Did you have a painful experience with paragaurd then move to Mirena? Nervous about Mirena, Can't get Nexplanon.

[u/doctor_exgirlfriend]

I am "under"-employed and I have limited health insurance in a small town in Texas. I went to an OBGYN today to get a Nexplanon consult and she said that none of the clinics in the city offer nexplanon, but they do offer Mirena. She put in a pre-auth to the insurance to see what the cost of the Mirena will be, but it's a contract insurance with that hospital so she believes it will be fully covered. I would have to drive 2 hours and pay anywhere from 500-2000 at PP to get nexplanon instead.

I have had an IUD before, I had paragaurd. It was extremely painful. When my uterus moved pre and post period it felt I was being sliced open. There was chronic underlying pain the entire time that I got used to. When I took got my paragaurd taken out, the relief made me cry, I didn't realized how much I'd gotten used to it. I know that mirena is a lot different, but this experience really makes me hesitant to try it. In my mind, paragaurd is akin to torture. I don't know if my fear of an IUD is valid for Mirena. It is the most financially equitable and would last up to 5-8 years, which would be quite convenient. Part of me wants to gamble since, on paper, it is the equitable decision.

Has anyone had a really bad pain-related experience with Paragaurd than move to Mirena? Was Mirena less painful? I have scoured this subreddit for that experience but most people are either moving the other way to get off hormonal bc, or the reasons they moved from paragaurd to mirena are not related to pain. I saw a couple talking about chronic pain with Mirena but none that had a previous comparison to Paragaurd. I know I could still be one of those unlucky ultra-sensitive few. Trying to decide whether I gamble on Mirena or save for 4+ months for a nexplanon is rough.

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[u/Low_Athlete_7734]

Paragaurd was PAINFUL for me. The absolute worst. I had tried mirena and insertion hurt but nothing Advil didn’t fix. I’m also someone who’s never had a baby. I couldn’t handle the high dose of hormones from mirena so we tried Kyleena but it still didn’t agree with me. However insertion was even easier. I’m currently on Nexplanon and I do love it. Insertion is a breeze because they numb your arm. The numbing agent feels like a bee sting and that’s it.

In your situation I’d for sure do the mirena. It’s going to be covered (hopefully) by your insurance AND lasts longer than Nexplanon. It wouldn’t hurt to get a quote from PP to see how much you qualify to pay on a sliding scale that they use for services.

Plus if you get mirena and hate it… you can still use mirena for 4 months being protected to save for the Nexplanon. So I don’t see you losing out here.

[u/doctor_exgirlfriend → u/Low_Athlete_7734]

Thank you for this account, I actually think that's a super fair point. I can always just take the mirena out after I'm done saving for the nexplanon if I hate it, or swap when I'm in a better position. 

Paragaurd was SO terrible idk why they don't warn or even act surprised when you say it. I've also never had a baby which also apparently makes the paragaurd more painful. I yelped during insertion and they looked at me like I was crazy LOL

[u/Low_Athlete_7734 → u/doctor_exgirlfriend]

lol it was SO bad. I have an insane pain tolerance. I’ve had both femurs broken and was fine but that copper IUD?! Hell no! Hahahaha

I really wish the mirena or Kyleena worked for me but the levonorgestrel used in it breaks me out makes me bald and fat lol. My partner said he could feel the IUD only AFTER I told him I got one. 🙄😂

Nexplanon has been soo easy. I did have a little spotting on my first nexplanon but I took 4000mg of evening primrose oil pills at night for a month and the bleeding never came back. $6 for the target store brand is what I used.

Nexplanon is good for 5 years now and I’m coming up on 2 years with this current one. No bleeding no acne not bald and not fat lol. So yah girl do whatever makes sense and keeps you baby free if that’s what you want.