PCOS - IUDs - Liletta vs. Mirena vs. Paragard
Hi, I was hoping to get some recommendations/experiences from ladies who have PCOS and an IUD. Just a brief history of my PCOS issues.
Never had a period as a teenager; went to the doc at 16 and was put on BC to "regulate" hormones. I gained 20+ pounds and came off it after a couple of months. I spent several years trying natural solutions and was sometimes able to successfully induce a period. But I don't have them at all otherwise.
At 21 went back on BC and gained weight again. After six years of BC I decided I didn't want the hormones so I stopped the pill and got the Paragard (copper IUD). It was great for the first few months but then I started bleeding for months on end. I saw my doc and checked the placement etc. and all was fine. I then started researching natural solutions to control it.
Fast forward to 8 years later, I'm 34 and still have ParaGard. Some months are better than others, but lately it's been really bad. I've read other ParaGard horror stories of constant bleeding, so I do attribute it to the IUD. My doctor recommends removing it and replacing with the hormonal IUD Mirena or Liletta. But I have three major concerns with this:
1) Will it really control the bleeding? My doc also said the blood isn't real "period" blood it's uterine bleeding. If my uterus doesn't like something in it, won't it just continue to bleed if I swap out one device for another?!
2) Weight gain. I'm 34 now and find it nearly impossible to lose weight. Also, I am estrogen dominant. The hormonal IUDs are progesterone only (but synthetic). Do women with estrogen dominance typically gain from synthetic progesterone without the estrogen? I know the hormones are mostly in the uterus and only some get into the blood stream, but still have concerns, which aren't irrational based on some of the reviews out there.
3) The hormonal IUDs can cause ovarian cysts, which I already have. During one of my ridiculous bleeding spells when I was 28 I got an ultrasound which confirmed the cysts.
Sorry for the long post. Thanks in advance for any insight!
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