I had the copper IUD for 3 years. I have a family history of a blood clotting disorder so my doctor wanted me to use non hormonal birth control. Since it was non hormonal, i thought I would have little to no side effects. I ended up having more side effects than I ever thought possible. Weight gain that refused to go away, anxiety, depression, hair loss, inconsistent bowel issues, and excruciating pain. Every so often the cramps were so intense I felt like a knife was trying to poke its way out of me. At first, I didnt think it was the IUD causing me these issues because it was so called non hormonal, then when I realized it was, I still wanted to keep it in because I felt like I had no other birth control option. Finally I decided that enough was enough and I wanted it out. I went to the doctor and they performed an ultrasound to see if it was positioned incorrectly, and turns out, part of it was stuck in my cervix and one of the arms was sticking out of my uterus. Luckily they were able to remove it easily, but I’ve heard of many women who had to have it surgically removed. I’m hoping that now that it’s out the symptoms will go away, as the depression and weight gain seems to have gotten worse.
Submitted November 5, 2021
