post preeclampsia & birth control

[satoripooh]

hey everyone! it's been a while since i've posted, which is a good thing, cause jenny is doin VERY well these days. she got her meds changed and she is on Diovan HCT right now. bp is perfect, frequent headaches are gone and she all but bounces around the house now!

so here's my new question. jenny and i have talked about this (birth control) EXTENSIVELY, and done tons of homework and talked to the docs also, so i'm not lookin so much for advice, as just what some of your situations and resolutions have been.

because jenny developed pre-e so early and so severely, bc is a big deal right now. given the #'s and percentage rates on your site, her odds of developing pre-e again, and possibly even worse the second time, are not good enough that we want to risk lives for another child. so anyway, vasectomy seems the way to go for US. so many of the options for women involve medical "side effects" or some very unatural inplanted "apporatus", that they don't seem worth it. not to mention the rate of failure for some of those options, which is what we DO NOT want to happen. and yes, we realize vasectomy is perminant.

so my question is, given the sensative nature of this disease and the decision of whether to "risk" it happening again, what have some of your decisions been regarding this issue and do you feel it was the "right" one for you.

josh & jenny
bryce 29wks 3.5.04

[kim]

I chose a Copper IUD. My husband was up for a vasectomy, but I did not want him to do it. The failure rate for a Copper IUD is very low. It makes you 99.9% sterile. The implantation was not very bad, just a few cramps for a couple of days. I felt it was right for us because although I am 99% sure I do not want to have another baby, no one knows what the future can bring. My IUD is good for 10 years, and it would have to removed (a pain in the rear) if I wanted to get pg again, so we would have to be VERY sure that we wanted another baby....

That said, I had a horrible experience and my daughter is almost 2 and I can invision myself wanting another in 5 years, so I am really glad we didn't choose something permanent.


Kim
Texas Chapter Coordinator

Ainsley 11/26/02-36 Weeks Preeclampsia
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/ainsleyk/

[satoripooh]

the "what if" is a big one for us too. although 99% sure that we want to make this permanant, there's still that what if factor. a couple of things that outweigh that for us is the fact that our first was a boy...so we got the "name carrier" thing done and over with. the other is that we've always discussed adoption, even before Bryce.

so, with that said...exactly how does the IUD work? i did a little homework, and i know where it goes and what it look like and all that, but what i don't understand is the meunstration cycle. does it stop it? is that safe? are there any long term side affects? sorry, i'd rather hear it from a veterain than read on the internet.

anyone else? i love input! and thanks Kim!

josh & jenny
bryce 29wks 3.5.04

[kimb]

While I was still in the hospital my husband was ready to get snipped! Our dr asked us not to do anything permanent right away - because after 6 months - we would want to try again. We still aren't sure about trying again - but glad we didn't do anything permanent.

Kim 35
William Michael - my angel - pe/HELLP 7/7/03

[kim]

The only thing is that you have to be on your period when it is inserted (so that the cervix is open)... Other than that, it does not effect anything else. My first few periods after having the IUD inserted, I bled a little heavier, but that is it. Also, it has no hormones in it all!! A big issue for those of us who have continued hypertension after preeclampsia. The one I have is called the Paraguard, so you may want to look that particular one up.
Take care and let me know if you have any more questions.


Kim
Texas Chapter Coordinator

Ainsley 11/26/02-36 Weeks Preeclampsia
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/ainsleyk/

[momathelete]

Hi, this is actually Glenn and not Michelle. I couldn't figure out how to log her off, tried on the "logout" above, but didn't work.

Anyway, after our first was born, Michelle's Dr. said it was unlikely pre-clampsia would happen again. So we made no permanent moves on the BC front.

Then our daughter was born ... at 29 1/2 weeks (our son was born at 28 1.2 wks) because of the pre-clampsia demon. At first we had decided to have Michelles tubes tied at the same time as the c-section, but when the time came we were both pretty upset about it and the Dr. said we were both not ready for that yet.

Our second daughter, who turned one on 06/30, made it to 37 weeks after multiple months of bedrest. This time during the c-section we did have Michelle's tubes tied. While there are times that we are sad about it, we know it was the right decision for us.

So, netting it all out, I would definetly not do anything permanent until you ***KNOW*** you are ready for it to be permanent. We have, by the grace of God, 3 beautiful children. I would not trade any of them in for anything. We wanted more, but we came to a spot where we just knew it was time to stop.

Glenn


Michelle
Moderator -On Bedrest
Interim Local Coordinator -Illinois

mom to Cole (HELP pregnancy, 28 wkr) 5 yrs old
Lainey (preE pregnancy, 29 wkr) 2 yrs old
Ella (PIH, 17 wks bedrest, 37 wkr) 1 yr old

[satoripooh]

excelent info Kim, thanks. the only other question i have after talkin to my wife last night is, i gathered from you that it's more trouble takin it out than putting it in...? just curious about that.

WOW Glenn! you are a couple of brave souls! and sounds like you've been blessed with a few miracles, congrats! i feel the same about my son, and there's nothin in this world that i would trade for him...BUT, that's all retrospect. lookin back on everything and the fact that it all turned out OK made it all worth it. but knowing what we know now, and ALL the uncertainties that there are, i just can't bring myself to knowingly putting my wife, or a future child in that situation again. granted, i'm thinking about worst case scenarios, meaning the loss of one or the other, or severe permanant damage, but still, we all know that it's possible and that's what's hard for us.

anywho! lovin the input! we're gonna schedule appointments with the OB/GYN and the Urologist to talk about all this good stuff. how come these docs havn't come up with a magical little pill that'll just make all this pre-e stuff go away?!!

josh & jenny
bryce 29wks 3.5.04

[sarab]

Hi Josh,

Just kind of butting in here, sorry! Kim has given you some GREAT info on the IUD. I just wanted to add that I had one (also a copper T) inserted last October, and then had it removed in May. (I had complications with it, but they are VERY rare, so I won't scare you with the details).

What I wanted to say was that having the IUD removed was one of the quickest, easiest, and most painless things I have ever done. It literally took less than 30 seconds, and all I felt was the slightest pinch for about 1 second. It was GREAT!! I thought having it inserted was much worse.

Just wanted to give you hope, and wish you luck with whatever you decide!

Sara, 24
Local Coordinator, Utah
Moderator, "After Your Baby is Born"

DH, Scott, 26
Maggie Lylas, 6/9/03, 29 weeks, severe pre-e
Surprise, surprise! #2 EDD March 10, 2005

http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/m/maggielylas/

[satoripooh]

hey sarah!

yeah, i read the same thing on the net, but info from the experienced is the best. there are a lot of options and we need to investigate them as deep as possible. we're still holdin pretty true to our guns about the snip, but all possabilities must be exhausted. it's been almost 6 months since the lil man was born (amazing!), so we're definately not jumpin into anything right away. it's just a bummer that the "snip" is the easiest with the least side affects and complications and just so happens to be PERM!

and Congrats on #2! we'll definately be interested in your progress.

josh & jenny
bryce 29wkr 3.5.04

[iansmom]

This is deja vu! My husband & I already had the doctor's appt made to schedule the procedure when we changed our minds and got pregnant instead! We were hard core "NO MORE" for almost 2 years. I am glad you guys are really exploreing the options. I did get my tubes tied during this last c-section.

As a side note, I have 3 cousins - all IUD babies!

Good Luck

Ian 12/26/01 - 26 weeks P/E & HELLP
Drew 6/22/04 - 36w 6d Chronic hypertension & IUGR