Although there are numerous reasons I am in support of the need for male birth control, I am here to address an issue I can control, my own personal form of birth and period control. I have had a Mirena IUD for over four years now, and everyday I am so grateful for it.
Let me start out by saying that I tried other methods of birth control. I was on the pill for a year and a half before getting an IUD, and I wanted to pull all my hair out every single day I was on that miserable little pill. I had a terrible, awful period before the pill (I would bleed through an ultra in an hour, had crippling cramps, and headaches like none other) and the pill made every day other than my period a living hell. From the raging hormones to the lovely mood swings, to the inconsistency of a high schooler trying to remember to take a pill at the same time every day, putting it bluntly, that pill sucked. So, I switched over to my dearest Mirena, and I’ve never looked back.
Let me list for you five reasons I love my IUD…
1) NO PERIODS – or a very minimal period. I get mine for less than three days, and it is insanely light. Sometimes I don’t even get it at all. For this reason, especially, getting an IUD is worth it.
2) Hormone regulation – if you are moody like me, my Mirena regulates them like a queen. With an IUD you do not get any crazy mood swings that you cannot control when you forget to take a pill or you are just super moody in general.
3) Protection against Pregnancy – It’s 99.99% effective against preventing pregnancy. Please still use protection against STIs, but a little back-up from a Mirena IUD is so worth it.
4) It doesn’t hurt as badly as you may think – I think people over-hype the pain. If you can tolerate any form of a period cramp, in my experience, you can tolerate an IUD getting put in easily.
5) They last for six years – Birth control that you don’t have to remember for six years. SIX YEARS. This is huge for anyone who sucks at remembering to take a silly little pill every day.
For me personally, these five reasons were more than enough for me to take the leap and get an IUD. Obviously, everyone has different experiences and finds different forms of birth control that work for them. Fortunately for me, I found mine in the Mirena IUD, and now I recommend getting an IUD to everyone I meet. It was one of the best choices I’ve ever made, and I am so grateful to have it every day.