IUD and prolapse

Submitted by granolamom on April 2, 2011 - 8:56pm
Body: 

just a quick update here, as some of you may or may not remember, I got my copper IUD about a year ago.
the good news is that it has not made my prolapses any worse (was a tad concerned about the extra weight in the uterus). more good news is that nauli and firebreathing did not dislodge the device.
the bad news is that nauli and firebreathing have been leading to spotting/bleeding depending on the time of the month and since my periods are already longer due to the IUD, its a real PITA. I'm assuming that the extra spotting/bleeding is due to the exercises because I tried stopping all nauli/fb for two cycles and had none of the spotting. tried it again this cycle, and yup, started bleeding again two days after my period had stopped.
wanted to post this to add to our growing collection of anecdotal information about prolapse, and incase it would be useful to someone out there.

louiseds

April 2, 2011 - 9:28pm

Good one, Granolamom. IUD manufacturers are certainly not going to put this information out there. As usual, it is up to us women to share useful info like this.

The IUD is, after all, designed to irritate the uterus. Guess what? It is doing its job. Sorry you are experiencing this. It probably means that you are nauling and firebreathing properly. It is yet another reminder that there is no easy way of controlling our fertility.

Roll on menopause.

;-(

Louise

clavicula

April 4, 2011 - 12:05am

Thanks for the update, Gmom, I was wondering how this IUD works out for you...
Well, bleeding sounds bad, that is right. Maybe in the long term it'll stop and you can Nauli without spotting...

Liv

vanilla bean

April 4, 2011 - 12:38pm

Hi Granolamom,
Thanks for your post. I'm new here. I've been poking around the forum to read anything I can on IUDs and prolapse and came across your post in which you mentioned that you were glad you had dealt with your prolapse before IUD. I thought you might be a good resource for me. I have mild (can't recall the #s) post-partum cystocele and rectocele prolapse, and I am 3 years and 9 months post-partum. I was diagnosed at around 6 weeks (of my own prompting "something doesn't feel right"), did some pt, got a pessary, and had an IUD inserted all around the same time (all within five months post-partum). In many ways I wish I had waited on the IUD... but I was very clear that I did not want to be pregnant again right away. (We conceived on our first shot, and my cycle returned at four months despite exclusive breastfeeding. IUD felt like the highest priority at the time.) It was only after IUD insertion that I learned about Mayan massage so was never able to try that.

Since you "got to know" your prolapse well before the IUD, here's my main question for you: Are you finding extra discomfort now that you have the IUD? How do you think it plays into the bigger picture of your pelvic life?

I sometimes wonder if the IUD is adding to my discomfort. Also, the doc who prescribed my pessary said the prolapse would improve once I was no longer nursing. She probably didn't expect that I'd still be nursing my child at 3 years 9 months! What do you know about nursing and improvement?

My main difficulty with the prolapse is that I would like to increase my activity level (my body and especially my brain need it!). Of course, I wish I could run and jump comfortably again. I have lots of low back pain, even with just hiking. Forget running. My secret vow to myself for this year is to try to get my spine/pelvis back. So basically, I don't know where the IUD and the nursing may or may not fit into this... don't want to hi-jack your post... just seems that you might be the best resource for me right now!

Thanks,
Vanilla Bean

granolamom

April 4, 2011 - 6:38pm

hi vanilla bean. you did not hijack my thread at all, this is exactly what I'm posting for. I feel (as louise has said) that we will never get this type of information from the medical community or from the IUD manufacturers. most likely because they deny that these problems exist and/or are related to the device.

so here's the thing. I hate having a copper coil in my body but I dont think I can handle more kids (our fifth was a surprise and I love her dearly but really need a bc method that is highly reliable).

to be honest here, I firmly believe that the IUD is not good for my body. it has wreaked havoc on my moods, screwed up my cycles and my fibromyalgia has been out of control since I've gotten the thing (I had the fibro very much in control for years prior to the IUD). my libido is down to almost nil (not like me at all) and I feel postpartum (physically and emotionally) each menstrual period.

as far as breastfeeding, I saw no correlation between bf and prolapse, or more importantly, no correlation between weaning and improvement. I think that's a big (convenient) myth.

my prolapse is not worse since the IUD, but I wish I could get back to nauli/fb and further lift things.

I dont have low back pain, but I've read that some women do have chronic low back pain and are attributing it to the IUD. so its a possibility.

I have to get some kids to bed now, but will try to check back soon. ask away, that's what we're here for. (wish I had better IUD news, just keeping it real)

vanilla bean

April 5, 2011 - 1:23am

Gmom,
Thank you for your support and your reply! I've been suspicious of the breastfeeding advice, but like the prolapse with IUD, I have nothing to compare it to. So, yes, it seems our collective way through these various possibilities is anecdotal. Thank goodness for a forum like this.

Thank you for elaborating on your experience. How many years have you lived with prolapse? How/where do your births fit into that? How long have you had the IUD? How long have you been doing nauli/fb? It sounds like you have discontinued because of the bleeding? Do you use the First Aid DVD? My IUD is also copper (no hormones). My libido is way lower (which was a big change)... but there are several other variables that could play into this, so I'm not sure. Again, having no other post-partum experience to compare it to...

I never thought about what other impacts the IUD might be having. I currently have some other symptoms that I am trying to make sense of, so that is food for thought. The more I process this, the more I'd like to see what post-partum life would be like without the IUD. However, I am not sure that I want to open up to the possibility of pregnancy right now. And I will not go back on hormones.

The reason I bring up the back pain here is because the PT who I saw for prolapse and severe pubic bone pain suggested that my pre-existing back pain was probably due to the "poor conditioning" of my pelvic area. I believed her. My low back pain came well before my pregnancy. But once I was pregnant, I was so gentle on my back that I don't recall ever having back pain during my pregnancy. Of course, I spent most of the 9+ months curled forward over the loo, so that might also have helped ;).

My relatively experienced midwife was is really surprised by my prolapse as I had none of the "risk factors." However, our extended labor resulted in an unplanned epidural with pitocin, and I believe my prolapse is a direct result of the pushing. I will never know for certain.

I guess I bring all this up to try to tease out the variables. I actually don't know how my back would feel after running now because I will not do it for a long enough period of time (due to prolapse) to find out. Perhaps I've incorrectly conflated the two problems.

The reason I don't run, jump, walk/hike now is because I find the pressure is too uncomfortable--I am afraid I'm doing more damage than good. I also cannot hold my urine when doing high impact activity. But if it weren't for the discomfort/fear, I would just use a pad for that (though it would be great if that didn't happen). I have a pessary, but I don't wear it. I find that by the end of the day, I have usually opted to take it out, so why bother. I will try sea sponges soon. Most troubling to me is the discomfort that keeps me from high impact activities or even just long, vigorous walks/hikes. I have all the usual end-of-the-day sensations, but I have learned to accept a lot of that. I have not accepted that this is as good as it gets.

It sounds like you have plenty of other people who need you, so I really appreciate your response today.

Thanks again.
Vanilla Bean

granolamom

April 5, 2011 - 9:08pm

my history in a nutshell is that I found a cystocele when my third child and then youngest was 18 mo old. in hindsight, I'm sure it was developing for years, probably started after my first birth when I tore pretty badly.
that baby is now 7.5 yo so that's 6 years living with POP. I found this site right away and started with the posture. took about a year until I saw real measurable results although the symptoms receded pretty quickly. developed a small rectocele as soon as the cystocele got smaller, but it is completely asymptomatic.
started firebreathing and things got much better, had my fourth baby without doing any more damage. started doing nauli and saw really amazing results. found myself pg with our surprise baby (hence the IUD now) and had another incredible homebirth, without doing more damage.
got my IUD when baby was about 3 mo, about a year ago.
so I've had pp experiences without the IUD and the standard lack of libido excuses dont feel accurate to me (really, once you've got four kids, one more makes no difference in that regard). I've breastfed and weaned and seen no difference either way in terms of prolapse.
I did stop fb and nauli due to the bleeding. I don't like bleeding (even though I love nauli!!).

how new are you to this site? have you had a chance to learn the posture? if not, do that asap. it works. try the firebreathing and learn nauli, maybe it won't bother you, and if it doesnt then do those exercises regularly (like once a day) because they really do lift everything up.
I will tell you that aside from a day or two around ovulation and the start of my period I am completely symptom free (and even then its just a slightly bulgy sensation). I can do pretty much anything I want (fb/nauli aside but that's because of the IUD) so long as I am in posture. and I can even overdo it sometimes out of posture without ill effect. if I'm hell-bent on doing something that stresses out the prolapse, worst case is I feel it the next day so I am super careful for a few and then I am back to baseline.

It does get better. the IUD may be complicating things for you, meaning its harder to draw conclusions about what is helping/hindering, but I believe it is still possible to learn about your POP and manage it.

keep at it, stay hopeful

vanilla bean

April 6, 2011 - 12:41pm

Thanks for that!

I've just learned about "the posture" and am trying to reprogram, or rather, retro-program my body habit. I have been habitually tucking my hips under for decades. As a young athlete, I remember, in one case, being harshly chastised for that natural curve. Through many different means and messages, our culture can slowly erode a woman's trust in her natural posture (maybe Christine's book addresses this cultural aspect). "The posture" and the explanation behind it feel like some sort of return to the intuitive home of my body, though this home is now foreign to me. It is helpful to know that it took you a full year before before you saw real results. I will be patient. I did not know about the fire breathing or nauli until this forum. Thank you for the tips and suggestions.

Your story gives me a lot of hope!

Vanilla Bean

granolamom

April 6, 2011 - 6:47pm

ok, so you've got to learn the posture. it takes time, but stick with it, ask any questions you have and we will try to help you. get the book and/or dvd if you can. the posture is really the basis of the wholewoman philosophy, it is what puts your pelvic organs in a safe and stable spot, over the pubic bone.

and just want to clarify....I dont know if its officially medically 'ok' to do nauli and firebreathing with an IUD. I read conflicting advice online and not surprisingly, my dr had no idea what these exercises were & said they are 'probably harmless'. so if you try it, its at your own risk. I am qualified to say it is harmless only that I've done then without dislodging my IUD.

but either way, I think you can see improvement just with the posture.
baby is trying to type so I'm going to go now

stay positive : )