IUD update

I have had my IUD for almost a year now.

When I got it, I had been on the pill for a few months, started having sex and started using a Mooncup, so it was really hard for me to know what my "normal" period was like and which changes might be due to the IUD.

Anyway, after a year I can report a few things. Firstly, what the information I got described as "spotting" (quite common after the IUD is first put in) is actually a little heavier than spots. I guess most women who have IUDs have had children, and so may be familiar with "spotting", but I wasn't.

My periods before I started messing about with them were quite light, lasted about 4 days and were not usually painful.

My periods definitely got heavier and longer with the IUD, and I would have several days of "has it started?" before it got heavy and sometimes quite painful. I also got quite grumpy and irrational. I was starting to think about giving up on the IUD.

However, I figured that my body was not used to heavy periods and was probably feeling a bit depleted. I started taking a women's multivitamin and that helped a lot with the pain and the general grumpiness - Trevor is very grateful to the makers of multivitamins! When I mentioned the grumpiness, the nurse at Family Planning was quite surprised about that, because of course there is nothing hormonal in my IUD. She did suggest iron pills, but the multivitamins seem to be fine.

My last period was much more like what I used to have - lasted for about 4 days and was not very painful and lighter than it has been for a while. If it stays like this, I will stick with my IUD and get another one when its five years are up. I will also keep taking the women's multivitamins just before and during my period for a while. I might try not taking them some time in the future and see what happens.

Most importantly I suppose, I have not had any pregnancy scares, so it seems to be carrying out its primary function very well.

I will try to write about something else at some stage!

PS The Mooncup has survived overnight hiking and cycle races. I just worry that I'll drop it into a toilet at some point and then a) have lost my expensive investment b) not have anything to deal with my period
but since I've had it for a while it's kind of paid for itself by now.
A friend of mine burnt hers to a crisp while boiling it recently, and almost set fire to her kitchen, so try not to do that!