I have this friend, Mirena. She has completely changed my life ever since I met her over two years ago. At that time, I had really terrible back pain with lots of bleeding during my periods. Most times I would get a fever and feel nauseous as well. I tried birth control pills to regulate my periods so that I could take pain meds before everything got started, but the fake hormones made me gain lots of weight and feel depressed. That's when my gyno introduced me to Mirena, the Mirena device, my IUD. As far as I'm concerned, it's the best form of birth control out there. Getting it put in was quite painful, but I was so nervous that I made it worse. Besides a little abdomen pain and some light cramping, there were no initial side effects. I continued to have pretty heavy periods for a couple months, but then they got lighter and lighter. After a few more months, my periods went away all together. The Mirena doesn't make everyone stop bleeding, but a significant percentage at least has lighter, more comfortable periods. The deal is that the small plastic t-shaped device, while it blocks the fallopian tubes, it also releases a small amount of hormone locally. This hormone thins the lining in the uterus that normally builds up during a woman's cycle and in some cases it's practically non-existent. So for me, I barely have the occasional spotting. It's really been a life saver. It lasts for up to 5 years, costs about $100 if you have insurance and once you get it taken out, you can get pregnant pretty soon. My one hang up about it is that it is unnatural. I don't 100% like the idea of having a tiny piece of plastic in my uterus, but I was pretty desperate for relief and nothing else worked. I just want to put the info out there about this not quite so popular form of birth control that has worked so well for me.