[Bre]

OK, long story short, I can't do hormones...at any level. They all make me crazy and are trying to made me bald at the "ripe old age" of 27.

I hate condoms and don't want children yet, so the copper IUD seems to be my only option.

I've done tons of research but want personal experiences. See, my husband is deployed. He'll be home for R&R in late January and I want to make sure I'll be ready to go once he gets here. How long did it take to really recover/go back to normal after having it inserted?

[robotbeeps]

I had a copper IUD inserted about a year ago. In the first few months after I had heavier periods but it leveled off pretty quickly. Historically ive had pretty light periods though. Getting it inserted was not as bad as I thought, little to no discomfort. I've had a child, they say its easier to insert if you have.
I don't ever feel it now, its good for 10+ years and its totally hormone free! One of the best decisions I've made regarding bc. Plus it was completely covered by Kaiser! Can you tell im thrilled?! ;-)

[Mes T]

I'm exactly the same as you Bre, ughhhhh. The hair thing plagued me for years before I realized through internet research that the pill was causing it. Doctors were of no help... it was just an awful time in my life.

I'm a huge proponent of the IUD... BUT! It most definitely does NOT work for everyone. Unfortunately you won't really know unless you try. The IUD made my periods ridiculously heavy, I had actual contractions on a regular basis, it was awful. But my best friend at the time also got one, and she didn't have any of those problems except an increase in acne.. but she was never able to prove whether that was caused by the IUD or not.

I used to think I hate condoms as well, but after all the birth control drama I've been through in my life... they're a god-send. Cheap, no clean-up for me after sex, work well with water-based lube if latex makes you dry (which it does for me).

I also bought a little FemCap thing. I'd recommend looking into that. Never really got a chance to try it out, but... sounds like a viable option.

Also there's tons of threads on the copper IUD here on the forum if you want to have a browse.