An IUD is “not going to affect PMS in any way, shape, or form because it’s a local form of contraception that works by interacting with the uterus,” says Sasan. That means neither the hormone-free ParaGard nor Mirena (which releases small amounts of the hormone levonorgestrel into your uterus) should alleviate or worsen any of your monthly woes, she says. So if you suffer from bad PMS, you may still suffer; if you don’t, you likely still won’t. And while some women do report cramping after having an IUD inserted, research suggests that period pain isn’t actually made worse by the device.
NuvaRing is a small ring you insert into your vagina once a month (you usually leave it in for three weeks, take it out for one, and insert a new one at the end of the month) to prevent pregnancy. It releases a low dose of progestin, the synthetic version of progesterone (that’s also in birth control pills) and estrogen. Like with the Pill, “you should notice an improvement in PMS symptoms as opposed to going au natural,” says Sasan. (The reason why it helps: Before your period, your progesterone and estrogen levels change, creating an imbalance that leads to all your favorite symptoms.) That said, if you’re taking a week off from the ring, PMS can still be a reality.
But you probably can guess where we’re going with this one: The ring is similar to the Pill—you can leave it in for four weeks at a time, take it out, immediately put in another ring, and that’s fine, says Minkin. Like with the birth control pill, too, a steady state of hormones should nix symptoms of PMS, says Sasan.
Nexaplon, the arm implant, is a small, soft device your doc inserts into your arm. It releases progestin, stopping your body from ovulating and preventing pregnancy for about three years. What that means for PMS? “If you’re not ovulating, you’re not experiencing a change of hormones, so that should certainly help with PMS—and in addition, many women on the implant will not get a period,” says Sasan. “Some people do, but some don’t.”