My LD symptoms got exponentially worse when I got the Kyleena low dose hormone IUD. At first I thought I was having a bad reaction to the IUD because I’ve always had a bad reaction to birth controll. My OBGYN dismissed my concerns and said no way was it the IUD. I feel like I should have just went with my gut and told her to take it out. I’ve only had it for two months and just got diagnosed. Has anyone else had problems with IUD’s or birthcontroll? My symptoms always get worse around the time I should start my period. Perhaps a vasectomy is the best option even though my ObGyn thinks I’m crazy.
Side note: After reading about how Lyme Disease has affected woman and their pregnancies and babies I’m so very grateful for my healthy children. It can be easy to lose sight of that in the LD depression.
Hi there,
I had a copper IUD put in after I first became sick with Lyme as a non hormonal birth control option (although I didn’t know it was Lyme back then). I had it for 6 years, and recently got it out because I was having severe abdominal cramps half the days out of each month (during my period and during ovulation), for over a year. No doctor could figure out what was causing the issue. I eventually suspected the IUD was the culprit, but all the various doctors I spoke to swore it could not be the cause of the pain. I decided to get it out anyways after doing a lot of internet reading and finding that it is quite common for IUDs to cause mysterious health issues. I also found out 75% of my friends who have had IUDS had issues with them (both hormonal and copper - short term and long term), that resolved once they got them out.
After I got my IUD out, my cramps have not returned - not even once!
I definitely believe that the IUD could be causing symptoms to flare. That is totally enraging that your Obgyn is not listening to you or your concerns/needs! If you think about it, an iud is a foreign body in your uterus and that certainly can cause inflammation, and the components of the IUD (hormones, metals, etc) may also not be tolerated by your body, especially if it is extra sensitive due to lyme - and the fact that you’ve had issues with hormonal bc in the past!! If I were you, I’d get it out. Hopefully you can talk to your partner about other bc options, including the vasectomy.
I now use condoms for birth control since I don’t want to use hormones. Sustain is a company that has condoms with a more natural lubricant and less chemicals, and yes! lubricant (from the uk but available on Amazon) is all natural; I have allergies to KY jelly etc due to lyme.
You are not crazy - trust your body. Good luck!
Sarah