Mirena vs. Paraguard vs. Nuvaring

[morleyroarly]

I have an appointment soon for insertion of Mirena, a hormonal IUD. Does anyone out there have experience with Mirena and/or Paragard (the copper one)? I know it's a good option, and cheaper than the ring over 2 years, but the whole "perforated uterus" thing and the whole "occasional spotting and really bad cramping for the first three months" thing scares me.

Nuvaring worked without a hitch for me - I would be opting for the IUD for the long-term cost savings and the decreased hassle, as well as the lower hormonal load.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

My insurance does NOT cover it - however, even without coverage it is cheaper than the Nuvaring with prescription coverage.

Mirena: $440 for the IUD, $175 for the insertion = $615. Good for 5 years, probably looking at getting pregnant before the full 5 year mark (!).

Nuvaring: $20 per month with prescription coverage = $240/year. The break-even point would thus be just about 2 1/2 years.

Nuvaring has a considerably higher dose of hormones, from what I can tell. Nuvaring releases 0.015 mg/day of ethinyl estradiol (EE) AND 0.120 mg/day of etonogestrel. Mirena releases 15ug=.015mg/day of levonorgestrel only. I don't know how these hormones compare, but I can only assume they are in a similar family and thus have similar effects (anyone with more knowledge, please jump in!). It would seem the dosage on levonorgestrel and EE are the same from Mirena to Nuvaring, but the Nuvaring adds the 120ug of etonogestrel.

I found a really rad ob/gyn doctor at the Allegheny General Hospital LifeStages program - Dr. Cathy Saunders. From what I can tell, LifeStages caters to young mothers and don't-wanna-be-mothers, particularly lower income. Dr. Saunders is 100% willing to insert an IUD despite my lack of prior pregnancy and my interest in future pregnancy. She's been very helpful (or rather, her assistant has!).

-Morley (not logged in - at work)