Okay, here’s the thing that frustrates me about this site. There is so much scaremongering about birth control- yes, it has side effects. Yes, most have forms of artificial hormones. But using hormonal birth control carries less risk of health problems than pregnancy. Or in other words, pregnancy is riskier than the Pill. I understand people on here have had bad experiences with hormonal birth control, which is going to happen with pretty much any medication or treatment. What Hannah doesn’t mention is that Mirena acts locally on the uterus- only a minuscule amount of hormone enters the bloodstream, which is why it doesn’t generally have the side effects other hormonal options have. IUDs are effective and you don’t have to think about birth control. This is a situation where one has to weigh the risk/benefit ratio. I have a Mirena, and while I’m not crazy about hormones, the benefits of it out weigh the potential risks (I’ve had zero problems so far, I love it).
Another thought: many on here advocate temping and charting your cycle. It works for some, but it’s not the best form of birth control. Scientists have long noted that human mammals have surprisingly variable pregnancy lengths in comparison to other mammals, and the same goes for ovulation timing. Ovulation can be all over the place, and it’s not always predictable. Some communities European Jews exclusively use the rhythm method and have notably higher incidences of babies with Down’s in comparison to Jewish people living in the US using more effective forms of birth control (ruling out genetic tendencies). It is theorized that this happens because despite abstaining during the fertile time, pregnancy still happens and sperm meets an ‘old’ egg (an egg that has been released for 12 hours and is ready to ‘die’). I just found this interesting and it suggests that even if done well, the rhythm method just isn’t the most effective form of birth control and may even have risks.
I saw someone mentioned pregnancy with the IUD in- there is a 50% chance of miscarriage. If you think you’re pregnant and have an IUD, call your doctor ASAP so it can be removed.
I know this is long, I just wanted to provide a different viewpoint.