Hello,

I'm sorry this is a bit TMI. I just am frustrated and don't know what else to do. Would love to hear any advice or personal experience.

I had RNY surgery 12-22-14. I was told I needed to get on birth control right away after surgery. On 12-26 my Dr gave me the depo shot. That night I started bleeding and haven't stopped since. It is not spotting, it is very heavy with large clots. To the point at times my overnight pads (I wear during the day) don't last 2 hours and will bleed through my pants. I scared the crap out of my daughter because after my shower there were clots on the shower floor (I'm sorry, I know eww)  My primary Dr sent me to a obgyn after about 2 months of constant bleeding. I get severe stabbing pain in my right lower abdomen. Gyno did an ultra sound and said everything was fine. The right ovary was a little bit large but they didn't think it would cause the pain. He then sent me to a Hematologist and said he thought i may have  a bleeding disorder. That Dr did a TON of labs and came back with not blood disorder. Back to the obgyn and he said I needed to get an IUD. I do not have biological children and would like to try when I lose a bit more weight so it scares me to put anything in my body that may affect those chances. My Bariatric Dr says they think it is from all the hormones in the weight I'm losing but said they don't really deal with those issues. 

I saw a different obgyn and he agreed I needed to get an IUD. He said it should help stop the bleeding. 

My hemoglobin is fine. For some reason it was 17 during surgery. It is currently 13 which is no where near anemic.

Thanks for reading 

Geez you poor thing. Well I had that sort of bleeding problem a few years ago and I got an ablation. But you can't have that if you want kids. After the ablation I would barely spot a tiny bit on 1 day a month, but had all the other period symptoms. After RNY in July 2014 I spotted for more than a month straight. Then nothing at all until last month. I went all those months with no period. Doctor said it's very common for hormones to be wacky during rapid weight loss. Now I have had 2 months in a row of back to normal with 1 day of barely spotting, but also cramps. Hopefully yours will settle down too but you can't live like this! What about birth control pills?  I do believe tho that IUDs are pretty safe in terms of fertility. I wish you luck and hope you get some answers. 

It has become common practice to use IUDs in women who have not had children yet. It did not used to be the case, but medical consensus is that IUDs do not affect your chances of getting pregnant after removal. When I had mine placed, I asked about this, and they explained to me that claims of IUDs affecting infertility are unsubstantiated. The reality is that every woman's fertility declines with age, and IUDs are long acting birth control. Thus, the fact that some women report having trouble conceiving after having an IUD removed is the result of their age. There is no evidence that IUDs are contributing factors. With or without an IUD, you could face more difficulty conceiving with each year that passes.

Where can I get an IUD?  Is it an outpatient thing?  Will I have to cross pro-choice pickett lines with people scream "No! No! Save the unborn!" at me?

I know these are weird questions but this has never been discussed.

I had the Mirena IUD for years.  It was great!  Not having to remember to take anything, easy insertion (and removal), lasted 5 years!  I got mine at my OBGYN office :)

My PCP referred me to the GYNE dept of the clinic I go to get it placed. It was placed the first time I went. It took less than two hours total. The actual procedure is only 10 minutes or so, but I had a lot of cramping for several days after. As long as you go to a clinic (vs planned parenthood) no one will know what you are there for. Best part is that it is considered preventative care, so there is no copay unless your insurance is exempt from the ACA (if you are already getting birth control with no copay, your insurance is covered by ACA).

You may want to ask your doctor about getting a D&C. Dilation and curettage (D&C) is a procedure to remove tissue from inside your uterus. Doctors perform dilation and curettage to diagnose and treat certain uterine conditions — such as heavy bleeding — or to clear the uterine lining.  

About five years before WLS, during one of my yo-yo diets, weight loss triggered constant bleeding and passing large clots.  What fixed the problem was inserting a 5-year progesterone-releasing IUD during a D&C procedure.  Bleeding stopped within a month.  Anxiety about having a foreign object inside my body went away after a few weeks. It would have helped to have seen how tiny an IUD actually is--I had no clue the size until seeing it on the day the obgyn removed it.   I never felt the IUD nor did it interfere in any way.  After WLS, I had a couple spotting episodes so it was decided to leave the IUD  in place an additional year.  It was removed on year number six in the doctor's office.  There has been no issue since.    

I didn't think you could have an IUd if you hadn't given birth?  Well, last time I inquired you couldn't. I've known many women who had the Depo shot and every one of them had major problems from bleeding to hysterically crying to severe mood swings and weight gain!  Yikes!!  I feel for you. Maybe another gynecologist's opinion??  Good luck. Poor thing. 

You can. My sister has never been pregnant, and she has an IUD.