I Have An IUD, And I Think It's The Best Form Of Birth Control

To all my family I am friends with on Facebook, you may want to avoid reading this article.

When I was first introduced to the beautiful world of birth control, I began my journey by using the pill. At first, it was amazing! I noticed my skin was clearing up, my periods were bearable (meaning my cramps no longer made me want to die). Life was good... until I started having sex.

In my personal experience, sex on the pill isn't fun. The only word I can think of to describe my experience is stressful. I was paranoid all the time about getting pregnant. The number of pregnancy tests I bought is ridiculous! I had nothing to be afraid of! But there was still that voice in the back of my head saying that I could be pregnant, and that's what made my stress levels rise. Birth control pills can be up to 99% effective, when taken correctly and consistently. However, I quickly realized that I am not the best at remembering to take my pill every day, even when I set an alarm on my phone to remind me to take it. For those who may not know, when you miss a pill, its effectiveness decreases, increasing your chances of becoming pregnant. When you're having sex, the last thing you need to worry about is an unexpected pregnancy. It kind of kills the mood.

So this past year when I realized I needed to make a switch, I began looking into different forms of birth control, and I came across the IUD. I had known what an IUD was, but I avoided it because I knew that it was going to be painful when it came time for the IUD to be inserted into my uterus. I don't tolerate pain well, so that was the only thing holding me back.

What finally convinced me to switch to the IUD was an article I read on Cosmopolitan's website 7 Reasons I'm Thanking My IUD Today by Hayley MacMillen. The author is writing about why she's thankful for her IUD, and honestly it brought me so much comfort that I decided to suck it up and go for it. So I called my OB/GYN and set up two appointments. The first appointment was to talk to my doctor about the different forms of IUD's, discuss any concerns I had, and to examine my lady parts to make sure everything was A-OK. The second appointment was when I had the IUD inserted. I'm going to be completely honest, the pain of having an IUD inserted was terrible. Again, I don't tolerate pain well, so I took it pretty rough. After the procedure was done, I had to stay in the examination room for about twenty minutes because I thought I was going to throw up. But once it was done, I felt proud. Once the nausea wore off, I walked out of the OB/GYN with my head held high, and a skip in my step. For the first time, I felt at peace with my birth control.

I've now had my IUD for seven months, and I wouldn't change a thing. My cramps still kind of suck during my period, but the bleeding is way better than it was. Sex is great, too, because I can finally relax and enjoy the experience. What's even better is that I know there's a little ninja in my uterus that's protecting me at all times, and I don't even have to think about it. The only alarm I have on my phone now is the five that I need to wake myself up in the morning.

For anyone who is considering switching their form of birth control to an IUD, I highly recommend it. It's worth it in the end because now I feel as though I have nothing to worry about. But remember the IUD does not protect against STD's, so ALWAYS wear a condom. Remember to talk to your OB/GYN to make sure you choose the best form of birth control for you.