvaRing, I think. Me being depressive + Yaz making everyone depressed makes me think maybe try estrogen again. But I have no idea.
 

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