birth control
"I have loved having my Mirena for almost 3 years now. I prefer it to the regular non-hormonal IUD because it greatly reduced (almost diminished) my monthly bleeding. As a health professional (nurse practitioner), I have recommended and inserted this to many women seeking long term forms of birth control. The initial pain /cramping at insertion was helped by the use of ibuprofen before insertion and for 24-48hours after. However! I have gained a lot of weight after inserting my Mirena (which didn't occur when I used the copper IUD - lost 25lbs with that one) So it loses marks for that reason as far as I'm concerned. If you have a tendency to gain weight easily, I'd be careful. I know a lot of women that are happy with it without problems."