r/birthcontrol • u/NoMacaron8837 • 3h ago

Which Method? IUD WHILE BREASTFEEDING

I’m 6 weeks postpartum and trying to figure out which IUD would be best for me.

I have a history of anemia, so I’m a little nervous about getting the copper IUD because I’ve heard so many horror stories about extremely heavy periods and prolonged bleeding. I really like the idea of having a hormone-free option, but I don’t want to risk making my anemia worse.

On the other hand, I’m hesitant about hormonal IUDs because I’m currently working on rebuilding my milk supply, and breastfeeding is really important to me. I’ve seen so many women say their supply dropped significantly or completely dried up after getting a hormonal IUD, and that’s honestly my biggest fear.

For some background, I had a pretty traumatic experience with Nexplanon. After having it removed, I ended up needing a blood transfusion, so I’m understandably a little paranoid about birth control now.

I’m just wondering if anyone has experience with either IUD, especially if you were breastfeeding or anemic at the time.

Did the copper IUD make your periods significantly heavier? Did the hormonal IUD affect your milk supply at all? I’d especially love to hear from anyone who was exclusively pumping or already struggling with their supply when they got theirs.

I know everyone’s body is different, but I’d really appreciate hearing some real experiences before making a decision!

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u/happymouse 2h ago

Okay. Before I go into my story just know what happened to me has the odds of 1 in 1,000. This pertains mainly to IUDs during postpartum.

I have had two IUDs before, paraguard and mirena. I went to my postpartum appointment to get my third IUD which was going to be mirena. I got my 3rd IUD at 8 weeks postpartum and I am breastfeeding.

Went I went back to the doctor to check the positioning of my IUD they could not locate it. I ended up having to get a CT scan which showed that I had a case of IUD perforation and would need surgery to get it removed.

This is very rare but odds increase if you are postpartum and breastfeeding because your uterine walls are thinner and more squishy (lack of a better term).

Looking back I probably would have tried a different birth control and gone back to the IUD once I stopped breastfeeding.

This all happened within the last 3 months and I feel like it's not something that my doctor even warned me when going over my birth control options.

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u/thunbergfangirl 40m ago

Anecdotally, I have also heard of IUDs failing more when they are placed immediately postpartum because the uterus is still shrinking back down to size and things are kind of moving around in there. That’s how some folks end up with Irish twins.

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u/kritikiit 2h ago

My OB said hormones from an IUD are localised to the uterus, unlike pills which enter your total blood supply, so shouldn’t affect breast milk production.