Image via Fox/New Girl.
My periods were completely different before I started using the hormonal intrauterine device, also known as Mirena.
Each month, there were nights where I would be really upset over something incredibly trivial. The next day I would get my period, and it would be like a little light bulb in my mind switched off. My irrationality from the previous night would suddenly make sense (hello, hormones).
Now, I just don’t get my period. At all. But do I still get ‘hormonal’?
According to Kathleen McNamee, the Medical Director at Family Planning Victoria, the answer is yes — and I can’t do much about it.
“Because you’re ovulating normally [on the IUD] you do get the other effects of a normal period, just without the bleeding,” McNamee explains.
“It’s basically just down to monitoring it, which can be hard if you want to plan for it. If your hormone changes are really regular, then you can track them.”
So I'm just going to have to track my moods, and work out if there's a time of the month when I feel a little more emotional than usual.
Although my periods stopped when my Mirena was inserted, that's not always the case — there is a one in five chance of this happening for as long as the device is in place (the periods then return once it's removed). The cause of this is related to a woman's uterine lining.
"The Mirena releases hormones (levonorgestrel), which reduce the thickening of the lining of the womb. Normally the lining of the uterus thickens during the first half of your cycle, then when ovulation takes place and your body figures out that you're not pregnant, the lining sheds and you have a period," McNamee explains.
However, because the lining of the womb is thinner when a women is using the Mirena, there's very little to shed, if anything at all. (Post continues after gallery.)
Popular forms of birth control
"It is completely safe to not bleed with the Mirena. Because it affects the lining, your blood count actually goes up so it can be very good for you in many other ways," McNamee says.
The chance of lighter periods isn't the only reason women decide to use this method of birth control. For me, it was a better option because I get migraines, and taking the Pill increases my chances of having a stroke.
It's also very effective. Not to be confused with the copper IUD, which operates differently, Mirena is more than 99 per cent effective and lasts for five years.
As with all birth control methods, there are side effects associated with the Mirena and it's not going to be ideal for everyone. So definitely speak to your doctor or healthcare specialist before considering one.
Do you use an IUD? Has it affected your periods?