<p>EK, I don’t agree with pugmadkate’s use of the word, “worthless” – but whatever research done 30 years ago on IUD’s concerned a different device. Something that was shaped different, a different size, and a different material. </p>
<p>So it would be like if your daughter was considering buying a Ford Fusion and you found a bunch of articles about how dangerous a Ford Pinto is. It’s true that your opinion of Fords in general might be colored by past experience, but of course a Pinto and a Fusion are different cars.</p>
<p>So yes, you might consider the research, but it would be of very limited value.</p>
<p>Anyone remember the Today sponge? They are back on the market.</p>
<p>If you check out their website, there is a Spongeworthy game. I was hoping for something more like Spongebob under the Sea, but instead you get a celebrity-match game. Short and kind of stalker creepy. </p>
<p>Kate: I beg to differ. Drugs and medical devices cannot be compared to cars. Same drug, differet dosage or formulation = totally different resuts and side effects. Something reformulated and reshaped in a medical device/drug world does not neccessarily mean “safer” or “better”. Only time will tell.</p>
<p>EK, the problem with posts is simply that they are anecdotal information, and people with problems tend to post about them… whereas people who do not have any problems have no reason to go posting on internet message boards. </p>
<p>I encountered a similar problem when my daughter went to India for a summer and opted to take Larium as an anti-malarial. Larium potentially can have terrible side-effects and I found all kind of horror stories posted all over the internet. It was harder to get a sense of percentages – that is, what is the overall risk of side-effects? (With Larium its a lot riskier than the IUD).</p>
<p>But I came to the conclusion that I was getting a distorted picture from reading internet posts. I was reading worst-case scenarios and in many cases accounts of problems that were attributed to Larium but probably due to other physical or emotional problems the posters were having. It’s not that Larium doesn’t have some very real problems – it just that some of the horror stories I was reading were implausible and clearly exaggerated. Since my daughter had made up her mind, I simply reminded her to be alert to any problems – and I reminded myself of the possible consequences and complications that would arise if my daughter contracted malaria. She took the drug with no adverse consequences. </p>
<p>That’s not to say that I was wrong to be concerned about the risks – but my d. had to make the ultimate risk/benefit determination. </p>
<p>Again – when it comes to birth control – you have to weigh the risks of a given method against the risks of an unwanted pregnancy. (Not just the possibility of an unplanned baby, but the medical risks both with termination of a pregnancy and carrying a pregnancy to term.)</p>
<p>The best birth control for premarital sex is honoring Jesus Christ with the body He gave you by being obedient to His recipe for a beautiful life – by having sex when you are married.</p>
<p>*I encountered a similar problem when my daughter went to India for a summer and opted to take Larium as an anti-malarial. *</p>
<p>My other darling daughter didn’t like the side effects of Larium during her high school trip to Africa, so when she went to Tamil Nadu last year for 4 months she brought Malarone ( but then didn’t like that either & stopped taking it-- maybe she sold it to finance her holiday in Goa. She is so stubborn. I don’t know * where* she gets that from )</p>
<p>Well, my on-line research into anti-malarials pretty much led to the conclusion that they all have side-effects – its a matter of choosing one’s poison or taking the risk of contracting the disease. Of course, going off to live alone in Delhi is not exactly the safest thing a 20-year-old woman can do in any case… but if you think you know “stubborn”, you haven’t met my daughter. </p>
<p>I would note that by the time I find out my daughter is “thinking” about something, she’s already done it (birth control included) … it seems to be her way of tipping me off to something when she thinks I’m about to find out anyway. So if your older daughter is anything like mine, the IUD research may be academic.</p>
<p>Which leads me to another observation: sometimes its just better for maternal peace of mind to not get too deep into researching the risks of the things that our daughters have already decided to do. It’s not that the risks aren’t real – its that our daughters are going right ahead with whatever it is we are worried about. There’s no point in losing too much sleep over the things we can’t control, adventurous daughters included.</p>
<p>All the anti-malaria drugs have some nasty side effects. There is research on new malaria/malaria vaccine being conducted. </p>
<p>Initially, when birth control pills were being researched, they thought it was important to mimic a normal cycle. As time as gone on, people have pointed out, historically women have had fewer periods due to increased pregnancies and breast feeding. Studies have showed women using extended cycle birth control pills are at no higher risk then other groups of women. </p>
<p>There are two approved IUDs; Mirena (levonorgestrel releasing) and Paragard (Copper). IUDs should not be used in women who still want children but haven’t had any yet.</p>
<p>There is also Implanon. It is placed under the skin and is good for 3 years. Depo-Provera is a 3 month shot, but can only be used for 2 years because of side effects.</p>
<p>On a side note, we just received our first shipment of generic Yaz.</p>
<p>Emeraldkity, the pills AND the devices of 30 years ago are absolutely nothing like the ones of today. Why would 30 year old research be of any relevance whatsoever?</p>
<p>The depo recommendation is newer, and it is not always followed. If you take depo for more than 2 years or so, you’re at a higher risk of osteoporosis. The drug decreases the amount of calcium in your bones and it doesn’t always come back after you stop the drug.</p>
<p>That’s not consistent with what many health providers are currently recommending. That is, it would not be at all unusual for a health care provider to be encouraging EK’s daughter to use an IUD, even if she wants children in the future. </p>
<p>From what I can find there is no evidence or indication of impaired fertility after removal of the device – so I am not sure where the source of that recommendation was. Perhaps you can direct me to something that makes it more clear.</p>
<p>As to the mirena IUD for women who have not yet had children, the recommendation is:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>with this note:
</p>
<p>Specific references cited are:
[quote]
Cramer DW, Schiff I, Schoenbaum SC, Gibson M, Belisle S, Albrecht B, et al. Tubal infertility and the intrauterine device. N Engl J Med 1985;312:941–7.
Daling JR, Weiss NS, Metch BJ, Chow WH, Soderstrom RM, Moore DE, et al. Primary tubal infertility in relation to the use of an intrauterine device. N Engl J Med 1985;312:937–41.
Daling JR, Weiss NS, Voigt LF, McKnight B, Moore DE. The intrauterine device and primary tubal infertility. N Eng J Med 1992;326:203–4.
<p>Well she had it implanted and it apparently went fine- I hadn’t known this- but she* has been *in a long term relationship with a man ( most of her other relationships- to my knowledge were with women) and they are going to meet his parents over the 4th of July ( they live in the south-)</p>
<p>I suppose that is why she hasn’t gotten a tubal instead.</p>
<p>( does this mean to hang onto the baby stuff a little while longer?)</p>
<p>Well, you won’t be needing baby stuff in the short term… given that the one thing you know for sure is that she’s using a highly reliable form of bc.</p>
</p>
)</p>