If you are reading this blog, you may already be having suspicions that your IUD is the cause of any negative side effects you are experiencing. Please know that first of all, you are not alone, and you aren't crazy. You know your body better than anyone else, and you know if something is affecting your body in a negative way.
Before you go to a doctor, take the time to sit down and document what is happening, or has happened since you got the IUD. Make comparisons of life before and after the IUD. If you are having weight gain, make sure that you have taken personal responsibility and have changed your eating habits, and that you exercise. Take it from me, even if you are, the doctor is still going to challenge you. If you are doing nothing, the doctor may not take you seriously, and will just tell you to go exercise. In my opinion, this is just going to waste your time, because the exercise isn't going to help. You certainly should be, and it will keep you healthy, but it won't help you lose weight on the Mirena.
After you have documented what has happened to you, be sure to read the small print in BOTH the US and Canadian versions of the Mirena literature. (links listed on the side) I found that the Canadian version of the literature listed side effects NOT included in the US version, many of which I am experiencing. It also states that women with depression or mental issues shouldn't have the Mirena, something the US version omits. If you are having depression post-IUD, you are not doing anything wrong, and you're not crazy. It could very well be your IUD.
Now that you are armed with information, see your OBGYN and present your case. If they don't believe you, then you need to find a doctor who will. Don't let your doctor make you feel crazy or make you feel like a bad person. It is their JOB to listen to you and take you seriously. I finally had to dispense with my OBGYN and rely on my GP. She not only is going to remove my IUD, but she is doing it and listing it as a Pap Smear, so that it's covered by insurance. My OB wouldn't do this, and was going to charge me over $250 for removal. Your doctor should be a trusted ally, NOT an adversary!
My advice? If you are having negative side effects, don't wait the way I did. Get the IUD removed. In my experience, the side effects don't get better, so save yourself the frustration.
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1 – 200 of 565 Newer› Newest»I also had adverse effects ! Here's my story.
I got the IUD on 3/21/06 and loved it ! Insertion was painful but not terrible. I loved not having to worry about pills, patches, condoms whatever. Well about 1 month after getting it I developed acne. It wasnt terrible but I never had acne before. I figured it was from the hormone in the IUD. I could deal with that. In mid - July I developed a yeast infection that would not go away. (I also had one in April but it went away with meds) I had it from July-Sept and even after that I would have bouts of itching and irritation. My dr's told me it was from one of the following detergent, soap or toilet paper. Now I have always used free & clear detergent, Dove soap for sensitive skin and Angel Soft toilet tissue. They told me to change them one by one until I found out what was causing the irritation. I didnt do that, I figured I have been using these forever why would I need to change now ? I asked if it could be from the IUD and was told no it wasnt a side effect. So everytime I got it I would treat with OTC. They went on until I had it removed. I started suffering with depression, irritability and complete exhaustion. My hair also started falling out. The one who took the brunt of my mood change was my 8 year old. I was unable to cope with him being 8 and special needs and acting they way he did. I swear I think I really could have beaten him, I wanted to. I have gotten to the point where I did push and shove him. I lost my sex drive. It didnt decrease it left completely. I didnt have sex for 2 months at a time. I had no desire for it. When I gave in to my husband it was extremely painful. I did want to be with my husband but my body refused. My husband said he could feel the strings of the device.
I did some internet research and came across forums of women who were having the same issues as me ! Some were more severe and they needed depression medications (which btw werent working). I decided that I needed to get this removed ASAP. I called the dr and 2 days later it was removed on 2/8/07. Removal was not painful at all. When the dr questioned me on why I wanted the device removed I told him the story. Do you know what he said to me ? That these are not side effects of the Mirena. BULL!! I see it as my body did everything it could to fight off this foreign object inside of me. That day he asked me when the last time i had an infection and I told him just on Monday that I was itching. So he took a culture and what a surprise I had a bacterial infection !! He told me once again that it was from my soap and not the IUD. Gave me a prescription for some vaginal gel. Which I didnt use and guess what ?? The itching and irritation were gone ! 2 days later my mood returned to normal. I have not had clumps of hair come out in my hands. I can sleep 6-8 hours and feel great ! 11 days after removal my sex drive returned full force ! My husband was very happy. I am still dealing with the acne but I think it'll clear up when my cycles return to normal in the next few months.
I called Berlex (manufacturer) and told them of my adverse reactions and they told me these were known side effects of the Mirena. Well if that was true why didn't my dr know any of these ?
I wanted everyone to know what this did to me. I was not a good person for an entire year. I was not myself.
My Story.
I had the Mirena put in after a chance preganancy. My husband and I had 2 kids a year apart and we were not financialy prepared for it. I was so afraid of getting pregnant I had the Mirena inserted in April 04. Painless insertion, periods stopped, life was good as I had a newborn and a 1yr. old to cope with anyway. Got back to work and things moved along with all the stress.
Then I started having mood swings, irregular spotting after 1.5 yrs. I attributed it to the work/family stress. My husband also took up a demanding hobby and I thought it was his neglect of his responsibilites. However, I was moody, depressed angry all the time. Then I started feeling cramps and acutely feeling my ovaries( like 2 tennis balls hidden inside me-I kid you not!!
Then came the lack of interest in sex. I could have gone years without it. Again, I blamed it on family/work stress, my husband and everyhting else on earth.
I think having a job helped distract me. However, in the past 6 months I was like a ghost of myself. I could not relate to people/my family/ my job. I could not laugh/smile. It was living hell!! with physical discomfort.
BTW, weight gain and feeling pregnant all the time were visible side effects. My weight will go from 126 lbs to 140 lbs and back to 130 lbs in 2 weeks on a digital scale with the same eating/excercise pattern.
Scaring due to acne for the past year. I have never had flawless skin, but even then, i had a lot of acne and they would leave dark scars every single time. I attributed this to aging and post pregnancy probably.Hair loss!!gosh I have 1/4th my hair and desperately trying new haircuts to look good.
Anyway, I had the Mirena taken out last week. I feel as if I am back from years of pain.
The darkest period was how I stopped enjoying time with my children. 2 adorable 5 and 4 yr. olds. They lost thier mom in spurts for over a 2 yrs. The first 2 yrs were not too bad.
Anyways, I am hoping to regain lost time and emotions with Mirena out. I am thankful to all of you for helping me seeing the obvious!
I feel like a texbook case of side effects!
awesome blog, keep it up
My Mirena.
In December, I went to my dermatologist to get my skin problem taken care of. He told me to take 3 antibiotics a day. I was on the pill, and I knew that my chances of being pregnant were approaching fast. I called my OBGYN and told her my situation. She automatically suggested the Mirena. I heard about IUDs in high school and always thought negatively about it. Mainly the strings hanging down. I thought that was an automatic mood killer. Anyways, knowing my situation, I went ahead and scheduled an appointment to get it done.
The day of my appointment, I was surprisingly calm. My husband came along for support, because he knew I wasn't too happy about it. My doctor when through the whole spill and said that it's a "great thing" and that I will love the "freedom" of the IUD. After she assured me that everything will be fine, I asked about the pain factor. She stated that I'd feel a little pressure, and a few cramps.
During the first part of the insertion, I looked over to my husband, and he just smiled, and that little thing that opens up your cervix hit mine, and I about come out of the chair. I tensed up, couldn't breath, and screamed out some words to my doctor. She told me to loosen up, and it took all I had to not cuss her out. That was one of the worst pains I have EVER felt! I was in tears, and the 30 seconds it took to do it, felt like a hour. Immediately after the insertion, I had mind blowing cramps. I never cramped during my "time of the month". Well, I would every now and then, but was fortunate during that time. This time, I couldn't walk, couldn't breath, and begged for pain medicine. She prescribed a high dose of tylenol and sent me along. I had to return to work and was dreading that. I had 7 hours ahead of me, and I couldn't even sit right. (I work at a desk all day) I went to the drug store, filled my prescription and bought me a heating pad, to calm down the cramps.
Ever since that day in January, when I had it done, I have yet to enjoy the "wonderful" things about the Mirena IUD.
1) I spot bleed before sex, during sex, after sex, and every other time of the day. I am constantly keeping a pad with me, to make sure I do not mess up my clothes.
2) Sex, OMG, I hate it. I no longer enjoy the wonderful, exciting part of sex anymore. I am 26 years old, newlywed, and this has played a huge role in the marriage. My husband is understanding about it, but causes some arguments, and well, if you are married, you'd understand.
3) I am never a depressed person. I am always a "happy, go lucky" kind of girl. I never not have a smile on my face, and keep a positive attitude. Well now, I feel down, and could care less about anything or anyone. I no longer smile, and my attitude, is far from being positive.
4) I have TERRIBLE acne on my face. I have skin problems, that is under my arm pits and between my legs, but NEVER had a bad acne problem on my face and chest. Especially under my right side of my neck, I have these tiny bumps everywhere, it makes me look sick! Now, I'm getting the acne around my mouth, and I've tried everything to calm it down, but it seems as though it is not helping. I've had a bad acne problem for 3 weeks now, and nothing is curing it, only making it worse!
5) Recently, I have experienced pain during sex. Not just pain, but sharp pain on my cervix. My husband isn't that big, and whenever he does hit my cervix, it's not painful, it feels really good, but now, it's this horrible pain. After sex, my stomach is bloated up, and hard as a rock! For 3 days now, my stomach is hurting right at the bottom, and it hurts to walk and sit. Whenever I go to the bathroom, well, it hurts a zillion times worse!
7) Weight gain. I yo-yo with my weight all the time, so I don't know if I have gained weight FROM the IUD, but my breasts are getting bigger. My stomach is rounding out, and I feel pregnant. I've taken numerous upon numerous of pregnancy tests and all came back negative. So, I know the pill tricks your body into thinking you are "pregnant" but NEVER had these problems, until my IUD. The IUD makes you feel pregnant. *or I would assume, I've never been pregnant*
8) My mood swings. Wow, I thought I was a rollercoaster before, now, I'm all over the map. I feel that I am in PMS every day and every hour, every minute, every second. I absolutely hate it.
Well, I know this is long, but I hope it is somewhat helpful to those considering the Mirena IUD. I have an appointment August 11, 2008 for a checkup, and I will demand this thing to be taken out. I am no longer on antibiotics, and will gladly take a pill everyday. I never not minded taking a pill once a day to ensure my freedom of not being pregnant.
Thank you.
My Mirena.
In December, I went to my dermatologist to get my skin problem taken care of. He told me to take 3 antibiotics a day. I was on the pill, and I knew that my chances of being pregnant were approaching fast. I called my OBGYN and told her my situation. She automatically suggested the Mirena. I heard about IUDs in high school and always thought negatively about it. Mainly the strings hanging down. I thought that was an automatic mood killer. Anyways, knowing my situation, I went ahead and scheduled an appointment to get it done.
The day of my appointment, I was surprisingly calm. My husband came along for support, because he knew I wasn't too happy about it. My doctor when through the whole spill and said that it's a "great thing" and that I will love the "freedom" of the IUD. After she assured me that everything will be fine, I asked about the pain factor. She stated that I'd feel a little pressure, and a few cramps.
During the first part of the insertion, I looked over to my husband, and he just smiled, and that little thing that opens up your cervix hit mine, and I about come out of the chair. I tensed up, couldn't breath, and screamed out some words to my doctor. She told me to loosen up, and it took all I had to not cuss her out. That was one of the worst pains I have EVER felt! I was in tears, and the 30 seconds it took to do it, felt like a hour. Immediately after the insertion, I had mind blowing cramps. I never cramped during my "time of the month". Well, I would every now and then, but was fortunate during that time. This time, I couldn't walk, couldn't breath, and begged for pain medicine. She prescribed a high dose of tylenol and sent me along. I had to return to work and was dreading that. I had 7 hours ahead of me, and I couldn't even sit right. (I work at a desk all day) I went to the drug store, filled my prescription and bought me a heating pad, to calm down the cramps.
Ever since that day in January, when I had it done, I have yet to enjoy the "wonderful" things about the Mirena IUD.
1) I spot bleed before sex, during sex, after sex, and every other time of the day. I am constantly keeping a pad with me, to make sure I do not mess up my clothes.
2) Sex, OMG, I hate it. I no longer enjoy the wonderful, exciting part of sex anymore. I am 26 years old, newlywed, and this has played a huge role in the marriage. My husband is understanding about it, but causes some arguments, and well, if you are married, you'd understand.
3) I am never a depressed person. I am always a "happy, go lucky" kind of girl. I never not have a smile on my face, and keep a positive attitude. Well now, I feel down, and could care less about anything or anyone. I no longer smile, and my attitude, is far from being positive.
4) I have TERRIBLE acne on my face. I have skin problems, that is under my arm pits and between my legs, but NEVER had a bad acne problem on my face and chest. Especially under my right side of my neck, I have these tiny bumps everywhere, it makes me look sick! Now, I'm getting the acne around my mouth, and I've tried everything to calm it down, but it seems as though it is not helping. I've had a bad acne problem for 3 weeks now, and nothing is curing it, only making it worse!
5) Recently, I have experienced pain during sex. Not just pain, but sharp pain on my cervix. My husband isn't that big, and whenever he does hit my cervix, it's not painful, it feels really good, but now, it's this horrible pain. After sex, my stomach is bloated up, and hard as a rock! For 3 days now, my stomach is hurting right at the bottom, and it hurts to walk and sit. Whenever I go to the bathroom, well, it hurts a zillion times worse!
7) Weight gain. I yo-yo with my weight all the time, so I don't know if I have gained weight FROM the IUD, but my breasts are getting bigger. My stomach is rounding out, and I feel pregnant. I've taken numerous upon numerous of pregnancy tests and all came back negative. So, I know the pill tricks your body into thinking you are "pregnant" but NEVER had these problems, until my IUD. The IUD makes you feel pregnant. *or I would assume, I've never been pregnant*
8) My mood swings. Wow, I thought I was a rollercoaster before, now, I'm all over the map. I feel that I am in PMS every day and every hour, every minute, every second. I absolutely hate it.
Well, I know this is long, but I hope it is somewhat helpful to those considering the Mirena IUD. I have an appointment August 11, 2008 for a checkup, and I will demand this thing to be taken out. I am no longer on antibiotics, and will gladly take a pill everyday. I never not minded taking a pill once a day to ensure my freedom of not being pregnant.
Thank you.
Um, yeah. I suffered from "post partum" depression for almost two years before I was clued in that it could be a side effect of my Mirena.
Sure enough, when I checked the dates, the suicidal thoughts started within a month of having the Mirena placed and got worse and worse until I thought I would actually kill myself.
Got the post partum depression diagnosis and was put on anti-depressants, which got me back to a functioning state. But still for the entire time I had the Mirena I was unhappy, stressed out, impatient and couldn't enjoy life, my two adorable kids or my family.
Guess what! Within a month of getting the Mirena taken out no more depression. I love my life. I love being with my kids and family. I have tons of patience and am loving life again - like I did before.
Coincidence? I don't think so. The change was so dramatic, so quickly in both directions, down and back up.
It sucks to know I've been railroaded by Bayer. But what can be done? I'm just glad I had it removed and got my life back...and my kids, husband, and friends got me back!
I had Mirena inserted in Feb. 2004. I am just approaching my removal date. Inserting it was a little painful and I had cramping for a few hours after. However, it is nothing like the pain you feel during child birth so I felt it was worth it. My periods have been 3-4 days long, twice I have had one day of irregular spotting but nothing terrible. I did start getting pimples on my back and face but again, nothing a good face scrub couldnt handle. I have had no other side effects and have had no regrets. My husband and I are now going to try for another child. Hopefully it will be as easy for us as it has been on some of the postings I have read! I would recommend Mirena to anyone. I do know that everyone's bodies react in different ways. i do suggest doing as much research as you possibly can before making the decision to chose any BC.
A year and 8 months ago my GYN advised me to get the Mirena inserted due to my extremely heavy/painful periods and uterine fibroids. He said it would stop my periods and shrink my fibroids. I told him I don't do well on hormones but he said the Mirena is contained in the uterus and does not go into the body's system. So I agreed and he inserted it.
For the first 6 months I dealt with sharp pain and cramps, spotting and lots of weird discharge until my body "adjusted" to the Mirena. Then finally it seemed everything leveled off and I had no more periods. But shortly after that brief time, I slowly and gradually began to have side effects which continued to get worse and worse. They included weight gain on the hips and the "Mirena pouch", major water retention around the middle, lack of concentration, sleepiness all the time, major depression, anxiety and anger/frustration, worse allergies than normal, and major muscle tone loss (even though I have always worked out 5-6 days a week and eat nutritiously).
I feel like I am aging quickly or something and I have no control over my body and emotions anymore.
I went to my GYN recently to have him take it out but he insisted that I try some sample of estrogen to relieve the side effects.. they have not worked.
I went to see my GP today to try to get some help from her and she said it can't be the Mirena because it doesn't go through the body and I told her I flat-out don't believe that. She then said I am probably bi-polar and that she could prescribe me some medication. I thought I was going to burst into tears because I know I'm not bi-polar and I know it's the Mirena!!!!! And I told her so and got up and left.
I have an appointment to get this evil thing out of me next week by my GYN's practitioner and then a follow-up appt with him. I know he's going to be mad that I had it taken out but I don't care, I can't take it anymore! And these doctors telling me that it's me, not the Mirena, and that I'm mentally imbalanced. It IS the Mirena.. it's causing me to be hormonally imbalanced!!!
It I hadn't done my research online I would have believed my GP and taken her prescription for bi-polar meds! This should not be happening!!!
Okay. For whomever wrote the last comment please don't be discouraged. I am in the same boat than you. I've been told I have GAD(general anxiety disorder) which rarely started after I got the IUD inserted 4 months ago. I was also told that the IUD doesn't alter hormones because it stays on the uterus. I had an appointment to get it out but the nurse told me it wasn't going to make a difference to have it inside or not. I didn't get it taken out because it was very expensive, specially when I have no insurance :(. I forgot about the issue until now, i'VE HAD CONTINUOUS episodes of panic and anxiety and marked depression. I workout every day as well, I run about 28 miles week and also do some weigh lifting classes, I eat very healthy and don't think that the imbalance is due to any other physical conditions. I think that our woman instinct is telling us where the problem is coming from; please let me know how it goes with you. I will probably get it taken out too. This is ridiculous. emailme if you have any comments or just want to chat angelicabenson@gmail.com
I REALLY beleived I was crazy! My fiance thought I was crazy as well...he even said "something is wrong with you, you need professional help!" Can you imagine how that made me feel!?! I couldnt figure out why I always feel fatigued, bloated, depressed, severe cramping, significant Weight gain...even though i diet and exercise. Sudden numbness in my left leg with swelling. If you didnt know me yoou would think im pregnant! my hormones are so whacked out! I am on an emotional rollercoaster! I am making my appointment to have this removed this week!
I have had the mirena for 1 year now...one full year of torture!! I have an appointment next week to have it removed (thank goodness). My experience is awful. It was painful going in, incredibly painful cramps for WEEKS after, and I bleed for 3 months straight. (these are clear signs that the Mirena is wrong, but I ignored it).
Then came the weight gain and depression. I have put on about 20+ lbs and have no desire to workout or eat healthy, which is really not like me. The person I was (and who I miss) was very active: bike riding, hikes, the gym,etc. I have not road my bike since last fall!!!
I am on anti-depressants because I have lost all desire to see my friends, do the things I enjoy, and I get so sad and upset over nothing. I can't even talk on the phone anymore (because of anxiety) and I have became verbally abusive to my poor fiance (I can not believe how mean I am to him sometimes).
One other very important side-effect that I want to stress to the world...the Mirena can cause yeast infections!! I have had an ongoing yeast infection for the past 3 months now. It smells and is uncomfortable and not to mention absolutely disgusting. I can not wait to have freedom from this.
I would rather use condoms!! I miss my body, my mind, my energy, my womanness, my sexuality, my clean vagina!!!!
I'm 38 and have had the Mirena for 2 years. I am having autoimmune issues as of this summer. My symptoms are low grade fever, hair loss, acne, malaise, and more recently: dizziness, vertigo, racing heart, trembling limbs/numbness, tight feeling in my head, night sweats, and tingling in strange places all over my body. My dr. is going to test for lupus and ms. I started reading these forums and am having the iud out tomorrow morning. I can't say I've any bleeding problems; indeed, I have no apparent cycles at all. I don't seem to have depression/anxiety problems either, although the last 3 weeks have been pretty intense with the new neurological symptoms. Has anyone dealt with autoimmune stuff with the iud? Maybe it's coincidence? I had a gut feeling that I needed to have the iud out regardless just because my body feels so out of balance. I actually went in last week to get the iud out, and the Dr. convinced me that it couldn't cause any type of systemic problem - that it would stay in the uterus. Still researching and hoping...
I had Mirena put in in October of 2009. Since then I am moody as ever, went from being in honours at school to now barely passing because of my lack of concentration. The biggest problem for me, headaches, dizziness, numbness, literally the left side of my face went numb. I am also in the middle of getting tests and everything done to see what is wrong, my DR is ready to send me to get a CT scan... I had the mirena taken out today - so hopefully this will help. Of course the dr's say it will not help, but I took it upon myself to get it taken out, and the DR that took it out didn't question it just said I better use condoms ;)
Dear 38-year-old Anonymous -- Me, too! I've had my Mirena IUD for 2 and 1/2 years now, and recently started exhibiting some symptoms of lupus (or some type of auto-immune disorder). But I know my body, and I don't understand how this could be possible; I've always been super healthy and I'm NOT suffering from any of the most telltale signs of lupus (but my numbers are out of whack). I'm still at the testing stage and not the diagnosis stage, but since I have an (unrelated) appointment with my ob/gyn coming up anyway, I'm definitely going to address it there, too. I've been doing a little bit of digging around online about lupus, and am glad to know that I'm not alone and that it *may* be possible that my IUD is generating these problems. I'm trying to remain hopeful that removing the IUD will cause my problems to dissipate. Worse case scenario -- I go back to having menstrual cycles... and I'm okay with that.
I suffered a great deal as a result of the Mirena IUD and I'm still suffering from the affects of it almost a year and a half after getting it removed. Please visit the site I created and help support the cause for women to be informed about the potential dangers of this IUD. www.mirena-awareness.webs.com
okay, after getting my mirena I started getting bad lower back pain. The doctor told me the Mirena doesn't cause back pain...? I got really bad acne and feel more irritable than I normally do. They told me that was because Mirena doesn't have enough hormones to do anything. That I was on regular b.c. pills for so long and it is known to help for acne and levels out your moods. (even though I've never had an issue prior to getting on b.c. and when I wasn't taking any) I have odd feelings when I urinate and sometimes weird pains.(like it is going to fall out)Again, I never had these feelingd prior to it. Now, I've been not wanting certain foods and craving others. Its like I feel pregnant. I'm constantly getting headaches,feeling emotional,acne, and food cravings. I don't want to blame it on this but then again I never had these issues when we were only using condoms.
oh, yeah and I became extremely sick a month after getting it and was hospitalized. I don't know if that was it or something else. They never found a reason for why I was so sick.
I got the Mirena inserted at my 6 week followup. Not to long after I started having horrible hip pain(the pain was so bad) Later the whole left side of my body started to hurt. I was tired, depressed and moody a lot. I started to break out...and I haven't broke out that bad since high school. I started to get these really weird hard pains in my abdomen (felt like in my uterus). My gyno told me there was no way my pains were coming from the Mirena. After having it for 7 months I decided to get it removed for 250 dollars. 2 weeks later, I had no abnormal pain. Acne strted clearing up about a month later. My hip pain is completely gone.
If you have the Mirena and are experiencing bad side effects get it removed. You know your body better than anyone. When I had the Mirena I just felt like something was NOT right. I was also told i could breastfeed while having it. I did for a month but still didnt feel right so I stopped. I later read that babies exposed to the horomone in mirena show side effects later in life.
The Mirena is NOT good. I cannot believe I even waited 7 months to take it out.
I got the Mirena 6 weeks after I had my son in 2009, and at first I didn't mind, then i started getting depressed, angry, and would look for a fight. The smallest things set me off. Not to mention that the strings are SO LONG that I can feel them without even really having to look for them.
Lately I have been getting more and more symptoms, I have developed high anxiety and I suffer anxiety attacks at least 3 times a day and it has been set off by something as simple as a tv show. I haven't been able to sleep AT ALL. I stay up from 9am-5am or later and its starting to effect me.
I have also noticed that my concentration levels have significantly decreased and I don't have the drive to do a lot of things.
After I had my son, the baby weight was coming off rather easy and I got the Mirena and I had some big things happen in my life that caused my depression to deepen, but I noticed pretty soon after getting the mirena inserted that I was gaining weight again and I have had the hardest time losing anything and keeping it off.
Another symptom I have been having is the feeling of being pregnant, my stomach feels full and I have been getting nauseous, tender breasts, and just a feeling that something is there. And I keep thinking, "Hey, I don't want to feel pregnant unless I get a baby out of it in 9 months.." lol but it is there and I get the worst pelvic pain, almost as bad as when i was having contractions after my water broke, they bring me to my knees and I dont want to move or do anything. This is a problem for me saying I have a 1yr old to take care of because my husband is deployed and so I cannot afford to not have the motivation to do anything during the day, it will cost me time with my son.
I have discussed with my husband about getting it removed, but I think he is thinking that the only reason I want it removed is because I want another baby, which I do but I want these symptoms gone and I would rather feel healthy again before having another child and be a good weight before I submit my body into another pregnancy, I really do believe a lot of my problems have come from this IUD and there have been times I have wanted to pull it out myself and save the grief of trying to convince someone else to do it for me.
GET THE WORD OUT...I never would have associated my symptoms with my Mirena! It was only because one of my fb friends posted her status just that in her opinion it was bad! Then she clued me in, I researched and realized that maybe my tender breasts, weight gain, SUPER moodiness, low sex drive might have something to do with the Mirena. I don't need BC and was originally prescribed it to deter ovarian cycts and heavy periods. The first year was great, but now I'm having light periods every 3 weeks lasting 5 days UGH! I had mine for 18 months and got it removed yesterday...within 48 hours of my friend's post! I pray that the old me will return soon if so, I will welcome my cysts and heavy periods HAPPILY...OH, and NO, my OBGYN was not happy or agreeable to remove it either
Omg! This is absolutely crazy! I have had the mirena for right at 5 yrs now. I have had a few fleeting thoughts of it being the cause of some problems but now that I'm reading these posts I am freaking out! I'm freaking out because I let it go on so long! I can't believe I am just now connecting the dots. I have had severe fatigue for a long time now and have blamed it on absolutely everything except this. I never once considered this thing being the cause. I have also had a lot of issues with depression and seers moodiness. I'm unable to handle stress at all and the least little thing can really set me off. And like another person posted I have had some autoimmune issues also. I never thought about it being connected but now I'm not so sure. I was diagnosed with urticaria but they couldn't explain what it was from. The list of symptoms go on and on. I am just so shocked that I lived with this for 5 yrs and possibly could have changed things. I am due to have it out tomorrow and the only reason I'm connecting the dots now is because I was researching birth control trying to decide what I wanted to go with and I found all these people with the same symptoms as me. I thought I was just doomed to feeling horrible!! I really hope it makes a difference to get it removed. Oh and the bacterial infections have been a reoccuring problem for me too. And I never had any issues with that before the mirena. Thank you all so much for posting these things and making me realize what was going on and keeping me from getting another one!!!
Omg! This is absolutely crazy! I have had the mirena for right at 5 yrs now. I have had a few fleeting thoughts of it being the cause of some problems but now that I'm reading these posts I am freaking out! I'm freaking out because I let it go on so long! I can't believe I am just now connecting the dots. I have had severe fatigue for a long time now and have blamed it on absolutely everything except this. I never once considered this thing being the cause. I have also had a lot of issues with depression and seers moodiness. I'm unable to handle stress at all and the least little thing can really set me off. And like another person posted I have had some autoimmune issues also. I never thought about it being connected but now I'm not so sure. I was diagnosed with urticaria but they couldn't explain what it was from. The list of symptoms go on and on. I am just so shocked that I lived with this for 5 yrs and possibly could have changed things. I am due to have it out tomorrow and the only reason I'm connecting the dots now is because I was researching birth control trying to decide what I wanted to go with and I found all these people with the same symptoms as me. I thought I was just doomed to feeling horrible!! I really hope it makes a difference to get it removed. Oh and the bacterial infections have been a reoccuring problem for me too. And I never had any issues with that before the mirena. Thank you all so much for posting these things and making me realize what was going on and keeping me from getting another one!!!
I have just tested positive for Lupus and see some ladies on here have been having some autoimmune issues. I got Mirena put in jan 2010 and now looking back my Lupus symptoms started around then. For those of you having the same problems, what happened once you had your Mirena removed? Was there improvement in symptoms? Do you think the Mirena triggered Lupus?? I would really like some imput on this.
this is amazing. simply AMAZING! ive had the mirena iud for almost 2 years. i have had the worst acne outbreaks that i have ever had. i have lower back pain that stops me from being the best nursing assistant that i can be. i get a weird pain that goes from my belly down like inside my body- like a string is being pulled. i get this horrible pain near my ovaries (opposite ovaries every other month) that lasts for a day or two every month. im extremely tired all the time. my husband always says that all i ever wanna do is sleep. which is true. i just feel pregnant all the time. i have crazy cravings that i cant avoid. i have been diagnosed with an anxiety and depression disorder recently after having panic attacks while studying for a college final. i have failed a class two times in a row (i have never failed a class in my life until now) because i cannot concentrate.. my friends and family have noticed a difference in me.. im sad alot. and i cant explain it. i thought i was going crazy. but now i believe it is the mirena. im making a doctors appt immediately. :( :( super sad. but thankful for this site!! now i know im not CRAZY!!!!
I haven't read everything, but what I have read I can relate to...at least some of it. I've had the mirena iud for about 3 1/2 years. About 2 years or 2 1/2 years ago I started getting yeast infections. They usually happen one-two weeks before my period. And then it flushes out, but it still is really painful/itchy and I've often resorted to OTC meds...and sometimes prescription stuff. I tried all the advice for avoiding yeast infections, but it doesn't work. I already dropped my OBGYN. She was no help.
The other side effect I'm having, and I'm pretty sure it's related, is sleeping issues. About the same time as I get the yeast infection I have a hard time sleeping. And it's frustrating.
I did gain some weight, but not a lot. The crabbies have gotten worse but it did help to cut back my sugar on this...I drank too much soda. I was surprised after cutting out soda that I didn't lose weight. This is probably why.
As soon as this period is over I'm getting this IUD out. My husband and I will figure out another option for birth control...and hope for the best. :)
Glad this site is here.
Hi there,
I had the mirena put in back in July 2010. I immediately felt bloated and moody but put that down to my body adjusting. I did put weight on too (I'm always a UK size 8 but went to a 10) and felt uncomfortable.
Anywa, to cut a very logn story short, I later starting having joint paint and swelling and also severe fatique.
Just spoke to my consultant this morning and it seems I may well have Lupus. He suggested last week to get mirena remvoed, which I did.
I'm hoping I'll feel better soon!
Has anyone else had the mirenea removed and lupus gone?? or other systems vanished???
Lisa.
I had horrible side effects including hair loss and suicidal thoughts with Mirina. Before I had it removed I had been diagnosed with hip/pelvic issues then arthritis, now I have two masses in my uterus. Has anyone else had any of these issues. I'm 33.
I had it for 8 months. I bled for the entire first 3 months. I got acne, hairloss, arrhythmia, tachycardia, low blood pressure (I have never had those problems before). You can add up strong and constant abdominal pain. Doctor said that Mirena was not the cause, that this was the best thing I could use, blablabla, and told me to adjust to it for a couple more months. I removed it by myself the same day. Everything went well and I went gradually back to normal after 3 months. Please note that self-removal is not the smartest thing to do.
I have had Mirena for 7 months now and it never once occured to me that it was what was causing problems for me until I read some of these posts and did some internet research. Depression, no sex drive, mood swings, weight gain, cramping, leg pain-all of it and I never even thought it could be my IUD. Now I'm thinking of having it removed. Thanks for all your posts.
I feel really bad for all of you who have experienced negative side effects from the Mirena. My experience has been completely different. I got my first Mirena in April of 2000. I was 30 years old, and had never been pregnant. The insertion of my first Mirena was very painful, but that was because I hadn't had a child. Other than that, I have been extremely happy with the IUD. My periods stopped altogether, which is great, and I had less migraines than before. I had previously used the pill, and had been on 12 different brands over the years. On the pill I gained weight, had very tender breasts for about 2 weeks out of each month, and my breasts were much larger than usual.
I got a second Mirena after 5 years, and again, had no problems. After 2 years, I had it removed, and got pregnant immediately (we wanted a baby). Pregnancy was not a positive experience for me - I chalk this up to hormonal changes. I was very sick with extreme nausea until I delivered, and have never felt worse in my life. I just got my third Mirena yesterday, and I am very happy to report that it didn't hurt at all. The doctor said this is because my cervix has been dilated due to childbirth. I honestly didn't even know she had put it in until she told me she was done. It was totally different from the first time.
I really think that everyone is different, and that those who do well on the pill do not tend to do as well on the IUD. The level and type of hormones in the IUD are just different from the pill, and they say it is released locally vs. systemically like the pill.
I have told all of my friends about the IUD and would recommend it to anyone. The copay for the insertion is much lower than the cost of buying the pill every month, too.
Good luck to all of you and I hope you find a solution that works for you.
Omg!i got the iud about a year ago,my hair has been falling out at a alarming rate since went to my dr, she did bloodwork said my b12 was low i have been getting b12 shots weekly for 4 months now but my hair is still falling out,now i know why!!!!!!!!!!!!but im calling monday to make a apt. to get it out,i hope my hair will grow back :( im almost bald how come noone told me this might happan????
Hi, I had my mirena inserted July of 2008 and in January 2011 my hair started falling out in large amounts... Went to the Dr. and she told me that my mirena could not possibly be causing my hair loss and said that it's such a low dose of hormones, that all it did was make my "uterus a hostile enviroment"... and was told that it must be stress! Not believing her... I went to the Gyn. two days later and after talking to her had it removed on the spot! She agreed that it was the Mirena causing my hair loss.. Sooo I was wondering if anyone can answer the question: Will my hair grow back? I called the Mirena 800 # and they were very rude on the phone and told my that people call to complain about side effects but never call back to say if they got better after removed!! Well I guess I would'nt call back either if the person on the other end of the phone is a complete rude witch!! Has anyone else lost most of their hair? & does it grow back?
I had the Mirena inserted in October 2006 after having my second child. Everything seemed fine for the first couple of years. In 2009, I started noticing that my hair was thinning. Every time I showered, I had clumps of hair clogging up the drain. I am so self concious over my hair and I feel manly. I have dark coarse hair growing on my breasts, and my chin. I feel pregnant all the time! My back kills me all the time and I feel a lot of pressure in my lower back constantly. I am moody, tired, and I have cystic acne that is very painful. I have also noticed that I always have a lot of discharge and that I don't feel "normal" in my vaginal area. I am tired of feeling like crap all of the time. Last year I went to the doctor and she tested me for lupus and thyroid disorder. My tests came back negative and she told me she is unsure of the cause. Hello! Thank you ladies for sharing your stories with me! I felt so alone. Here's to hoping our symptoms are reversible!
I have had mirena for 3 and half years now. I have loved it I have no period and I have loss 35 lbs ....I do have a feeling to eat all the time but I dont. That may be why alot of women gain weight from it. the only down side is that I have had cysts. but its better than the pill since I always forget it take it.
I go the IUD 6 weeks after my twins. Right after we started having sex again the yeast infections and BV started. In 3 months i have had 7 infections. so over it! The OB/GYN says she not 100% sure it's from the Mirena.... i disagree. Also, no sex drive and the baby weight has been so hard to get off. And, Iam MOODY! i am so ready to get it out but it is so convenient and we are definately not having any more kids. Reading all the other stories make me feel like I'm not alone. thanks you everyone!
I'm in my 13th day (got it on April 12th, 2011) with Mirena and I'm calling my doctor to possibly remove it in the morning.
I have no desire to eat, my period has lasted 12+ days, I'm incredibly weak, my moods are terrible (very irritable, depressed, nearly suicidal), and I don't feel like myself. My temperature is lower than normal, everything hurts, and I'm miserable.
I'm 22 years old, never had children, am incredibly fit and healthy, and have absolutely no reason other than the Mirena to be experiencing the symptoms I'm feeling.
-Miserable with Mirena
I got mirena in after my son was born. Everything was fine, I breastfed him. He was about 16 months old and I slowly started weaning him, that was October 2010. As I weaned him, Ideveloped palpitations and would get periods of time with a heart rate of 120 at rest, and an irregular heart rate. I had an EKG and holter monitor, which showed a lot of PACs, but otherwise normal. I was slightly relieved that they were not ventricular beats, but still confused as to why. In December, I weaned my son completely. My arrhythmia got worse. I woke up with a racing irregular heart rate. The irregular beats occurred often, up to 10 a minute. They made me scared. I went to a cardiologist, had blood work, thyroid scans, an ECHOcardiogram. Every thing was normal, except my heart rhythm. Finally looking at my symptoms, I decided it was hormone related. Being a cardiac nurse, I knew natural hormone fluctuations can make arrhythmias more common. I then went to my OBGYN in january. She didn't agree with me about the link to the IUD, but removed it on my request. Within a week, I never had the racing heart. And by the time I had my first normal period (5 weeks), the PACs were gone. Say what you want, my heart knows that heart arrhythmia was from mirena. But it is gone!
thank you so much for this website. It has been a savior to me. I thought I was crazy and the only one having these effects. I was 26 when I got my Mirena IUD. Prior to getting it, I had an atheltic very in shape body that I never had to work too hard for. I had also never been pregnant, but i figured to try the Mirena. I had it inserted in August 2009. It was the most painful thing I have ever experienced, I shouldnt have even driven home after the insertion. I felt crampy and pain a few days after. The great thing was my period stopped, but I still got PMS symptoms. I also started to notice my breasts were getting huge, but so was the reast of my body. I was 150 pre Mirena, and now at 174. I eat very well and work out at least 3 to 4 times a week, but nothing shed the pounds. I couldnt even have the strength to look at myself in the mirror. I sand into depression about my appearance. My doctor kept telling me it was not the IUD. I then formed a large ovarian cyst, which my doctor put me on birth control for 3 months for. That was the last straw. I had it removed yesterday and it was definitely not as painful as insertion. It felt so exhilerating to get that foreign obect out of my body. I also found a new doctor who was absolutely appauled that I had gotten the IUD, because I had never been pregnant before. She basically told me the IUD tricks your body into thinking you are pregnant. Thus the weight gain, mood swings, and sweating. And to think i thougt it was my thyroid. Hopefully now that the poison plastic is out, I can return to my life as it was. I regret getting that thing averyday.
Im so glad I saw this... I have been having the worst side effects and had no idea it was my Mirena! Going to get it removed tomorrow! Definitely not for me!
Well what can I say! Most of the posts I have read on here could be my story!
I had the Mirena insterted Nov 2006 and I totally lost who I am as a person. Constant lower back pain, bled on and off for the first 6 months, acne, anxiety, mood swings, feelings of complete rage etc....the list goes on. I'm a really upbeat person so the craziness and loss of libido has been devastating for me and my family. I feel like my 3 girls have lost their mother for almost 4.5 years and my poor but wonderful hubby has received the raw end of the deal. I attributed to just being a mother and demands from that but I didn't feel like this after the first 2 kids, only ever since getting the Mirena.
I'm getting this taken out and hopefully the symptoms will go away. I just want to be myself again, oh and have boobs that don't hurt all the time!!!! :)
I am so happy I found this blog. I to have weight gain, worse acne than I've ever had, dandrif (NEVER HAD THIS BEFORE), no sex drive, fatigue, and many of the other symptoms mentioned. I know it's from the IUD. So nice to know I'm not alone.
I'm so glad I found this blog! I had Mirena inserted July 2010 and have slowly gone down hill since then. I've never had a problem with weight gain but have jumped from 120 lbs to 137 lbs in 10 months!! I'm only 4'11" and haven't weighed this much since the last month of pregnancy. I never had a problem with acne before but suffer from big zits on my face now (and they leave scars). I sleep 7-8 hrs a night but still feel exhausted all the time and I'm beyond tired of my stomach looking like I'm 4-5 months pregnant. Lately I've also noticed my breasts are very sore all the time and I have started having joint pain. I'm calling my GYN today to have this "THING" removed.
I thought I was crazy and blamed it on my demanding son . . .
I am so glad I found this site. I have for years been trying to figure out why I am exhausted, acne ridden, angry, and just not myself.
I don't know if it is the IUD . . . I sang it's praises b/c I haven't had a period in 6 years, but I also can trace my mental issues back to the year I got the IUD. I thought it was just the pressure of being a mother of a demanding little boy, but now I am wondering. I was about to schedule an appointment with a psychologist, because I can no longer "deal with it" . . . all the issues coincide with the birth of my son/insertion of the IUD. I thought I was inadequate and tried for 6.5 years now (I GOT ANOTHER IUD!!) to power through it. I am going to have it removed. I would love to hear from others who said they were having theirs removed. How is life post IUD?
i am gay.
I got the IUD to help w/ mood swings (suggested by my GYN) not to prevent pregnancy.
I have never been PG.
I had it put in approx 2 1/2- 3 yrs ago & in the last 1 1/2 - 2 years I have spent thousands of $$'s on copays for doctors trying to figure out what is wrong with me...
all of the posts ring SOOOO true of my symptoms. I have constant muscle pain, fatigue, irritability, allergies, itching skin, hair change in amount, texture, facial hair, rashes/ acne on my chest & back (although I have NEVER had a problem w/ acne EVER!) I gained about 20lbs which is extremely noticeable on someone who is 5'1"...in the last year i have had worsening insomnia & night sweats. now for the last 3 months i have had hot flashes & insane sweating for no reason& out of control anxiety.... about 2 days ago my partner of 15 years happened to hear a commercial about Mirena & it listed some of my symptoms...
so she looked a few things up, thought about when my symptoms started & what the symptoms were & something clicked in her head...
now in researching it I think this may be my problem. cross your fingers.
I have seen a rheumatologist, a dermatologist, an allergist, an immunologist, psychiatrist, a therapist, an endocrinologist & an internist. I have had a bazillion vials of blood done, as well as other testing done, 2 biopsies done. one skin biopsy & the other a muscle biopsy (this one left me with a scar that didn't heal & is thick, ropy & horrible to look at. It is almost the entire length of my upper arm)...
I literally thought I was crazy & would never find out what was wrong with me & then just have to live with it...
none of the doctor's could figure out what was going on, they would tell me my symptoms were not bad enough to get a diagnosis...which sucked.
the latest is that I may be in early menopause...I just turned 36...how can that be?...
I am in hot water @ my work place, & close to loosing my job b/c of all the missed work & Dr's appointments. my co-workers make snide comments about my vacation time & insinuate that I'm faking this or making it up.
I am so sick of being sick.
I have wanted some sort of diagnosis...any diagnosis so I could get a plan for treatment, but each doctor can't figure it out & the pass me off to another doctor. who did more of the same.
sorry about the ranting.
I just wanted to thank everyone on this blog for sharing & hope you are all having your IUD's removed & feeling better.
I'm making my appointment tomorrow to have it removed & hope it will take away the pain & all the other symptoms.
thank you again.
Wow!!! Just called my Dr. ofice to have it removed. I have been so guilty of my nasty moods with my family!! I mentioned this to my OBGYN last year, she said to up my intake of calcium. Now I know Im not crazy about this. I am very afraid of the removal though, I had a leep proceedure done that left scaring, so when they put the iud in, it was sooo painful. So now I think it will be extreemly painful coming out. Anyway..Thanks for your comments about these side effects.
I got the iud in march of 2009. After about 3 months of having it i got dishydrotic eczema and it is terrible i am having it takenout in august so i hope it helps. I never had any skin conditions ever and now my face breaks out all the time too and my mood swings are crazy was wondering if it was from the iud so after reading all these posts sounds like it is! I cant wait to have it taken out so maybe i can be normal again!
after reading all these posts i am soo happy that my gyn wasn't able to insert it like planned! i think i'll be sticking with the pill from here on out. god bless all you women going through what you are!
Thank you, thank you, thank you...without this blog and all the stories from each of you strong women, I may have gone insane...I certainly felt on the road to it. I got Mirena after my third child to curb heavy periods and because I could never remember to take the pill. I sang its praises for the first year and a half but then my health suddenly went down hill...anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, mood swings, hair loss, spotting periods for three weeks at a time, vaginal discharge whenever I wasn't having a period, cystic acne, heart palpitations and panic attacks. I was tested today for a thyroid disorder because I knew something wasn't right but I couldn't figure out what else in the world was wrong with me! Never in a million years would have thought it was my IUD if it hadn't been for this site which I just happened upon after something simple my doctor said. Having it removed wednesday and I can hardly wait to have my life back. Thank you again!
I was feeling a lot of these side effects and decided to look into it more, that is when I found this blog! I am thankful! First of all, just got Mirena removed today (after 9 months) and I am so excited, I already feel like a new person. The doctor told me I was lucky I came in when I did because the Mirena had been pushed up in my uterus and at first she couldnt find the string. Finally after using some other tool to find the very tip of it, she was able to take it out. If she wouldnt have found it, I would have had to have an ultrasound and other methods to find and remove it!
My story... Everything was great for the first couple months and I loved not having to worry about a pill. It was about 3 months ago I noticed I had begun to have severe mood swings. I couldnt figure why I was reacting to things so much and why I was so emotional. I cried a lot and any little thing would change my mood, i have never been a moody person. It took boyfriend telling me that one of his friends asked if I was bi-polar. At 26 years old, I have never had bi-polar issues, I am a fun loving, go with the flow, energetic happy person. In addition to mood swings, I exhibited many of the side effects already posted on here. One week, I woke up five night straight in horrible night sweats, the bed and I were soaked. My drive to do things had diminished and I was tired all the time. I am in sales and make my own schedule. It got so bad, I would see my boyfriend off to work and then go back to bed til 9 or 10....not good in the professional world but i was exhausted. Acne was another thing, though mine was not bad, I had noticed it and mentioned that my face and chest were breaking out. Countless times I mentioned to my family about how my legs are tingling and I must have poor circulation in them. I was actually about to go to the doctor for that as I read this blog. Some others experienced the same thing, so I may give it a couple weeks and see if the mirena was actually effecting that as well. I am so thankful that my boyfriend stuck beside me through this cause there were times I treated him wrong or on the drop of a dime got mad at him for no real reason.
For those of you who have/had gyno's say that Mirena is non-hormonal, is wrong. There are two types of IUD's. Mirena is a Progestin-releasing IUD which means it is hormonal. Most likely, anything that effects if you have your period or not, is hormonal. The alternative, the paragard copper T IUD is the non hormonal one. It does not effects your period and isnt recommended for people who already have heavy periods or severe cramps since there is no hormone in it to treat those problems.
The doctor told me that these symptons are not new for her to hear, many people she treats/removes mirena had the same problems, so we are not alone. Mirena basically tricks you body into thinking its pregnant...I think I'll wait and go through this again when I get something out of it in the end!
-Samantha
Wow! I have had the Mirena for about a year now. I love not having a period, but have just felt horrible since December. I have had 2 UTI's since December (never had one before then) and have had very strange accompanying symptoms: horrible, horrible pain, swelling and itching "down there" during the UTI, then I developed sores "down there". Absolutely mortified at the thought that I had contracted herpes or something, I RAN to the gyne for a test. He tested me for yeast and herpes. Both were negative. I also had a very swollen lower lip. No lesions like cold sore (although I do get them, but not with this) but after the swelling subsides, the skin is very hard and peels like it was sun burned. I also get sores on the roof of my mouth and a strange itchy sore on the back of my hand in the same place each time.
After my gyne suggested that it might all be coinsidental (he also blew off the weight gain as me being 45, and my very sore breasts. His answer was that there is no progesterone in the IUD to cause that so...) I decided to go to my PCP. He was concerned with my symptoms as being an auto-immune issue so he referred me to an immunologist. The immunologist spent alot of time with me and ordered many, many tests. He was concerned about lupus (negative), Behcet's disease (negative), Sjogren's Syndrome (negative), all kinds of "complement deficienties" (negative), Rhuematic disease (negative). So after $4K worth of tests, I still feel like crap and have no answers.
After reading everyone elses accounts of their problems, I'm going to call the gyne tomorrow and to schedule removal of this damned thing. Somethings gotta give. I'm tired of feeling like crap all day, every day!
I had the Mirena IUD about 6 years ago and didn't have nearly the reaction as many of you all had, but it did stop my periods, which seemed like a very unhealthy state for my body to be in. Having periods is natural, and while I don't want to get pregnant, I also don't want to disrupt my body's normal function.
During that time I had an abnormal pap smear, and after going in for an ultrasound, I was told that I had Ovarian Cysts and was prescribed some medicine for it. I knew it had something to do with the IUD, so instead of dumping more chemicals into my body via the prescription, I just had the IUD removed a week later. And it's been 6 years and I have not had an abnormal pap since then, and have regular healthy periods. And instead of using any hormonal treatment for birth control, my current boyfriend and I use condoms, and it is totally fine. And since I had zero sex-drive when the IUD was in my body, I didn't really need it in the first place.
It may seem like a great idea to not have to think about birth control, but who knows what we are doing to our bodies with these treatments, and then the treatments of the side effects of the first treatment. Implanting a piece of plastic that slowly emits hormones into your uterus is scary. Don't do it.
I had the mirena for one year. It was wonderful, I had no periods at all, and did not experience any of the negative side effects.
It came out on its own during intercourse. It was really painful, like being in labor. Since it was the weekend, i coudln't go to the doctor to have it removed, so my husband did it for me. Then i just went back on the pill and everything was "back to normal".
In all, having this IUD was a positive experience for me and i plan to get it again because i didn't like the other methods i've tried. I don't recomend it nor do i believe that no one should ever get it either. I think women should make informed decisions on their own and realize that what works (or doesn't) for one woman, may do the complete opposite for another.
I've had the Mirena for almost 4 years. It was very painful when I had it inserted, and had the worst cramps of my life. I haven't had any side effects, but recently I have noticed that when my boyfriend and I have sex, its very painful, and he says he can feel the string. I am making and appointment with my doctor to make sure everything is ok. Since reading all the blogs on this site, I realized that my mood is so different, i'm grumpy all the time, I haven't been sleeing well, acne, and i notice I'm very tender in my pelvic area. It is very annoying and after reading all of your comments, i feel that the Mirena isn't as great as they say it is. Thanks everyone
I had my IUD removed yesterday, after five year, and I cant express how happy I am to have had it removed. Like most of you I didnt connect the symptoms I was having to the IUD. Dr after Dr I would go see would all tell me my symptoms were not related to the mirena, that the hormone levels were too low to cause any of them.
I have felt deppresion, anxity, night sweats, acne, weigh gain, my hair has fallen out to the point I can see my scalp, im very sensitive and emotional all the time. I know that all of this is due to my IUD, and I regreat not having it removed sooner.
This website has made me feel like im not crazy and its comforting to know im not alone in this ordeal...I pray that my body will go back to normal now. I just hope my hair grows back soon...
good luck to all you out there dealing with this.
I believe the Mirena was the biggest mistake of my life three years later and things arent back to normal yet. My boyfriend and I were told about the Mirena after our daughter was born. It wasnt approved by my insurance when I went for my 6 month appointment and I was breastfeeding so doctor gave me and estrogen only birthcontrol for one month and made an appointment for it to be inserted while bleeding the next month. The insertion was pretty bad but I could handle it. However, about an hour later a became dizzy and sick feeling. I assumed it was from me getting too worked up over it. A week later I was still kinda sick feeling. Over the next month I was having heavy bleeding which my doctor told me that would go away and was from me switching birth controls. Then I began cramping extremely bad. My body expelled the IUD. I called my doctor and was told to make an appointment with the Nurse. The next day the nurse fully removed the IUD and talked me into having another inserted. It was not as painful the second time around but I became so dizzy I fell on the floor. Less than a week later I expelled the second one. This happened over a holiday weekend and so my doctor told me to come in on Tuesday (3 days later) to have it removed the rest of the way. The whole time I was unable to sit due to it poking me. At the appointment they tried to talk me into having yet another inserted but I said no. In the little over a month that I had it inserted. I experienced extreme pain, cramping, no stop bleeding, moodiness, fatigue, and many other problems including almost 50lb weight gain. I was diagnose with Post Partium(sp?) depression. I ruined my relationship with my daughter's father during this time by almost stabbing him with a pair of hair cutting shears. I raised them and was going to stab him when something snapped and i realized what I was doing. I broke into tears. At the time we were arguing over how I was acting since the insertion which I now find ironic. For about a week after it was removed I spent every second crying then woke up one day happy again. However, my daughter's father has never forgiven me for almost stabbing him. I still have pain during sex because of the damage that it did when it came out, pap are extra painful, and I have extremely bad periods now. My doctor put me on seasonique a little under a year ago so I could go longer between to help me deal with the pain and I now take a prescription pain killer to help. I wish that I would never had it inserted and I wonder how my life would have been different.
Well, I got Mirena at my 6 week postpartum checkup. It sounded like a wonderful idea and the solution to all my problems.
However, my moods became crazy and violent. I thought it was just the postpartum depression but I was on depression meds (my baby turned out fine). I didn't realize it could be my birth control. About a month and a half ago I started getting horrible acne, even on my chest and back. I gained about 10-15 pounds and became ten times more anxious than I already was. I also got ovarian cysts as well.
So I will be calling and making an appointment to get this crap out. It's been in about 7 months and I'm not going to let it go on later. There's other forms of birth control!
I had the Mirena IUD for just over 2 years. I felt "different" from day one of insertion - just never felt right. After 2 years of feeling bad, weight gain, yeast infections (I'm 47 and have never had a yeast infection until the IUD) significant depression etc. I had it removed. I wasn't looking forward to the heavy bleeding and awful periods, but it did feel great to be "free" from all those other things.
Unfortunately the second month after getting it removed I started having extreme pain, cramping and bloating in my lower abdomen. My GYN did an MRI and found I have severe endometriosis. I have 3 beautiful daughters and have never had any issues like this before. I am convinced the endometriosis was caused by the IUD. I had a hysterectomy 2 months ago for the endometriosis and can say that I finally feel normal again. Hormonal migraines still persist, but hopefully they will resolve in the next few months.
Also, I have a friend who had the Mirena for 5 years and loved it. Then she had to get a new one and she has felt awful ever since. I don't know what they are putting in this thing now that they didn't used to, but it's causing serious issues for people.
Many of my close friends have asked me about my Mirena and how I liked it....well, I always said that it was great...! Well I've been having severe mood swings for the past couple of months and I fell like I've blamed it all on my husband. Well then I started having TERRIBLE hip pains, sometimes it would stay for days and sometimes it would just bother me for a few hours then go away! Well for the past 12 hours I have been in constant throbbing pain from my lower back to my left hip down my femur to where it stops at my aching knee! Since I lashed out on my husband earlier bc of these mood swings i've been having he wasnt all for making me feel better and went to sleep so ive been doing some googling and found all these people who've had the same side effects from Mirena. Lots of women have said their Drs dont agree....well im pretty sure there isnt this big of a coincidence that we all have the same symptoms and they were all onset after having this stupid pos inserted!! I honestly dont know how much damage this iud has caused! The migraines, fatigue, mood swings, chronic hip pain, circulatory problems in my legs and feet, acne etc etc make sense now,!! cant wait to get this thing out but I certainly dont have $250 or insurance!! Ps..... Thanks alot Mirena!!
I had the Mirena in for nearly 3 weeks. My Ob/gyn told me that I might have cramping for up to 2 weeks, but that was all. She did warn me about 2 other examples she'd seen (hair loss and moodiness/ not feeling the same) and she gave me the Mirena booklet; but she and the booklet made it sound as though side effects were extremely rare. As I went into the 3rd week with severe cramping, rectal pressure, back pain, terrible bloating (feeling & looking pregnant), and a 12 lb. weight gain in that time alone, she said the Mirena would not be doing this. The last several days the pain increased in severity. I saw a different Gyn in a city I was visiting (I was in that much pain) and he said he was not a fan of the Mirena (!) -- it hasn't been around long enough for him to feel comfortable with it. (!) He said it should come out if I was in that much pain for that long. Dear, sweet doctor! He told me to call him any day next week, and anytime I want to talk about what happened. (He is retiring soon, but you can tell he is a dear, "old time" doctor). Depending on the pain, which could be ovarian cyst, he will do an ultrasound. I lost my vacation and some planned experiences with my family, which makes me so sad, because they are elderly, and I live far away. I missed events with friends. I feel the weight gain and fluid make me feel and look bad. This isn't my body anymore. I am still having trouble with how big and heavy I have become on it. My face is rounder and more bloated than it's ever been. And the pain was severe. I feel very confused that my doctor, whom I love, did not know of all the harm this device seems to be causing. And I feel really bad that I put myself and my body through this. I wish I had researched first, usually I do. Was I wrong to trust my doctor? Studies are still underway on Mirena. I am glad it was only in for 3 weeks, but I wish so much I had my month of June -- and my body -- back.
i have had the mirena for 3 years. in recent months i have developed terrible migraines. today, i feel so loopy and tired. could the mirena be the culprit?
In 2009, I was a 42 year old, divorced mother of 3 (the youngest was 8 at the time) entering a new, serious relationship. My ex had had a vasectomy so I hadn't been concerned with bc for 8 yrs. Being a nurse, I'm obsessed with researching any medications/procedures before having it done and after speaking with my trusted physician, I had the mirena placed in May 09. The insertion was super easy after 3 kids and for the first 6-9 months I felt ok. I had gained about 15 lbs but honestly I attributed that to a job change & "contentment" in my new relationship.
Then the mood swings started. I began lashing out, yelling at the kids, snapping at co-workers. In my mind I recognized this was inappropriate, but I couldn't control it. I continued to gain weight. I transformed into a bloated mess. My hair fell out at a ridiculous rate, to the point my kids said I shed more than the dog!! I started having severe abdominal pain, nausea, irritable bowel type symptoms, sleeping all the time, voracious appetite, apathy about pretty much everything. I saw my doctor at this point... blood work, all negative. Abdominal ultrasounds, negative. CT scans, yep, you guessed it, negative. I was placed on a variety of prescriptions, pepcid, hyoscamine, zofran, synthroid... all with no improvement. I questioned the possibility of a correlation with the mirena but that was quickly shot down with the standard "mirena is localized. It doesn't have systemic side effects."
I was in trouble at work for my sick days, I'd received a "final written warning" and was told one more absence would end my employment. My supervisors suggested I apply for medical leave. My physician was getting frustrated with me & my constant complaining. He suggested endoscopy. I wasn't thrilled with that recommendation, so I sat down & started to really THINK about when these symptoms began, what changes had occurred in my life, anything that might give me a clue ... and save me from endo! All I could come up with was the mirena. I found a few anecdotal sites that described experiences similar to mine, but nothing scientific to validate my fears. In a last ditch effort to find answers I made an appointment with my gyn.
After describing my symptoms & concerns, her response was "I wish you'd come to me when these symptoms began. It's definitely the mirena, we'll remove it right now." BAM! Just like that. No tests, no doubts. Three days later, I felt like myself again. Forty pounds heavier, but ME again.
That was in Jan 11. I'm still fighting to get the weight off but I've not missed any work, I don't take any prescriptions... I just wish I hadn't taken so long to figure it out. As for bc, at my age, I know I don't want any more children so I opted for a tubal ligation and endometrial ablation. My "GI" symptoms are gone, now to fight this weight.
I share this story openly with friends & family interested in the mirena. I don't discourage its use, as everyone's experience will be different. However, it should be known these side effects are real and happening to others as well. You need to know both sides to make an informed decision.
Hi, I'm about to get Mirena next week. It is a last solution to 3 week long super heavy periods that leave me anemic. It seems like my only choice. Does anyone have any solutions to the over production of estrogen? Also, if new posters could add their age, that would be helpful. I'm 45 and getting this not as method of birth control.
I have had my Mirena IUD since February 2010.
Last fall, my osteopath (who was treating me for spinal issues) began autoimmune screenings. My CRP & Sed Rate were HIGH, my RF was barely elevated. I was exhausted. In pain all of the time.
I finally saw a rheumatologist. I have been on Sulfasalazine for nearly 12 weeks. After 6 to 8 weeks, I started having some energy again, and less joint pain, but have since reached a plateau. My tentative diagnosis is SAPHO Syndrome. I have horrible cystic acne and I'm beginning to notice degrading quality of my toe nails.
I am scheduled to have my Mirena removed tomorrow. At my last rheumatology appointment I was told I needed to be evaluated for venous insufficiency, as I was developing swelling and pitting edema in my ankles and feet.
I see the rheumatologist again on Aug 8.
Hubby & I have decided to refrain from hormonal bc and use Delfen foam & condoms for 3 to 4 months, to see if it makes a difference. I also have gained an obscene amount of weight, despite myfitnesspal.com and Weight Watchers. Especially in my midsection.
I am a 23 year old mother of two great kids. After my second child I decided it would be best to get the Mirena....I thought hey here's something great, probably the best thing that could happen at the time, I knew that we couldn't afford anymore kids for some time. The doctor assured me that weight gain, acne, and mood swings were less likely than any other hormonal bc. So I consented putting my confidence in my doctor. After having baby #2 in March of 2009, I was losing the baby weight quickly. At the 6 week check up I got the IUD in. I the first 6 months I got the worst acne, never a problem before! And the WEIGHT 10 lbs gained the, to date I've gained 39 lbs!! I'm mortified about that, but weight loss is very difficult with exercise, and I alway feel hungry. Well in Dec of 2009, I had some blood work done, I was not notified of the results even though they came back abnormal. I found out those results until more blood tests were done in March of 2011! The previous blood test showed that I was lack VitD, SED levels up, and ANA positve, RhumNEG. Between the first test and the second, I experienced moodiness, I even thought I was bi-polar, depression, anxiety....the worst though was in Oct 2010, I started to have swelling and a painful tingling in my right arm, I thought maybe it was how I was sleeping at first, but it wouldn't stop I truly believed it was my Mirena that was causing it. I should have taken it out then, if I felt so strongly, however it worked best at bc, seeing as I got pregnant while taking the pill. So I kept it in.....I was dealing with it, up until March 2011. I started to feel really painful aches in my wrist. It was worse than the tingling I had had before. The doc and physical therapist thought it was tendonitis. Treated with a steroid electro thing, on my wrist. Felt better....for a month that is. My March labs pretty much reflected what it had been in the first tests. However there were tests they had to send out and I hadn't heard back, until next appointment. Which I rescheduled, and missed the second. in may 2011 my anxiety got worse! To the point it happened at work, embarrassing!! I also started to feel that I couldn't deal with people bc of frustration and anger, I actually walked out of my job! In June 2011 I started to feel extreme fatigue. I am exhausted all the time. I nap in that car to the store. I sleep 10 to 12 hours a night. I've always loved sleep, but now I feel like I am wasting away my days, and I get angry when my husband doesn't yank me out of bed! I wish he would, he's a saint to nice to be mean. I'm glad he's sticking it out with me. Well I walked into the clinic thinking that I have time now to do this I might as well wait there all day if I had to and I did. New doctor! Same tests done, including a test for LUPUS. What was that I thougt?! I researched....of course. Finding this blog. Thank goodness good info and an outlet for my frustration. Well this new doc is like finding gold he called me the next day, and let me now that they ran the LUPUS test twice one neg and one pos! He set me up an appt with a rhuematologist...for Aug 9th...I'll definately update then, because I really think that the IUD is my problem, I also set up another appt with my golden doc, to remove the IUD. We'll see how everything goes. Pray for me!
And here I thought I've been going crazy!! My I gotten the mirena after I had my son..I've had it for about a year..I noticed that I'm a different person and my moods fluctuate from the next. My doctor just recently put me on prozac and I'm talking to a therapist. I've been having panic attacks and loosing my hair!!! Maybe I'm not crazy after all and just needs to get mirena removed. I've been wanting to do that for a while..have a pap smear next week going to take it out so hopefully I can feel normal again!!!
I just started looking at blogs like this starting yesterday. I don't even remember how I came across them but it's been a godsend that I came across them. My son will be 2 in september. I got the IUD when my son was 5 or 6 weeks old so I was closer to the end of Oct 2009 when I got it, so it's been close to 2 years. My husband left me when my son was 3 months old and a cuple months later I started working and kept getting more and more jobs. By the time Thanksgiving of last year rolled around I was working three jobs and ALWAYS busy. Since I was nursing, I didn't have any periods and didn't get one till July 3, 2010 when my son was eating solids more and not nursing exclusively. I was ok with that they were really light I can't even use tampons just pantyliners its so light and the cramps arent too bad not like before pregnancy. Anyways I did have a scare once I was in really bad pain went to have it checked out it was BV, which I had had before, took antibiotics was fine. In January I got REALLY sick with a virus and was sick for 5 weeks, along with my son and everyone else in my home. I was unable to go to work. At that point, my husband and I were getting a divorce, but decided to try one more time, we really missed each other it had been 14 months so I quit all my jobs and packed everything up and moved here with him. A friend came with and was going to get a job, then I was going to get a job to work around hers so we could take turns watching the kids (her son 2 months older than mine, and my son) so we wouldn't have to pay for daycare. 3 weeks went by she didn't find a job and was homesick went home. So my husband found another job and was working (still is) ALL THE TIME. I got really depressed, very irritated with my son, I never have any energy and I had no idea what was wrong with me. It tore us apart we are having problems now, but I had no idea never thought it could be the Mirena. It's so bad between us that I am leaving in the morning with our son to go back home to spend some time with my family and give him space. I don't know if having it removed will save our marriage but I dont care. I want to be me again and if taking this stupid foreign object out of my body is the answer? Bring it on. ALso after I stopped working I have gained probably 20 pounds. I have been trying to be more active but the fatigue makes that hard. It's not like im doing much im at home, a full-time online student with a 2-year-old...I shouldn't be this tired and there's no reason for me to gain so much weight at 21 years old in such a short time. I have been eating pretty healthy since I was PREGNANT, so I'm going to call the place that gave it to me (midwives that delivered my son) and see if I can get an appointment while my grandpa is getting tests done at the hospital as well, so its a little cheaper for me. my grandma thinks its a good idea she discouraged me from it in the first place, and I hate to get rid of such reliable birth control, but I think my health is more important. I'll figure BC out afterwards but I am thankful I found this because I would have kept thinking I was going crazy. I'm tired of throwing stuff so I don't hit my son and screaming at him till he cries and crying myself all the time. I think more women should know. Had I known I wouldn't have got the damn thing...I'm miserable. Sex is painful sometimes too..but I also have a tilted uterus which jacks up my cervix but I always feel a kind of uncomfortable pressure I'll be glad when its gone! For soooo many reasons. I hope it really does help to have it removed and that I can actually get the appointment..
I also jsut read a post that said something about migraines..thats another thing. The debilitating migraines...they are much more frequent than ever and I can't stand it! With a 2 year old I can't just go to bed with my husband at work 14 hours a day! I never had them this often before mirena. I want it GONE.
I am so glad to have come across this site. Let me share my experience with Mirena:
The first year with Mirena was great. I had it put in early 2007 a few months before I got married. Short periods and birth control freedom. I could not complain. After 18 mos using the IUD I started to develop moderate acne. I waited a few months to go see a derma hoping it would fix itself after using several different acne product lines. It did not go away.. I started to get huge deep bumps on my neck that were very painful and left bad marks. I went to the derma in early 2009 and was put on antibiotics. They worked after. 6 weeks of continued usage. Then I became immune and the DR put my on another. I have been on 4 different antibiotics for 2.5 years now and nothing relieves my acne. I get on every area of my face, my neck and my chest now. There is not a day that goes by that I don't have a breakout somewhere.
Starting a year ago I started to develop a swelled looking belly. A pouch that has not grown so that many of my pants are tight. I find myself looking for elastic waisted stuff to wear. I do workout but it is still there. My waist has increased 2 inches. In addition to the belly starting around the same time I developed severe mood changes. Happy one moment and angry or depressed the next. I cannot control my feelings. I hate being around people most of the time which causes problems being that I work in Human Resources. I have deep depressive thoughts now, which I used to be a very happy person. I isolate myself on the weekends and really just want to sleep but I never feel rested. I find myself snapping at my husband and hungry all the time. If I don't feed myself every 3 hours I get nauseous and mean. I can't concentrate until I eat.
As of 6 months ago, beginning my 4th year on Mirena I have started to become dizzy when standing and sometimes my vision is blurred. It was sporadic so i just took note of the few occurrences thinking I just stood up too fast but then it gradually started to increase in frequency to last week where it is now happening more times than I can count and I have complete vision loss when standing for about 5-8 seconds. I went to my DR and did blood work for Lupus, Amenia, Thyroid and many other possibilities to only find out a few days ago that it was all negative. At this point i was actually hoping something showed up so at least I could treat it. Curious I went to look at the symptoms for Mirena, thinking maybe I looked over it when agreeing to the procedure years ago. None of my issues were listed on the Mirena site. I found this blog and almost ripped my IUD out myself last night. I was disgusted and mad that I have been allowing my body to be jerked around for 4.5 years noe an didn't put these symptoms all together. I was going to schedule a psychiatrist appt today but instead I scheduled an appt to have my device removed.
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. Without them we would all still be confused. I don't know what method I will resort to now. I have a lot of research to do. But I am so glad to have found this blog and gotten the opportunity to put the pieces together. This is not a coincidence that we all share these mishaps on Mirena.
Best wishes to you all.
When I first got Mirena everything seemed fine. Some headaches, more cramping than I'm use to, but no real bleeding. Then I began to notice itchiness and vaginal irriation, accompanying my pain I assumed this was a precursor to my cyle now. I had just had two kids back to back and was told that your cycle and your pain might change after kids (prior to I rarely cramped bad and had infrequent cycles). 2 and 1/2 years later still same thing I hurt so bad in my lower right stomach, sometimes sex is painful, I have a yeast inection atleast twice a month, random sharp pains in various joints (??), chills, mood swings. I'm 32 so I was assuming maybe it's me since I'm getting older. OBGYN tested me for everything, no BV, No thing, just yeast, string still in place. Ofcourse, it's not MIRENA they say. I get pill for yeast and feel great again in a week, no pain during sex, increase sex drive, no dor, I'm back. Here I am pain, itchy irritated private area, head ache and my brain starts to think, I don't care what the tests says, something is not right here no matter how much older I'm getting. And now that I'm reading these POSTS, I feel that my first thoughts maybe right. I know the medical community swears by MIRENA but surely all of us still sticking throught keeping are MIRENA are not just experiencing these changes in our bodies due to child birth or aging it might just be the MIRENA. Don't get me wrong I'm sure it can be great for some people and I hoped it would be great for me because I don't want another child right now, but I'm not so sure that I want my tubes tied either. However, I'm not cool with continuing to push through with these symptoms either. I hate when my vagnia is irritated and I'm in pain (no period) but can't enjoy sex. And then with the dark pasty blood, more itchiness and sometimes a distrubing odor. That's opposite everything that has been me and I no longer accept that I'm just getting older and my body is changing. I was like damn, I still considered myself to have a lot of years left, but if now that I have kids I no longer want sex as much, it hurts, I have a odor now sometimes, constant yeast, head aches, pains sharper than I ever experienced before, what about the happy go lucky sexy me is left for the duration of my years (LOL). Now I know that maybe the MIRENA just isn't for me, but I need some other strongly reliable form of birth control because I don't want any unexpected anythings. I'm not good with consistently taking the pill, shot made me fat, is there anything else that anyone knows of?
WOW! IM SO GLAD I FOUND THIS SITE! IVE ONLY HAD THE MIRENA FOR 2 MONTHS. SINCE THE DAY I HAD IT PUT IN. I KNEW SOMETHING WAS NOT RIGHT. I HAVE HAD EXTREME WEIGHT GAIN, MY HAIR FALLS OUT, I FEEL BLOATED AND PREGNANT ALL THE TIME, DEPRESSED, AND EXTREMELY EMOTIONAL! I THOUGHT I WAS SERIOUSLY GOING CRAZY. NOT TO MENTION EXTREME ANXIETY! I JUST CALLED MY DR. TO HAVE IT REMOVED. HOPEFULLY I CAN GO BACK TO BEING THE HAPPY FIT PERSON I USED TO BE.
I had Mirena inserted in June 2008 after giving birth in April to a 10 lb baby. It hurt really bad getting it in but felt it was one of the write offs. Shortly after getting it there were cramps bloating. excessive weight gain. I had lost most of the weight I had gained during pregnancy but as soon as the mirena was placed I gained it all right back and havent lost a pound in almost 3 years. I have barely any sex drive (which sometimes is good cuz my hubby was deployed for a year) acne is horrible. back pain and leg pain as well. I have absolutely no period at all. but still get all the mood swings. bloating. everything associated with pms but no relief of bleeding. Mood swings are extreme I have a toddler and everything sets me off between her and my husband.
All in all im getting an appointment with the midwife that recommended it to me and having him remove it so I can relay all the downsides. Thank you sooo much for this blog it has been extremely helpful
Hey everyone...
WOW. what an overwhelming amount of dejavu. It took my best friend to say "you know, I'm really proud of you for all the work you're doing to lose weight, and I know I've said this before but I really think it's that thing in you..." that prompted me to do some research and this is what I found! I've been going to the gym 4 days a week and eating better and no matter what I can't get past 5lbs before I gain it all back. I'm 21 with no kids, my doc. and I decided to go with the IUD beacuse I had HORRIBLE cramps before, they didn't get any better with the IUD but it was nice not worrying about getting pregnant.I've been skinny my whole life and in the last two years I've gained 20lbs and put me at over weight. I want to get it removed ASAP... so glad to know I'm not alone. I hope the weight falls off!!!
Good luck all!
I got my IUD back in January 2011. It's now August 2011. I was very hesitant about getting on any birth control. This would be my first time and I just didn't feel like I wanted it that much. But I feared getting pregnant again way too soon when I wasn't ready. And I've come to realize that Mirena seems to be having a bunch of effects on me as well. The insertion was painful and was oddly like labor in a way. But wasn't horrible. I did have slight cramping that seemed to radiate into my legs. I went for TWO ultrasounds within a couple weeks to make sure it was in the right place. Overtime I started a new job and thought that working late nights was causing me to be stressed and having no patience for my now 1 year old. I was always tired. Always having an attitude. It's now came to my attention due to my Mother actually saying something that maybe it is my Mirena. I never used to be like this. I get angry over the littlest things. Also hair loss was a factor. I thought it had been from dying my hair. Never did I think that it was this little small thing in my body causing so much damage to my social life. And love life. The father of my child and I are no longer together due to my arguing and being so negative. I believe Mirena was what gave me such a negative aspect on life. I've noticed acne breaking out all along my hair line. I believed that from being from the hair dye as well. Now I second guess that. I have lost weight from it as well. And I bled the first couple weeks from the insertion. Then every few months I have since. After reading all these reviews I believe I have found my problem to my depression, angerness, and everything else negative in my life. I wish I could take it out right now to have this out of me. But I will be calling tomorrow morning to set up an appointment to get rid of this immediately. In the meantime, I hope this will not cause much more damage and hopefully my fiance & I can make things work. Im just not so sure if he will be so understanding at this point.
I have the exhaustion,infections,spotting,mood swings/mild depression,hair has thinned out/hair loss,weight gain, No sex drive...... all since mirena this past jan 2001.I had my son in nov.2010.I also have a 6 year old.The gyno strongly suggested i get mirena to prevent pregnancy for at least a year due to a c section and a t shape incision . I seriously need to get it out . i have an appointment this sept ! I am 32 and have been feeling really worn out and old. Its made me feel sad like ive gotten old all of a sudden.sounds like many women have had the same reactions to mirena !!! i knew it wasnt just tiredness from a new baby and middle age hair thinning /hair dying.
I also had a horrible experience with the IUD. I highly do no recommend it to any one who values life. I had mine inserted in august 2009 and it was hunky doorie no periods was the best part. I noticed my eating habits changed as did my body. I didn't think anything of it. It wasn't until September 2010 it really started hitting me with migraines, vision problems, serve fatigue (worse than a woman's first trimester) irritability, depression, anger problems, complete and total loss of my sex drive. I finally went to the local county health department since it would have taken a month to see my obgyn and i didn't have a month to spare. Luckily the health department removed my mirena that same day due to my severe headaches and vision problems. The Dr told me if they didn't i was guaranteed to have a stroke very soon. so we removed and the next day i swear to you i felt so different. It was a sign of relief. so i kept my appointment with my obgyn and he tried putting me on the nuva ring which is the lowest dosage of birth control and my body was so messed up from the IUD i can no longer be on any type of birth control. so needless to say the IUD ruined my life.
i am 45 and had the mirena inserted in may at the suggestion of my ob/gyn to treat fibroids/heavy bleeding. I have a history of migraines and depression but he still recommended. i have all the symptoms everyone is talking about-sore nipples,no sex drive,acne, spotting/smelly discharge, vision issues, weight gain etc. i am soooo irritated that i wasn't advised of these known side effects. i specifically asked the questions! i am having it removed on friday and plan to never see that doctor again!
Chefstyle
My story doesn't sound too much different for everyone else accept most got the Mirena after having kids. I have never been pregnant and used Depo and BC Pills and my body didn't do well with those. So she recommended Mirena. I even said I thought you had to have children and she said that wasn't the case. I had Mirena inserted March 2011 and I've had nightmares from the beginning. The insertion brought tears to my eyes and I felt pain for about 2 days. I spotted from that point on for about a month. Then stopped for 2 days and got my period. Right before every period my stomach would cramp where it was unbearable. I thought I was having a miscarriage or something because I was bleeding so heavy and the pain was awful. So I finally went back 2 months later and she told me every thing was in place. I said the pain is not right and I was concerned about any growing cysts. So only because I said that she scheduled an ultrasound. Guess what I have 3 fibroids. I was told the Mirena could make them go away. Well I'm not waiting any longer. I plan to have this removed, tomorrow during my pap.
Side effects terrible rash on my arm, hair breakage, depression (crying uncontrollably,) leg cramps, tired, weight gain, vaginal infections, pelvic pain, pressure on my bowels, low sex drive, theres a knot I can feel under my skin in the crease of my thigh.
I'm hoping that after it's removed I can back to how I was.
I wish more could be done to let it be known about the side effects of Mirena and they aren't rare.
I was suggested to do Mirena on 26th July, after wanting to see Gyn about ruling out Ovarian Cancer symptoms (I had cysts when i started cycle at age 11 was on various 'pills from that age till i had enough gumtion to be strong and go off them at age 20, now 38)- he said it would stop periods altogether, and balance out hormone swings. I tried Progest cream in 2003 from this 'Quack' and it made me gain weight, get a pouch and bigger boobs, right before my wedding and i was going to gym 3/4 week and not changing diet obviously!
now am hyperthyroid (gained 40kgs in last 6 years), pre-diabetc and dealing with a few levels of Post traumatic stress..was thinking the Mirena was going to be a holy grail, and yesterday-Only Yesterday the day before I was due to be aneasthised (extreme pain during pap smears ) and have mirena inserted i decided to do research, was soooo shocked at overwhelming amount of women having issues and virtually no-one singing praises. In this day and age, if something is awesoem, we all talk about it right? well, i rang the GYn office after talking to him on phone then discuss with husband, right now was meant to be my mini-surgery--my woman gut instinct kicked in, i feel like i have dodged a russian roulette bullet, and would rather deal with 'the devil you know' then have to deal with very likely potential of a whole new batch of crap to work through..
I'm praying it's just the MIrena and and once it's removed it will all be back to normal! I am 26 yrs old had twins in 08' i got the Mirena put in about 6 weeks after having my kiddos I was still bleeding which my Dr said would make it easier and it wasn't that bad Not compared to constant contractions or anything. About 6 months after having my kids I had my first ever gall bladder attack and a month later a gall bladder removal. Seeing as my mother had the same thing i thought ok this is just genentics but on another site its a pretty common side affect. Then about 6 months ago I had a scare after eating I felt like i couldn't breathe! I was alone with my kids and was scared I was going to pass out! Called my husband he said oh its just gas walk around I did and burped and it helped but not completely then this happened every time after I ate. I was never so emotional and I never had this much anxiety in my life! I've always been an careful driver I hate driving next to 18 wheelers but now it was worse than ever I can't sleep at all so when I finally pass out Im so tired the next day. Went to dr for Gastrointestinal issues and she couldn't see a hernia no bacteria infections I have not gone to the gast dr yet but im wondering if it is the mirena as on their site it can cause gastro issues in less than %5 of users! I thought i was going nuts thank you thank you I have always been a big girl but a healthy big girl never any issues with my health just lose some weight and other than that your healthy! But now I just feel like Im falling apart and it sucks because I am so tired and my kids want to run and play with me and I have gained so much weight since having them and the mirena put in. I do pray its the mirena and I am having it removed ASAP I don't care what my OBGYN says she is taking it out!
I am over thirty-five and a smoker. I was suffering from terrible periods and my doctor suggested that Mirena would be a safe choice for me. She mentioned that I would not have adverse affects with blood clots and that my period should tamper off and be nearly nonexistent after the first three to six months after insertion. I got Mirena in September of 2009 and needless to say insertion was very painful. I was excited about not having to deal with heavy periods and birth control. I spotted for three months, six months, and on into the year. In summer of 2010 I began loosing weight at the rate of three to four pounds a week. I was also exhausted all the time. I work full time, I am a student, I was trying to lose weight, and I was exercising regularly. All of my weight loss and exhaustion could easily be explained. I was still spotting daily and having regular periods. I was told by my doctor that some women take a little longer to adjust to Mirena. In fall of 2010 I got a yeast infection that would not go away. I had irritation that was explained away by my doctor with the excuse that it must be the soap or detergent that I was using. With antibiotics and other drugs, I was still unable to get rid of the yeast infections. I had Mirena removed in September of 2010 and still could not get rid of the yeast infections. I was then in for a regular yearly exam with my doctor in November and was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. At thirty seven I was in shock because I thought only juveniles got Type 1 diabetes. Not true, Type 1 can happen at any age and is caused by an underlying infection (viral or bacterial) that is not caught or treated. My pancreas could not handle the infection and I ended up with this disease. I truly believe that my body could not handle Mirena, as evidence by a year of constant bleeding, yeast infections, and irritation. I truly believe had I not had Mirena, I would not be dealing with this disease. Beware ladies, Mirena is not all it is cracked up to be. Simply put, having Mirena caused me the worst year of my life and left me with an incurable disease.
Hello. I have had the Mirena for a year now. I got it at my six week checkup after having my second child in two yrs. I never bevlieved in bc before because Ive always said how unnatural it was. But I wasnt reday for anymore kids and Im terrible with the pill so thats why I chose the Mirena. I can relate to a lot of the stories being told on here. At first I felt dizzy all the time, I bled nonstop for 2-3 months, and I was very irritable. I kept having sharp pains in my vaginal area, like those strings were poking or sticking me some kind of way. I had abdominal pains where I could hardly walk. And also pain in my legs. I've always had acne so when I started breaking out more I didnt think it was related. But i did get a very bad rash on my back, that itched really bad for months. Just within the past two weeks i have been having really bad dizzy spells, with chest pains. Just this morning I thought I was about to pass out while I was driving. I was so scared. When I made it home I called my mom to drive me to the hospital. They ran all kinds of tests and told me everything was normal. I felt so lost and confused cause I know I was not making it up. But they could find nothing. They just told me to come back if it happens again or gets worse and to make an appointment with my regular doctor. Im glad I looked this up because I know it has to be related. Just reading all these stories lets me know Im not crazy. I also have been experiencing what feels like a never ending period as well as a neverending yeast infecton. Still irritable and depressed sometimes. This is madness. Im calling in the morning to get an appoinment to have this crap removed. I have too much to do to have all this going on. Thanks everyone for sharing your stories. This has helped me out a lot.
Well I just got the mirena inserted last tuesday....after being told that there would be an anasthetic spray on the cervix (there wasnt) it hurt like the first stages of labour for me...for two days I could not sit down properly, it felt like I had a hot spike up my vagina and bum. dont get me started on the cramps...I had to breath through them like child birth. Ok I thought I would give it a while to work.Then I got chills and a temp I had to sit on all fours because I am so uncomfortable then I fell my blood pressure rise like I am running scared and I cant breath I am pretty sure I had a panic attack(I have never had one of those bfore)....I am not feeling right. Made an appointment for the docs and he agreed that it shouldnt happen and that he has never heard of it happening before (he was very concernd for me) so I am on some very strong antibiotics for ten days because I have a uterine infection.....well I think I may give it chance to clear up and see if it will work for me....that was before this morning while I was driving I felt the urge to crash the car....and I was crying very hard...strange thing was it came over me very suddenly. I dont suffer from depression or anything else.I never remember to take the mini pill all the time and have a very full life style with husband and kids. If this is what can happen in one week.....well lets just say I reckon I will get it taken out
Hello. I've had Mirena since 2006 two months after the birth of my daughter. Depression seemed to be a part of life so I had never thought to attribute it to Mirena. I have gained a significant amount of weight which I also dismissed as just a normal part of life. My mood swings just seemed like a normal woman thing. I developed high blood pressure after having the Mirena inserted. I have been having CONSTANT migraine headaches in the back of the left side of my head since early 2010 which I have been tolerating but it's becoming too much to bear. I have been having issues with my sciatic nerve on my right side which makes walking first thing out of bed very painful for the first ten to fifteen minutes. I am constantly having to take Tylenol/Advil. In the summer of 2010 I started having symptoms similar to when I became pregnant. I had nausea in the mornings, I could feel and hear my insides moving (kind of like a butterfly feeling). I go in to see my OBGyn and after an ultrasound I'm assured it's not a pregnancy however a mass was detected. After a CT scan an orange sized dermoid ovarian cyst was discovered on my right ovary. My md could not tell me right away if my ovary could be saved but he did inform me pending on the attachment of the cyst he may have to take my ovary. He assured me if he did I'd still have my left ovary and that I could conceive with one ovary. With that being said I was fine either way. I awoke to find out my doctor had to remove my right ovary. I had to take additional time off from work two weeks total to recuperate. Here it is a year later and I'm having the same exact symptoms on my left side even worse this time. I am suffering from bloating, dull constant pressure on my left pelvic area that even effects the way I walk. I am scared to death of what my md will tell me on 09/21/11 /a subsequent follow up visit/CT scan. I'm 100% positive I have another cyst and it's on my left ovary. I will ask my md to remove the Mirena without a shadow of a doubt. While I am beyond grateful for the one beautiful child I have I've always wanted another. The likelihood of that seems slim now. Mirena.com mentions ovarian cyst in the side effects however it is extremely played down with (they usually disappear). I can't help but attribute the majority of these health issues to Mirena. I am more than willing to take part in a lawsuit. Whatever settlement "may" come of one won't come close to the price of my ovaries and the ability to conceive.
Here are a couple of pictures of the orange sized dermoid ovarian cyst I had last year:
http://sheniqimages.com/Dermoid_Ovarian_Cyst1.jpg
http://sheniqimages.com/Dermoid_Ovarian_Cyst.jpg
Its unfortunate to see all this negative feedback from mirena users on this forum. I figured i had to stop and write some good news so that peoplpe who are thinking of getting Mirena do not become completely discouraged.
I'm thirty years old and I've had my Mirena IUD for two years and I thankfully I have not suffered any serious side effects. Sure I get an occasional mood swing and there are about two days out of the month where I do feel some tenderness to my ovaries and/or cervix, especially during intercourse. However, I've had the iUd checked out along with a vaginal exam and everything was normal. But I would much rather put up with these occasional minor inconveniences than having to remember to take a pill every night and possibley have an unplanned pregnancy or deal with the nasty side effects of the pill. I remember when I was on the pill, I had a nasty ten pounds that wouldd not go away no matter what I tried. I think it was water weight. But with the mirena iud I've maintained my weight and its my dream wieght that I've always wanted to be at while I was taking the pill. I havent suffered hair loss, except after the birth of my kids which is totally normal. And it only lasted about three months. My sex life is fantastic and my relationships with my husband and kids are amazing. We stay active and healthy and we try to travel or get away somewhere fun as often as possible, and I think that helps keep anyones emotions or relationships from turning dry. Life is tough these days and its important for everyone to break away from the routine as often as possible. That way you make the time to spend the quality time with your loved ones so that you are reminded of the reasons you fell in love with your hubby, or the reasons why your children are the miracles and blessings in your life. We're not rich. We don't even have credit cards. We live in san diego, I work full time as a special ed teacher's asst, my husband stays home on disability due to an injured back. But our priorities are to have fun, responsibley of course. We have annual passes to the zoo, sea world, Disneyland, and museums. We take a minimum of two big road trips out of town per year with our kids and sometimes just the two of us. I know I'm going WAY off topic now but I noticed that the big common issue these women brought up in regards to Mirena was Depression. And maybe it was the Mirena that caused it for some. But then again, your mind is the most powerful piece of work, so if your expecting to find mental ease with the removal of the Mirena, then you prob will. Its the power of suggestion. Now I can't help but wonder if these women are experiencing any new issues with depression or relationships since they've had the mirena removed. I know every body is different and Mirena may not be for everyone, but I'm one of the ones that has had complete success with it. give it a try, keep your minD anD body healthy and happy and you'll prob be just fine.
I can't believe I even had this put in. I had Mirena put in at my six week appointment following my sons birth. I was excited because I thought, hey no pills or condoms. I had it put in and I immediately felt sharp cramps for a week and spotting for about a month. Then came the depression and my family thought it was the baby blues but I was obviously in love with being a mother. So in love with it, I began to ignore my babies father, slowly but surely losing all sex drive. Its not low its GONE. We started fighting daily then it got so bad he started pushing me around. It got so bad I moved out. I haven't had any hair loss but my ancestors is worsening and I constantly have pain in my groin and my ovaries. Sometimes I even feel pregnant again. I lost my insurance and can't afford to go to my OB to have it removed so I called all around town and finally found out Planned. Parenthood will remove it for 110$ God bless them. I tell people mirena is a terrible idea and do not get it put in. I just hope it didn't give me an issue. Good luck ladies!
I got Mirena inserted mid-July this year. Super painful insertion, but I made it through the first month of spotting heavily and have since had two short, light periods with mild cramping. I think I was just so excited to have what seems like such an easy, great method of bc that I have pretty much ignored the feeling that something has felt "off" since I had it inserted. Two weeks ago, I was at work and all of sudden started having heart palpitations and felt like I was going to pass out. I wondered if I might have mitral valve prolapse like my mom has (and got around my age - 38). This past Sunday after working out, I had the same sensations -- palpitations, dizziness, my fingers started tingling and they were sweaty, and I was almost nauseous too. I was very scared because it came and went for more than an hour. I literally thought I would have a heart attack, but now I know it's some type of anxiety or panic attack. Thankfully, it stopped that afternoon, but ever since I woke up Monday morning, I have been having mild palpiations, dizziness, and my diaphram feels tight. I'm not in any heart pain, nor do I have any problems with my limbs being numb, I just don't feel right. I called my doctor after finding many forums/sites with adverse reactions to Mirena, and was told that there was no way it could be caused by the Mirena and that I should go to my GP. I'm giving this one more week and if my symptoms haven't improved, I'm getting it out. Should note I have not had any change in appetite, weight, acne or hair loss, but I have felt depressed for more than a week -- most likely due to being scared out of my mind and not knowing what was wrong with me! Good luck to everyone!
Hello ladies. I am so very grateful for this site and I pray for each and every woman out there! Recently this site has given me hope. I have been ill for quite a while -symptoms of severity. Including numbness in my left foot and hand. Today I had my Mirena removed. It was such a freeing experience and I actually smiled for once after I left the doc's office.
I fear many women will use this horrible product and suffer as I have. This is a terrible thing for society. There should not be anything prescribed by our doctors that can have any potential to cause acute pain. Not even if it is a 1% chance.
Please do not play medical bingo with your body. I do not recommend Mirena to anyone.
The active drug levonorgestrel is just the plan B contraceptive pill but in a low continual dose. When your body metabolizes the drug in the liver, it basically gets converted to a progestogen (a steroidal hormone.) The problem exists where the "localized" hormone becomes too built up in the body and you basically overdose on it. I really think IUDs don't perform as they should...
Anyhow, I have dealt with a lot of needless stress. Including with my bf and roommates. Doctors think I'm crazy. Also, my employer has reduced my hours from 35/wk to 23/wk!!!! How am I supposed to pay rent!? All because of this supposedly carefree BC.
I will let you all know if removing the Mirena helps.
Breathe deep, seek peace!
I have had my third Mirena since April 2010, because I loved it for the previous two 5-year periods. However, all that you are writing about in this blog (the side effects) seems to be applicable to me now for the past year and a half !!! I am 48 years old, and thought it may be issues with menopause, but could I suddenly have become sensitive to the hormone in Mirena now after all these years?
I'm now approaching my 4th year with the idu, I just decided, to research, side effects. Because, I just have a gut feeling, what I'm experiencing is hormone related. Let me start from the beginning, I chose it because, I wanted an alternate. To the pills, my nurse at the time toldme of the options, I went from the drop shoot gaining about 30 pounds in 9 months as if I was pregnant. I've always been very sensitive, so anything gave me yeast infections. So my husband and I was tired of all that. Given 2. Kids. We wanted to plan the next. Inserting it was bad at all barely felt it. Afterwards painful uncomfortable, I bleed 8 weeks straight. I was told my body aid adjust.
I continued.to gain weight, i was told it would help balance my hormone level my weight would level out. I gone from a comfortable 145 to an aweful 183. Moods are out of control, sex.drive for 3 1/2 years to nothing, no mood at all blaming my husband for all my unhappiness, lack of sex drive, all the above. Unitl now I'm later feeling extreme light headedness for months, fatigue. I've had bllod work done for diabetes, thyroids, blood sugar, blood pressure. Now on my way Monday to an neurologist and mri done. Because my doctor can't find out the problem until. I read this blog it make sense, my gut was right.simple as hormones. I'm only 31. It got so bad my hubbooked at me and almost said u gonna make me put you in the crazy house or I'm gonna leave you if you don't get yourself together. Minutes later I found this sight researching what I thought all along. Thanks ladies. It being removed soon.
Hey Ladies,
I am so glad I am not alone. I had Mirena twice. In 2008 I had the Mirena and I came down with "postpardum depression". I had pain during sex and my ob told me it must have been the "position" because it wasn't the Mirena. So after my second preganancy I had it put in again. I lost so much hair that my husband was concerned. I came down with postpardum, even worse this time. I am on antidepressants and my doc wants to add another one. I am foggy all the time. I can't concentrate and forget about things often. I am extremely irritable. The antidepressants are helping but not 100%. I was losing wait rapidly before the IUD, then all of a sudden I started gaining weight without changing my diet. So I am actually in a postpardum depression group of mothers. One of ladies told us how the Mirene made her a nutcase and she felt better as soon as she took it out. Me and lady next to me were like OMG "I have the Mirena too!". Our group leader told us to get it out ASAP, she had it too and she was miserable.
I think the only reason why the OBs are pushing this drug is because of the kick backs they get from prescribing it. I swear, I am going to email everyone I know about this.
I have an appointment in 3 days to get it removed. THANK GOD..
Muah!
I've only had the Mirena in for about two weeks and I'm so frustrated; I had an appointment to get hydrothermal ablation with ESSURE and the doctor had to change the plan to polyp removal and Mirena insertion because my polyps were so large.
I haven't been able to stop taking Advil. The cramping is often very bad even with the drugs, and the bleeding just got worse over the last couple of days. I've had several bouts of huge blood clots. I've had a long-term problem with iron deficiency because of my heavy periods, but this seems like it's only going to make that worse! I want this thing out of me!
I had it inserted 2 months ago and is bleeding since. I am happy I came upon this blog. I told my husband he needs to do the surgery as I am over this Mirena. My belly is bloated and I can feel the string. I no longer have sex - no drive.
I had mirena inserted in 2008, thought it was perfectly fine until the first time my boyfriend and i had sex it was just as painful for him as it was for me. I got my strings cut as low as I could get them and thought things would be fine....WRONG!!!!!
Sex became the most unenjoyable thing in the world for me it was just painful! Not to mention the mood swings which affected my boyfriend and my daughter in the worse way and actually caused us to end our relationship! Neither of us had any idea what was going on, just that I was always sad and angry, not to mention unhappy about my appearance since I'd gained more weight and became bigger than I've ever been in my life! I actually ended up on anti depression! We've since worked things out between us. Feb of 2009 while having sex he hit the mirena or my cervix I'm not sure and it caused so much pain I could do nothing but cry, I couldn't even move! So I went to my ob two days later and had it removed.
One would think that would b the end of ky story, things some what returned to normal, still having problems with weight but even my boyfriend had noticed how much more I enjoy sex. In august of 2010 I found out I was finally pregnant again but miscarried later that month and ever since I've been unable to conceive....since mirena has been removed every menstrual cycle I've had is more blood clots than actual blood.
At this point im scared that I'm going to be told I will not b able to have another child when we have been trying for so long.
Thank you for reading my story. From the day I got mirena removed I recommend no one get it ever!
Thank for you input on mirena iud.I had mine removed in June of 2010. I was feeling bad. I had pain & still in pain to this day.I bleed alot, my body is still getting back to normal. I think it will be a while before normal comes back.Still in the healing process. P E
Thank for you input on mirena iud.I had mine removed in June of 2010. I was feeling bad. I had pain & still in pain to this day.I bleed alot, my body is still getting back to normal. I think it will be a while before normal comes back.Still in the healing process. P E
Hello everyone, I am 33yo and I had the Mirena for 2 1/2 years after my second child. I learned to deal with the mood swings and sporadic bleeding. Last month I feel and noticed that the left side of my body became more numb as the days progressed. While running on day last month I realized that these issues could be associated with the Mirena. I am currently in the process of getting an MRI to see if I have ms. I do believe that it is not ms at all but another bad side to the Mirena birth control. I noticed many of you were also tested for various autoimmune diseases? Did anyone get positive diagnosis?
5 months ago I had the Mirenda inserted. Since then, I have had nothing but problems. Now, let me say first that I have always had acne and mood swings and I don't relate those to the Mirena. My problems were the more serious ones. I always had headaches, backaches, stiffness in my back, pelvic pain, nausea, and irregular periods. Then I started bleeding when it wasn't my period and my pelvic pain became severe. I ended up in the emergency room. They told me I had a cyst. They actually encouraged me to keep the dumb thing in! I said no, I wanted it out. So they took it out. Immediately my symptoms started to disappear. Mirena was such a mistake and I will NEVER consider an IUD again. I hope this helps other women who have these symptoms or are considering Mirena. I know I needed advice the whole time I had it.
Interesting blog. From my research, I do agree that the Mirena works well for more women than not, but our bodies are all different. I had the Mirena inserted mid-September to help with heavy, unpredictable periods. I'm 47 years old. During the three weeks I had it in, I had numerous migraines and the beginning of one yeast infection. My Imitrex and a Diflucan took care of that. At the beginning of the third week I started with painful Angular Cheilitis, Oral Thrush and Vaginal yeast; I also began dropping weight. I started back onto Fluconazole, Clotrimazole lozenges and Monistat. No change. Went again to my GYN, who insisted that the Mirena was not associated. She tried to convince me to go onto a no carb/low carb diet to combat the yeast. I put my foot down and made her remove the Mirena. It took 5 weeks of escalating medication dosages (up to 400mg Fluconazole daily along with 3 other antifungals) to get the Candida gone, and I hope it stays gone. I just finished the Fluconazole yesterday and am pretty nervous. In the meantime, my diagnosis is Mucositis and I'm being checked for autoimmune disease, which "something" may have triggered. My mouth and vaginal canal still burn and I have swelling in the papillae on my tongue. This has been consistently painful for over six weeks now, and the oral lidocaine doesn't help all that much. I've developed synovial swelling in a joint on one foot; my Podiatrist says he doesn't suspect RA but can't treat it with steroids while I could have an autoimmune issue. I dropped 10 pounds in the first 2 weeks of all this, and am slowly getting the weight back to normal (I've always been very active and didn't have 10 pounds to lose). So what this seems to come down to to is: Either I had a bad reaction to the Mirena and will hopefully, gradually return to normal, or an autoimmune disease has been triggered and I'll have to manage it lifelong. Was the Mirena the cause of all this? We'll never know, but it was the one and only variable precipitating these health issues, and all of this is completely unusual for me. We'll see what the Rheumatologist finds; fingers crossed.
I had the IUD/Mirina inserted in early 2007 at my 6-week, postpartum checkup.
Unexpected symptoms I associate as being directly OR indirectly associated with the IUD are listed here. They all began AFTER getting the IUD...
Decreased sex drive.
Very tender and fragile vulva,
cyclical itching burning vulva (worsening about 2 weeks before my period, at it's best right after my period),
Occasionally the vulva skin would split/tear (felt like a paper cut). Toilet paper could sometimes feel like sandpaper.
NO arousal lubrication.
Painful sex.
General skin itching, especially on my thighs, calves and backs of my arms.
eczema on my knees, ankles and elbows.
I don't know that I ever noticed any cervical fluid.
I saw 3 different OBs during the time. They all said I didn't have a yeast infection. So I wasn't treated for one. Saw an allergist who made me feel like I was crazy. Finally I saw an OB highly recommended to me by a friend. By this time, I was highly suspicious of the IUD and decided to have it out. She removed it, but also said I had a yeast infection. She put me on fluconazole. I took a pill every other day for 2 weeks. She agrees that my body did not respond well to the IUD.
Things quickly got better. Within a few months all the above symptoms resolved except for the occasional itching and eczema on my arms and legs. I still haven't been able to figure out what triggers this reaction. However, itching is very minor compared to what it was before I had the IUD out. My body was totally out of whack on the IUD. Sexual arousal, lubrication and the Vulva are all totally what I would expect now. I had another baby, and didn't have any of the above problems.
2006-2008 were the most stressful years of my life. I do remember thinking, "Why can't I handle this? I've always been able to handle any challenge?" In college, my days were planned from 6 am-10 pm and my stress didn't compare to early motherhood. I don't know if I associate my increased anxiety to the IUD or finally meeting my match in motherhood. All those symptoms from the IUD obviously affected my physical relationship with my husband too. That definitely added to the stress.
Hello, I got the Mirena put in on Sept 26, 2011, the insertion was painful but I was sure this was a small price to pay for the wonderful things that I had heard about Mirena. It is now the middle of November and I am ready to have this removed ASAP. I had continual bleeding for the first 5 weeks, I also have had Migraines(which I have never had before) and severe fatigue. I am nervous and jittery all the time, and cry over small things, Constipation has also been an issue. I have not felt like myself for a while. I just recently did some more in depth research on the side effects, and I was shocked but also relieved that I was not the only one with these issues. I took my Dr.s word that this was a great bc method, and I am sure for some it is, but not for me!!!!!!!!!!!! I have an appointment of Friday and I am going to insist it be removed. Thanks for all the stories, I was beginning to think I was nuts
Thank you for letting me know I'm not crazy!! I had my merina put in after my third child was born, back in 2008, and for a while it was definitely heaven sent. No periods, everything seemed fine, but I couldn't loose that last 10 pounds of baby weight. I run 3-5 times a week, started an resistence training class, and even took up zumba. Nothing. I'd get toned arms, toned legs, and still have a soft belly. You could feel the muscles underneath, but I had a little roll on top. I regularly wear size 4 and 6, so this was not normal for me.
Two years ago I started to get tingling arms, feet, joints, and my legs and arms got incredibly swollen. I was diagnosed with 5th disease by a rhuemetologist and put on a pretty intense medication to relieve the symptoms as the virus ran it's course. Now I'm starting to think that it was more related to the merina then something so random. I hadn't been around any children with it and my kids never got 5th disease the entire time I had it.
I cannot begin to tell you how bad the mood swings have been. Especially in this last year. I'll have one day of rainbows and sunshine and then the next day I'm trying to convince myself not to ram my car into a pole just to end it all. Luckily my husband and I are very open about mental issues (they are a concern from both sides of our family) so we've both been keeping a close watch on me. I've gotten to the point that I was going to try to see a therapist because I thought I was just going bipolar. I've yelled at my kids, I've snapped at my husband, I've even snapped at family members (who deserved a rebuke, but definitely in a more calm tone!). This is not me.
I was going to make an appointment with my midwife for my yearly and I was going to see what her suggestions were with the mood swings, but now I think I'll just take that opportunity to have her take it out.
So my question is this, any suggestions for birth control after merina? I love the convenience, hate the side effects. I've gone towards depression on certain bc pills as well, so I'm trying to be very cautious as to where we go next. I've put my kids through hell and then utter happiness over the last almost 4 years and I'd like it to stop. They deserve a mom who is always the sweet, creative mom that I can be. Not the crazy mom yelling at them for not putting their clothes into the hamper.
I have adverse effects from the Mirena also. I am 25 years old and have 1 child that is going on 2 yrs old in December. I got the mirena put in 8 weeks exactly after my daughter was born because I have always been responsible about my planned parenting. I wanted something that wasn't going to be tricky or that I would have to take every day, so I opted for the IUD. Mirena promised 5 years of no pregnancy, possibly no period, all the unprotected sex I want (with only my husband of course!), and I don't have to think about birth control at all...count me in!! Well if only it turned out that way. Now I'm wanting to count me OUT! I have had the WORST mood swings of my life, acne which I had when I was younger but not for the past 8 years (until the IUD), I ALWAYS feel fatigued, I get random "pregnancy" cravings even when its not around my period, I have a strange odor down there also which Ive had checked and was told it's normal but I have NEVER had any type of odor before! I experience vaginal dryness (even when Im "turned on") and getting in the mood takes twice as long if it even happens anymore. I have always had a tiny waistline and now I have a belly with love handles that I can't get rid of. Within the 8 weeks of giving birth to my daughter I lost 25 lbs. (I weighed 142 lbs when I got pregnant, 176 lbs the day I went into labor, and was down to 138 lbs at my 6 week checkup!)I gained 25 lbs back since the Mirena insertion and I can't lose it. I'm not much of a dieter but I have always had a fast metabolism. (my father is 6'2 and weighs 145, my mom is 5'2 and weighs 98 lbs) I have very thin parents and up until now I carried that gene and stayed within a healthy bmi, not too thin but not even close to overweight. I have been running 2.25 miles EVERYDAY and still cant get the weight off, it's so disheartening! Also, after intercourse I sometimes bleed, (hubby use to complain that he could feel the wires, and the first week I had the IUD inserted, they actually cut him like a paper cut...OUCH!), and my stomach bloats as well as getting hard as a rock. I originally thought that maybe I needed to up my fiber intake and that would take the bloating down but no matter how much fiber therapy supplement powders I drink, nor how many times I go to the bathroom, the rock hard bloating stays. I even experience sharp period cramps when it's not even time for my period, as well as 2 week long moodiness, plus a week of bleeding, leaving me with 1 week a month, a total of only 12 weeks a YEAR, without period symptoms. Sure does take the silver lining out of being a girl, I tell you that much! I recently got hired on at a new job so I have about 1 more month before I'm eligible for a medical plan. As soon as I get health insurance, this IUD is COMING OUT! I was previously on depo before my pregnancy (which I stopped so that I could have a baby) but I didn't go back to it because it was about 75 dollars every 3 months. I never had mood swings, I actually lost weight on the depo (contrary to what alot of people would say), it cleared up any post teenage acne I had, and I never had a period. I was just worried about osteoporosis. At this point I am thinking about giving up all birth control for awhile and opting for good old fashioned condoms. I have been taking hormonal birth controls for the past 8 years and I can't agree that it is good for my body. I think that eventually it will cause a permanent imbalance in my brain or something. If I get too worried that I might get pregnant I will 100% go back to the depo injection and double up on my calcium! Hope this helped someone out there understand that they are not alone!
Thank you ladies for your stories. Glad to hear Im not just some freak. I got Mirena the end of Sept. after havin my son. It is now mid November and I have not stopped bleedin for more than maybe a week total. I was beginning to feel pregant again but knew that that was impossible considering I havent had sex. I have had breast tenderness, upset stomach, depression and major fatigue. Im beginning to believe I know why. I believe Monday I will be calling my doctor to see when I can get it removed to see if that helps.
Hello to the forum...
I just had a Mirena IUD placed after a D&C procedure about 10 days ago. I am 45 and have been diagnosed with early ovarian decline since 2003. Anyway, I have been on Estrogen therapy since 2004 when I could no longer tolerate the pill because it worsened my depression. In fact, I'm so sensitive to progesterone that I've been on unopposed estrogen for several years -- until just recently when my uterine biopsy came back with a few abnormal, but not atypical, cells. So I was a candidate for the Merina IUD to prevent uterine cancer.
I have no idea what my experience with the IUD will be, all I can hope for is that it will be positive or neutral as I am well acquainted with how awful it can be on the hormone hostage roller coaster!
I know none of you on this forum and ultimately we are all in charge of our own care, however I'd like to stress to every woman out there reading this: please get ALL your hormone levels checked by your doctor --request the blood test. Estrogen is directly linked to depression as it is required for the body to produce serotonin. Estrogen is the body's own anti-depressant -- many of us (myself included) are/were misdiagnosed with depression when it is actually our sensitivity to low estrogen (which then lowers serotonin)-- or a combination of both with a lowering of estrogen then increasing the symptoms of depression -- especially the "bi-polar" or "manic" depression experiences.
There are studies which examine estrogen as a treatment for depression either alone or to augment other prescribed therapies.
I understand that estrogen alone is no "cure all", all I have is my own experience. My GYN literally saved my life when she listened to my "crazy" symptoms, ordered blood work and gave me an estrogen patch...within a few days I felt so much better. I thought I was going nuts, when it turned out my estrogen level was "3"...normally should be near 100.
There are many factors that contribute to our hormone balance. I would have never thought at 34 I would have declining ovarian function -- I had regular periods, etc...but I did and the blood tests are like proof that it's not in your head.
I empathize with what has been written by so many women on this blog and I can only hope that my experience with the IUD is positive.
I am still crampy and bloated ten days after my surgery and the insertion of the IUD. I will definitely post again any changes (+ or - ) which are directly related from the IUD. Thanks to everyone for relating their experiences on this blog!
It is unfortunate that some of us experience these terrible side effects. It is another unfortune that our "care takers" do not believe us.
I have too experienced some of these side effects.
I had the Mirena inserted in February, a month after my daughter was born. I experienced almost painless insertion, it was pressure just like she had said I would experience. After that was done, I LOVED IT! No worries, it was great. But as time grew on, so did my hormonal change. People who loved being around me, didn't want to be around me. I would snap at the most ridiculous things. I would get angry over the smallest things, my hair would fall out in clumps and all day. When I would take a shower, when I combed my hair, when I would brush my hand through my hair. I have naturally thick hair...after all of this I had VERY thin hair and I looked hidious. I began getting the case of fuzzy haid. I couldnt think straight, I couldn't feel emotions. I just didn't have sex drive either. I wanted nothing to do with my husband and I would get frustrated with my daughter. I am not a very easy person to frustrate either. I became extremely exhausted. After 12 hours of sleep I would feel as if I hadn't slept in weeks. I would ask people for advice to help with the energy level. I tried B12 complex, I have tried eating more fiber, protein, and iron. After a few more months passed everything stopped working and I started craving foods. Finally, I had enough after 9 months of dealing with it and reading some of your blogs. I went to my doctor and explained to her what was going on. She blamed the hair loss on thyroid problems. I have never had problems with my thyroid. The loss of energy or "dead weight" as I like to call it, was from stress and having a young child. Pre-mirena, I don't stress fiercely over things. The case of the fuzzy head was blamed on stress as well. So I demanded that the IUD was removed that day. It was painless and right after having the IUD removed I suddenly didn't have a headache, I felt like I could fly to the moon and back. I had energy that I have not had in months. So now we are day 4 post-removal...I can actually get out of bed...I am getting my focus back...my desires and passions are coming back...I am beginning to feel like a normal person and not a zombie. Now that I can THINK clearly, I come to realize that it all make since. My body was identifying the IUD as a fetus for awhile, but then after time surpasses it was identifying it as an ivasion of the body and attacking it. When it doesnt do the trick the first time, your body calls upon help or backup from other parts of your body (kind of like our military) therefore weakening your immune system and causing fatigue. I am slowly, but surely coming back to normal state of life. I feel guilty because I can not remember a lot of the past year and my child's first year of life, but I am glad that I got the IUD removed now instead of later.
Thank you LORD for all of these posts. It was very helpful to know that I was not the crazy person. GOD BLESS all of you and I wish for the best.
I have had the Mirena for over 2.5 years. The insertion was fairly unpainful and the periods went away within a few months. I fel free and clean but in the past 7 months I've been gaining tooo much weight in addittion to the baby weight that I never shed (I had the Mirena 2 months after I had my baby). I am , in general, moody but not to this extenet . Last year, I had incredible fights with my husband , and if he hadn't been an angel, the damages would definitely not have been repairable. I had it removed today because we are planning for a new baby. I pray that the weight will come off and that my mood will improve. Lately , all I have been researching is depression and bipolar syndrome because I thought I was definitely not mentally healthy. I hope it is all the Mirena. The ladies' posts have really given me lots of hope. THANK U.
I have had the Mirena IUD for 19 months now. I had it inserted about 6 weeks after my delivery. At my six month checkup I told the GYN that I was still having cycles..that last 2 weeks!, my hair has been falling out by the handful and NO sex drive at all. He wanted to put me on Estrogen to help. I refused to take it because of the things that I had heard about it. It has now been 19 Months and I am still having the same effects as well as anxiety attacks, very bad mood swings, lack of interest in anything. I also find it strange that I have had 2 abnormal pap smears that showed dysplasia (never had them before IUD) I have scheduled my appointment for tomorrow to have it removed! We will see if this takes care of my issues. Good luck to everyone!!
I wanted to update my post. I had the mirena taken out a week ago and the paraguard put in. My midwife and the lady doing the sonogram for placement both said that it shouldn't have those kinds of side effects, but that everybody's body reacts differently to hormones. The change in my moods is HUGE!! I feel like a massive weight has been lifted off of my chest and my husband says that I've actually started smiling again in the mornings. I hadn't realised that it had been so long since I was happy to be awake and to start a new day. If you are questioning if you should have the mirena out, don't question any longer. See your doctor or midwife and convince them to help you out. If it's working great for you, I'm so glad. It just wasn't right for me. We're one week into the paraguard iud now, and so far so good.
My mirena was only in for 3 weeks and I am still suffering the consequences 6 years later. I had it inserted at the age of 27 for birth control since I was in a monogamous relationship and didn't tolerate oral contraceptives. I have never been pregnant. I developed a severe infection including a fever of 105 and hallucinations along with foul yellow discharge and the worst cramps I've ever had. Although I had it removed fairly quickly in the ER I have not been the same since. My once regular periods with moderate cramping have become unpredictable and marked by severe debilitating pain. I have multiple cysts on my ovaries each month. I suffered from several illnesses that signal a weakened immune system like valley fever and erythema nodosom during that first year and still get sick much more frequently than I ever did before. I feel like Mirena damaged me beyond repair and I would do anything to take back that moment in which I had it inserted.
I got the IUD in 2009 and start having most of the symptoms that I see posted here. I went to a GYN and she took it out and said it was causing the symptom. I then moved to FL and my GYN told me I needed to get it back because it does not cause all of those issues. I got it again Aus 2011. I begin to have abdominal pain, severe back pain, dizziness, night sweats, insomnia, numbness, hip/pelvic pain fatigue, increased eating and my cycle has been on 30 days and counting. I know my body and my husband agreed. I did not have all of these things prior to. My GYN told me I did not need to take it out. It has been the worse ever. It DID stop my heavy bleeding but I bleed lightly everyday so I would rather bleed heavy for 5 days. Take it out it's not worth it. I also had a friend who got it around the same time who experienced the same symptoms including hair loss.
My friend has it and has never had a problem with it. However I have had several. It think that it depends on the person. But for people to assume you are making these symptoms up is crazy. I may not know much about science but I know my body and I know I did not have abdominal pain, back pain, night sweats, periods for 35 days or longer, hip paiin and numbnes, pelvic pain and fatigue before I got the IUD. If you feel any of this, it's your body fighting it and it's not for you. RUN and don't look back
This is nuts! I have had the Mirena IUD for 2.5 years. About six months ago I started getting rather severe anxiety and irritability. My doctor prescribed Paxil. Two weeks ago I got a yeast infection (which I have only had after conception and delivery of my two sons). Then my hair started falling out (at least 60 every day in the shower). I saw a hair restoration specialist today and am in the early stages of hair loss- I am 28! Over the last week I have also had over a dozen signs of early pregnancy. I went for blood work today to see if I am pregnant or not (first time I have gotten these symptoms since I have had the Mirena IUD). I will know for sure what is going on when I get my results tomorrow, but I know one thing for sure right now- this thing is coming out ASAP, whether I am pregnant or not!
Tears of pain and tears of joy run down my face as I write this post. I'm not crazy! I'm not a bitch! I'm not loosing it! I don't need my children removed from my care! I don't need a new husband or a new life! I don't need to be admitted to looney ward! I DO NEED MY MIRENA removed ASAP. If I had the guts to remove it myself I would. I had the IUD placed mid March this year after the birth of my 3rd child. The first couple of months were bad and I experienced a lot of bleeding. Then things seemed great and I was loving my IUD for the most part. I wasn't having periods but would bleed post sex. Almost 2.5 months ago I weened my DS and noticed immediately that something was wrong. I am having periods every 3 weeks that last about 10 days with EXTREME cramping, back pain, and the feeling that my female parts are just going to explode. I can't fit into ANY of my clothes suddenly. I actually physically attacked my husband last week. In the last 4 months I have bought and peed on at least 6 pregnancy test (although I'm bleeding all the time). I have all the symptoms of being "with child" but I'm not. I thought I needed to be locked up and my kids taken away according to my resent behavior. I LOVE life and my little ones! I LOVE my husband and the lil existence we have created. Recently, I could care less about my life, our life, kids, love, my husband. I called off work 2 days last week because I just can't handle the stress. COME ON, I have 3 kids... what can't I handle? Thanks for blogging ladies! Keep it coming! Just called my mom and told her I might have it figured out... I'm not loosing it!!!!!!! Thanks you LORD!
Since having the Mirena placed I have constantly told my friends and family, "if I didn't know better, I would think I was pregnant". And "I hope I don't end up on that show I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant. WOW
I've had my Mirena in for 4 months. I have bled almost the whole time. I have ruined almost every pair of underwear I own because I will stop for 3-5 days and start bleeding again...or I will stop for 2 weeks and start again. It has been so inconsistent and totally annoying but that is not even the worst part. About 3 weeks ago I was just standing in my kitchen and I got this sharp pain in my back. It was the worst pain I had ever felt. I have a couple of surgeries, c-sections, knee and neck problems...but NEVER back pain. It was horrible. So bad that I actually went to the hospital. It almost felt like my IUD ripped through my uterus. The ER thought it was a bad pregnancy or a kidney stone...but they never gave me an ultra sound. They found nothing but told me to call my OBGYN and get in. By Monday I was feeling better and better. A couple days later, I felt the pain again and then I started bleeding. I called the OB in the morning and when they gave me an ultrasound they found a cyst 4cm around. (When I was in labor I only dilated to 4 cm) Yep...I had a cyst on the back of my ovary the size of lime! The cyst is so big that is effecting a nerve in my back and is pushing again my rectum. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? My doctor said cyst are common with the Mirena and put me on the pill. So now I have an IUD, am on the pill and STILL bleeding! I am hormonal mess. I cry all the time and my poor children and husband are always on eggshells. After all this and reading all these other stories...this thing is COMING OUT!
i had the mirena inserted in dec 2009 and then feb 2011. with my first mirena i never had a period, no bleeding, nothing! the mirena did cause a yeast infection that NEVER went away even after removal. i missed not having a period so i got another one inserted a year later. with this one i still keep getting yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis. i plan on losing my virginity to my boyfriend but the horrible smell down there makes me so self conscience. i have never had any issues down there! my sex drive has also lowered. all i want is for these infections to go away permamently so i can live my life and not have to worry about the horrible odor, itching, increased discharge and swelling down there caused from this mirena!!!
My Mirena has been AWESOME!!! The ONLY side affect I've noticed is acne on my chin area. However that didn't start until a year ago. At that point I had my Mirena in for 4 years. I'm now on my second one. I started weight watchers three weeks ago (I've been overweight since the pregnancy of my son....not because of the Mirena) and I no long have ACNE!!! My healthy eating cleared up my face...makes sence...eating cleaner and all. I do agree that it was quite painful having it inserted but not nearly as painful as child birth and the cramping only lasted a few hours. I've never experienced any cramping since and I don't experience any bleeding either. I was told that spotting is normal within the first year of the Mirena as well as research I read so I'm kind of bothered at the complaints I read so far. I'm thankful I've not experienced anything close to what most of these ladies of gone through. I would HATE life if I didn't have my Mirena. My sex drive has gone down but I attribute that to being married for ten years, having two young kids, a job....over all I'm tired and not in the mood and the hubby annoying the crap out of me. My hubby wants it all the time.... five times a week. It would be more if he wasn't in the military and standing duty, lol! I don't have much natural lubrication but again...that is a normal side affect that all of us were warned about. I orgasm normally and I'm always glad I did have sex with my husband after the fact even when I whine like a baby at first, lol! I do remind him all the time that he is one lucky dude cause in many normal marriages, sex is the last thing the wifey wants to do and many hubby's are most def not getting it as much as him :) As another poster said....I would recommend the Mirena to anyone I come across. Good luck ladies!
Hello,
I'm glad I'm not alone. I've had the Mirena for 3 years now. I don't feel like my self at all. First I've put on 20 lbs since I got it and I've never put on this much weight in my life in this period of time. I always workout and eat healthy but it doesn't help. I feel pregnant and my bra size went up. I had a lot of pain when I had it inserted that I cried and had to hold on to the wall to walk out of the office. I now have knife stabbing pain in my vagina time to time when I sit or have intercourse . I have lost so much hair and I never had that even when I used to have color treatments. I don't color, blowdry or curl my hair anymore and still have a handful of hair after each shower. My skin acne got so bad to the point that I started having weird white hard bumps on the right side of my neck. Later on I woke up with rashes looking like hives on my neck and chest. I went to the ER they couldn't even tell me what's wrong with me. It came down a bit but its still there and painful. And ad usual I wad told to watch what detergent , face wash , products ect. I use. I haven't been using anything new at all. I feel depressed, tired, sleepy, emotional and upset for no reason. I have 2 children to take care of and the last 3 years have been hard. I went to my OBGYN and all I got was acne creams and a plan how to start losing weight . That didn't help. I'm still battling with my weight , hair loss and all of the problems. Can't sleep . Just feeling crazy and not my self. Going to go to the OBGYN tomorrow and finally tell them that this is for sure the problem and get it out . Want to get myself back with all that has been damaged. Thank you for this site. I was glad I'm not alone.
It has been almost 3 years for me since getting Mirena. I got it because I already have three wonderful children and I didn't want to take BC pills. Well I now take about 55 pills a day due to all the horrible side effects. Depression, anxiety, acne, anemia, fatigue, etc. I am having it removed on Monday. After thinking I may have MS, Lupus, Fibromyalgia???? I need this OUT. When I went into my OB for a follow up I asked if Mirena could be causing my anxiety/depression/acne and I was told absolutely not. I was told that it was my age (37), having 3 kids, the economy, etc, and that it is just something that happens and the fact that I went off the pill. My dermotologist said it absolutely was the Mirena and that she could fix my face if I wanted to keep the Mirena. Lovely. Just throw on a few more pills to my already insane amount I take. Out with it already. I think the medical community needs to be more honest with us.
i got my iud on august 26 2011 after my 2nd baby,after the insertion i was bleeding like about 3 weeks but after that i have not gotten my period went to the OBGYN because i thought i was pregnant but i'm not, im feeling pregnant, im loosing my hair i even got an hair cut thinking it would stop, sometimes i feel pain in the abdomen and sometimes i cant lift my legs.I dont know what to do cause i dont want to drink pills
I'm so glad I found this site! I had no idea what was going on. I've had my Mirena for a little over a year now, at first I didn't seem to have any issues, in fact I used to have really awful periods before and I was happy with the Mirena I stopped having periods all together so I thought, wow this is great, no periods and no getting pregnant. How wrong I was, The past couple of months have been TERRIBLE! I have insane itching all the time, to the point where I become swollen from itching all day long, I can't take it! I can no longer have sex with my husband not only because I have lost all sex drive but when we do have sex I have terrible burning, and become swollen after. Ive been tested for stds, I had an ultrasound to see if I had cysts, even catscans and NOTHING! Ive been on several antibiotics, and been told I had PID, which the Dr said was from the Mirena.
Now I have a constant discharge and seem to have reoccuring UTIs.
Aside from the feminine issues, Ive also had weird neurological problems, tightness in my head, strange thoughts, mood swings, numbness in my left hand, tingling, tremors, racing heart, I feel bloated all the time and recently just started having terrible acne and also have the bumps on my neck like I read in previous posts. I thought I was going crazy and Im just relieved to find out that Im not the only one suffering. It's expensive to get it removed but I'll spend any amount just to feel better again!!!!!! =)
Yep...ME TOO! You can add me to the list of Very unhappy customers. Mirena was so hyped up from my OB/GYN you would think they are getting a kick back from how many they insert. Seriously though...today was the breaking point. I have been having so many mood swings and rage that I have never experienced in my life. I have always been so happy and upbeat and since I have had mirena (almost 2 years now)...my emotions are jagged and unpredictable. I feel like a crazy person who is not in control of myself anymore.I have a beautiful 3 year old son and almost 2 year old daughter and just want to be the best mommy possible to them. I have never had any emotional issues or issues with deppression or mood swings and I think that this is why this is so startling and raw to me...because THIS IS NOT ME....I have talked to my husband about getting it out...he is worried about a third pregnancy. I am just soooo tired of not being me. I want my self back. I am getting this thing out ASAP!!
okay so i just thought i was crazy!
i got the IUD at the end of 09 and at first i had no problems at all. I ended up getting very painful cyts, so painful i didnt want to move at all. i have recurrent yeast infections that seem to come back once a MONTH!ihave never had the clearest skin and would always breakout on my period but now i seem to be brokeout all the time and they are painful. i have acne on my back as well, its terrible. i work out 4 times a week and eat pretty well but never lose wieght, if anything i gain!!!!! i am easily irritated and moody. im so glad i read this because im calling today to get this removed i dont know why i didnt think of this before.....its terrible!
I was put on the mirena march 2011 and I have awful cramps my back feels awful and at first I loved it no period was like amazing but now I actually miss my period...I get severe cramps and cysts on my ovaries I went from 162 after having me daughter to 189 and my weight just keeps getting worse I barely eat and if I do it is healthy...I love salad and vegies I dont know what is wrong...I asked my doctor about my cysts he said they would go away and every month it feels like I have yeast infection or uti I hate it I have never been sooo moody in my life. I have a 1 year old I love her soo much but it seems like I have no gumption to get up and do anything my house work has went out the window I cant keep up with anything I feel sick all the time..sex drive is awful I never want to do it. I am getting it taken out asap and I already went once and my obgyn talked me out of it. So here comes round 2. I am happy I found this site. Thanks a bunch
Agreed, this mirena thing is ridiculous.... I've had my period now for, 8 weeks, severe cramps, headaches which i've never had and zero sex drive, no weight gain to my knowledge and no acne. i had my check up last week and i guess everything looked okay, I'm giving it 2 more weeks and if my period hasn't stop this thing is coming out. as far as i'm concerned it pretty much sucks. i'd rather use a condom, well he wear a condom every time then have my period forever and have cramps. i DEFINITELY don't recommend it to anyone!
Hi. I am 41, and am on my second mirena iud. My first was in 2000 and it was very painful to put in. My second in 2005 was also painful, but I have never had children. Other than that, it has been great compared to the stories I am reading. I have definitely lost some of my sex drive, but still have sex regularly and do reach orgasm. I need lubrication, but I am able to deal with it. I do suffer with some depression, but know that this is part of who I am. I had it when I was younger as well. Even though my experience has been pretty good, I am considering having it removed and that is how I came across this site. I do agree that it is not normal to not have a period for now close to 7 years. I do experience some of the side effects, the sex drive and I also get a huge pimple or two every couple of months and especially on the back of my neck at the hairline. I do have night sweats and the depression now and again. I have lived with all of this because it's really not major, and it's been great to not have a period. I do think I want to remove it though to see if there is a difference in me afterwards. I am sure it will take a few months to detoxify myself, but it might be well worth it and we don't mind using condoms. Thanks for everyone sharing their stories and I I can't believe what some of you have been through. All the best.
I had mine removed on Monday, and within hours I couldn't believe the difference... Everything was clearer, my tolerance level went way up again and the fog went away. I had my Mirena inserted in June 2011 and my periods never stopped and I kept getting pains on my left side. After researching the real world side effects on blogs like this I decided I was done. My doctor is wonderful and never questioned my decision to have it removed. Unfortunately I also have a rather large cyst that now needs to be removed (and I never had issues with cysts before the IUD), but it's okay because my husband and I have decided that we are incredibly happy with our three children and are done, so I will be having my tubes tied at the same time. As someone who is going to school for medicine, I would definitely tell other women to look at ALL the facts, not just the drug websites. If you are not sensitive to hormones than the Mirena could work for you (and I know several women who just love it!) But if birth control pills affect your mood, than this will too and would not be a good fit. Good luck to everyone. Oh, I also got my period today too and it's right back to what it was before the Mirena. No issues so far and incredibly happy that I had my Mirena removed! Thanks for all of the great insight!
Omg I cannot believe I dint connection the dots before... iam 27 yrs old. I got my mirena in March 2011 right after a miscarriage ..also I decided to get it cause my doctor said it would help my heavy bleeding periods every months. The first few 6 months we're weird but they said it would take 6 months for my body to adjust to the mirena. But after the six months I began to have furious mood swings and I began to brake out of cystic acne on my stomach and breast! !!!! I never feel like having sex, my breast are tremendously huge! !! They hurt all the time and I have gotten a few yeast infections,I developed imsonia and iam always tired and depressed I have gained about 30 pounds.never in a million years would I have blamed it on this thing. But I was just wondering and researching on my own before I went to see a dermatologist about my agne! !! Thanks to of your testimony women. Iam getting this shit removed first thing Monday morning. Thanks
I had mirena inserted after the birth of my 1st child in Oct of 2010. We wanted to space our kids out around 3 yrs apart, so thought this was a great option. For the 1st 6 mths I had spotting and cramping, but was told this was normal and my periods would regulate, get shorter and maybe stop. I thought it was worth it so decided to wait it out and see what happened. Well I was so wrong as my period started to end altogether I felt like I was pmsing constantly, it was crazy. Then in Nov 2011 I started getting yeast infections, 4 in 2 mths. Went to the dr, was tested and verfied. After the 2nd I thought it could be new dryer sheets, soap, ect. It was DEF the mirena! I went back to the dr after the 4th and said get this thing out of me. Talked to the nurse and dr and both said there are more and more of these side effects showing up w the mirena... Wish I knew this before, but guess its time to try for #2! Hope this helps.
Dear Mirena,
A little over 6 years ago, after the birth of my son, I got on Mirena at the advice of my DR. Everything was great for the first 3 years of use. Virtually no periods, maybe some spotting at first, but after that, nothing!I was in heaven! We began planning our wedding, got married, and shortly after our wedding I began to get acne. I associated it with the make-up from the wedding. I got some over the counter acne treatment, thinking this would make it better, it didnt! So I tried proactive, didnt work, I tried department store acne products, didnt work. I tried everything I could think of! Nothing would work. I then brought this up to my OB, he suggested blood work to ck my hormone levels & I go see a dermatoligst. Blood test came back normal, so away I went to a dermatoligist. I was litterally blown away at what they had to say. I have always had flawless skin, here I sit with big cyst like pimples, red, throbbing, painful bumps on my face. The derm. suggested blood work again to check my hormone levels, came back normal, I was then told that he thought I could possibly have polycystic ovarian failure. I freaked, I had 2 children already, but wanted more, I didnt want this to be the end results for me. So the derm put me on some acne treatments internal and external. Approx 2 months after taking the meds, I noticed a great difference in my skin. I still had acne, but could tell it was starting to be more controlled. While going thru this process, I spoke with a few distant friends, all on Mirena, we compaired storys and found we were all pretty much having the same side effects. I googled Mirena Side Effects and found a lot of infomation and women all dealing with the same things I had. Never once did I associate my mood swings, hair loss, weight gain, constaint yeast infections, or acne to Mirena. Armed with the information, I took this to my OB, he completely dismissed me! Defended the BC and said maybe I should change some things in my life. Well, I let him know that I wanted Mirena removed! He did remove it with hesitation. Well 2 months after removal, my face cleared completely! I was left with acne scars, but no more acne. I also didnt have anymore yeast infections, weight gain, nothing! I did end up getting pregnant! I now have a happy, healthy 1 yr old. My story doesnt end here! Staying witht he same OB for 11yrs now. He talked me into Mirena again! Said my body has changed from prior to pregnancy, and suggested I try Mirena again! Well, what a dope I am! I have been on Mirena since February 15, 2011, coming up on 1 full year of use. I now have a chin full of big cyst like acne bumps that throb! This break out has been occuring for the last 3 months! I have an appointment for Feb 2 to have Mirena removed for the 2nd time! I will not ever use MIRENA again! I am looking at switching to the non-hormone birth control.
i am a 29 year old first time mom. i had the IUD inserted 7 weeks after giving birth. the instertion was just a little more uncomfortable than a regular pap smear but not unbearable. the only side effect that i am experiencing is prolonged bleeding. it has been two and a half weeks of continuous bleeding, although it has not been heavy. i haven't had much of a sex drive either.
I am so glad i came across this blog. I have been considering having mine removed. I have only had it for a few months now but it has been horrible! First off, i had it put in October 2011, which was horribly painful and followed with a 3 week period. I have had 2 really bad spurts of depression that lasted about 2 weeks a piece (and i have a four year old) it was so bad that i would just sit and stare at the wall crying. Now keep in mind, i am 24, a newly wed and 2011 was an incredible year for me, absolutely no reason for me to be depressed. I would tell my husband, ' i have no clue why i am so sad' nothing was actually wrong. Lately i have been getting extremely irritable..i mean to the point that i feel like my skin is crawling. Last night i was trying to hang a map of the U.S in my sons room and couldn't get the tack to go through the wall and got so irritated i wanted to put my fist through his wall...not like me. I have also have cystic acne lately as well, really bad around jaw line and cheeks and normally i may get the occasional break out with my cycle but nothing this severe and not cystic. I also look bloated all the time and keep getting terrible migraines which make me feel like i am going to throw up. How can i take care of my hyperactive four year old if i am feeling like this?! Not to mention that my poor husband (who has been married to me 9 months now) sees me go from fine to a fit of rage in 2.3 seconds..i am sure he thinks he married a crazy women. However keep in mind that i can not take any form of birth control pill either because i am really sensitive to hormones and have tried most of them and they all react badly for me...i also tried nuva ring. My dr put me on this because he said it is the lowest dose birth control and i would likely have no symptoms at all which sounded great. I have been thinking something else must have been wrong because my dr was so certain that if i couldn't take the pill that this was the answer for me. It has actually been worse than the pill in my opinion.
PLEASE GALS TAKE THIS BLOG TO HEART- WE ARE NOT CRAZY AND THIS IS A BAD IUS THAT WAS USED IN THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES FOR TESTING AND THEY HAD THE SAME RESULTS SO WHY IS IT ON THE MARKET? IT WILL DESTROY YOUR LIFE AND GETTING IT OUT IS WORSE!!!!! I THOUGHT I WAS CRAZY BEFORE THE MIRENA BUT AFTER GETTING IT OUT JUST PUT MY BODY IN A MAJOR CRASH THAT I HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR 6 MONTHS NOW...GETTING YOUR BODY BACK TO NORMAL IS EASY AND CAN TAKE A LONG TIME BECAUSE OF THE DAMAGE IT DOES TO YOUR WHOLE SYSTEM. AUTOIMMUNE SYMPTOMS AND CRAZINESS ARE THE BIG COMMON SYMPTOMS AND THEY ARE REAL AND NO ONE CAN MAKE THEM UP, WE HAVE THESE SYMPTOMS IN COMMON FOR THE ONLY ONE REASON, THE MIRENA NIGHTMARE. I HAVE HAD TO FIND NATURAL DOCTORS TO HELP ME BECAUSE TRADITIONAL DOCTORS ARE NARROW MINDED AND CLUELESS AND DON'T EVEN CARE FROM MY EXPERIENCE...THEIR EYES ARE CLOSED AND THAT IS VERY FRUSTRATING. I PRAY FOR ALL OF YOU..I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH WOMEN ALL OVER THE WORLD ARE SUFFERING AND ITS NOT RIGHT BECAUSE IT NEVER SHOULD OF BEEN MADE AVAILABLE WE ARE GINNY PIGS AND HUMANS DID THIS TO US, KNOWING IT WAS NOT SAFE!! I AM GLAD FOR THOSE THAT DIDN'T GET AS SEVERE SYMPTOMS BUT FOR THE REST OF US WE ARE PAYING A BIG PRICE AND WE NEED TO KEEP FIGHTING AND GET IT OFF THE MARKET WE OWE IT TO THE GALS WHO HAVE ENDED THEIR LIFES BECAUSE OF NOT KNOWING OR GETTING HELP. IT IS SATIN, THE DEVIL, OR WHATEVER EVIL WORD YOU WANT TO USE, IT IS WRONG AND IT SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE. DOCTORS NEED TO DO SOME RESEARCH AND CARE INSTEAD OF PROFITING FROM IT!!! KEEP FIGHTING GALS, I AM FIGHTING WITH YOU AND PRAYING WE ALL CAN RETURN BACK TO THE WOMEN WE WERE BEFORE THIS NIGHTMARE!! GOD BLESS!!
IN MY POST BEORE THIS ONE I LEFT OUT AN IMPORTANT WORD WHEN I SAID GETTING YOUR BODY BACK TO NORMAL IS NOT EASY, I LEFT OUT THE NOT AND SO I DIDN'T WANT TO CONFUSE ANYONE...IT HAS NOT BEEN EASY AT ALL!! IT HAS BEEN A LONG HARD ROAD THAT HAS NOT BEEN EASY!!
IN MY POST BEORE THIS ONE I LEFT OUT AN IMPORTANT WORD WHEN I SAID GETTING YOUR BODY BACK TO NORMAL IS NOT EASY, I LEFT OUT THE NOT AND SO I DIDN'T WANT TO CONFUSE ANYONE...IT HAS NOT BEEN EASY AT ALL!! IT HAS BEEN A LONG HARD ROAD THAT HAS NOT BEEN EASY!! KEEP FIGHTING!!
Late last year I got the Mirena IUD put in. It was the most horrible pain I've ever been in in my lfe. I was told the pain would subside in a few days, but it went on for at least two weeks. Lately, I've noticed I've been getting alot of acne, and I've ALWAYS had clear skin. When I've had my periods, I didn't experience much cramping, but now I'm cramping all the time and not experiencing my period. I haven't had a period since april or so, but the cramping is debilitating all the same.
I'm not experiencing any problems with lost sex drive, though I am experiencing the opposite. When my boyfriend and I do get intimate, the cramping gets worse, and my pain makes it hard to do anything for days afterwards, so obviously, we're to frustrated to try.
Another weird thing is that my device is settling higher into my uterus. I wonder if this is normal? I have a very high cervix and small hands so I had a difficult time finding my strings anyway, but now I have to rely on my boyfriend to find them for me.
I am also experiencing mood swings. Sometimes, I get depressed for no reason, or I get extreme rage. It makes t difficult to hang out with friends and family because they feel like they are walking on egg shells.
I want to get this thing removed, but I have no insurance at the moment. To anyone thinking of getting this device, Please rethink it, it's more trouble than it's worth.
I had awful side effects. Nice having a forum to vent my ire.
I was advised to get the IUD after experiencing severe ill effects from the microgynon pill (also containing levonrgestrel) including severe depression, completely uncharacteristic rage and an urge to rip off my own skin with my nails, nausea and bad cramping (all pretty consistent during the first two months until I realised the cause - note, no healthcare professional warned me of these potential side effects, weight loss, yes, crippling depression and repetitive thoughts of suicide, no).
I was wary about more pills, so my obgyn suggested the mirena. Thankfully with my insurance I was able to get it inserted under general anaesthetic. I woke up in a writhing, moaning agony of cramping. The nurses said I’d already been given a painkiller and just needed to wait for it to kick in. Quarter of an hour later I was in exactly the same state. They gave me a shot of a different, stronger painkiller. Fifteen minutes later, same story. Morphine. Ten minutes in, someone thought to give me some localised anti-spasm drugs. Instant relief. Although my blood pressure was so low I kept setting the machines off.
A week later I was literally bursting into tears for no reason at least once an hour, had agonising cramps, intense dizziness with dangerously low bp and was vomiting pretty much every time I rolled over in bed. Made it to a hospital. Had to tell my tale of woe to two nurses and a doc, each of whom asked if I wasn’t sure I didn’t want to wait for the hormones to ‘settle down’. When I pointed out I would probably die of dehydration before then, they eventually gave in. Although the doctor maintained the vomiting couldn’t possibly be a symptom of the mirena. Nausea sure, vomiting, no. Perhaps the doctor had never heard of anyone vomiting from pain before. Sarcasm very much intended. Needless to say, I didn’t vomit once after the damned thing was out. All symptoms cleared up to bearable proportions within a few hours of removal.
Thank God I recognised some of the symptoms quickly enough to do something about it this time.
Oh my god i googled side effects of mirena today and cant beleive i have been wondering why i feel so unhealthy a d fat for the last 15 yrs and now i knoew why im making an appointment with my dr next week to have it removed and get my tubes tied i cant wait i will let ye know how im feeling in the summer thanks ladies
I am approaching my 4 yr mark with my mirena. I was told that people react differently to it when I got it so I thought it was normal that I bled for 4 months straight after I got it. The bleeding stopped and I began skipping periods. I never knew when I was going to have one. Eventually my periods regulated out and I was able to enjoy this effortless birth control. Over the past year however I have had more yeast infections and itchiness than I can remember. My midwife and family practitioner have both said it's not the mirena but I never was convinced. Recently I have been having horrible ovary pains every month and am still getting yeast infections. I am so glad I found this blog because I now realize I'm not alone. I will be scheduling an appointment to have it removed as soon as possible in order to relieve myself of this misery.
I have also been pondering whether or not to have my Mirena removed. I have had it for over a year now and have been experiencing many of the symptoms listed above. I have always been a small person with a good metabolism and have found it very difficult to keep extra pounds from accumulating around my hips and mid section ever since having the Mirena. I am 26 and have no children. I have noticed many changes in my mood including anxiety, frustration, lack of enthusiasm and sex drive (like none!), which occur completely randomly and without cause to my knowledge. My life has never been so good and I have not been able to figure out why my emotions have been so out of wack for the past year. My doctor also told me the Mirena would not cause such symptoms. I am a firm believer though that we need to listen to our body when it is trying to tell us something. The majority of these doctors have only the knowledge that is given to them and will never understand first hand what it is like to feel such little control over such drastic changes to both your mental and physical health. I have no medical conditions, excercise regularly and eat well. I chose the Mirena because it seemed hastle free and does not release as much hormone throughout the body as many of the other BC methods. After reading this blog and confirming that what I have been experiencing is not a figment of my imagination I made an apointment with my doctor to discuss removal.
Thank you for creating this blog!
Also I forgot to mention that when mine was inserted my doctor trimmed the strings which as a result are no longer to be found and I will likely need surgery to have the device removed. I also developed a large ovarian cyst which is apparently a 'normal' side effect. Then I was informed through ultrasound that the Mirena had migrated to the lower one side of my uterus and therefore may not be as effective. I was then left with the decision of either having it removed surgically, then reinserted, or leaving it in and HOPING it is effectively preventing pregnancy. Definitly not the hastle free choice I figured it to be.
OMG am i sooo glad and thankful i found this website...since haveing the IUD i have experienced Depression...(severe to where i thought i'd was an unfit mother for my 2 yr old daughter) i knew this was untrue so decided to research. I have had it for two years...not 1 period...but my sex drive is gone...and i am very depressed always thinking of death and how/when im going to die...i have developed dandruff and my acne isnt going away! i have also lost a ton of hair...im calling my doc as soon as i get done with this comment to set my appt to have it removed! thatnks for reassuring me that im not crazy nor am i the only one.
OMG am i sooo glad and thankful i found this website...since haveing the IUD i have experienced Depression...(severe to where i thought i'd was an unfit mother for my 2 yr old daughter) i knew this was untrue so decided to research. I have had it for two years...not 1 period...but my sex drive is gone...and i am very depressed always thinking of death and how/when im going to die...i have developed dandruff and my acne isnt going away! i have also lost a ton of hair...im calling my doc as soon as i get done with this comment to set my appt to have it removed! thatnks for reassuring me that im not crazy nor am i the only one.
OMG am i sooo glad and thankful i found this website...since haveing the IUD i have experienced Depression...(severe to where i thought i'd was an unfit mother for my 2 yr old daughter) i knew this was untrue so decided to research. I have had it for two years...not 1 period...but my sex drive is gone...and i am very depressed always thinking of death and how/when im going to die...i have developed dandruff and my acne isnt going away! i have also lost a ton of hair...im calling my doc as soon as i get done with this comment to set my appt to have it removed! thatnks for reassuring me that im not crazy nor am i the only one.
Thank you so much for this blog. I have an appointment next Friday to get this horrible thing removed!! I have had the Mirena in for about a year and a half. I have been steadily getting worse and had no idea it was the IUD until a friend of mine shared her story. I began to think about when all of these 'symptoms' started...low and behold it was just about the time I had the Mirena inserted.
I have constant pain my uterus and extreme discomfort during sex. My OB said it was because my uterus was "sensitive" after having my baby. Well, she is almost 2 years old now, I would think my body would be getting better not worse! Back pain...oh my gosh...my back hurts all of the time. To the point where I was about to make appointments to have my spine X-rayed to make sure I don't have a spinal tumor. Funny how our minds think of everything but the likely culprit.
I can relate to the feeling like I am PMS'ing every single day of every month. I don't have a cycle anymore (random bleeding for a day at a time) but I feel like I am in a constant state of PMS. (my poor fiance)
I am "blah" all the time now. Things that used to make me happy no longer affect me in any way. I feel like I am incapable of getting excited about anything. I am getting married in 3 months and can't get pumped about it. Something is WRONG there!!
The Weight...oh goodness the weight gain. I talked to my GP at last years physical and of course was not being heard because I wasn't exercising regularly. So here we are a year later. I have been watching my diet, exercising at least 3 times a week. The scale does not budge. In fact it keeps going UP. The gain all started when I got the Mirena but I had also stopped breast feeding at that time so I chalked it up to that.
Bottom line I feel like I was not warned about the down side to the Mirena. The doctors like to talk up the "you don't have to worry about sex part" Well no, I don't have to worry about it because I never want to have it now. Every joy from sex has been zapped away from me. Because I am tired, depressed, fat and it hurts like heck to have it!
I can NOT wait to get this wretched thing out. My only question is, how long did it take for you to feel normal again?
I will try to make my last 2.5 yrs with Mirena short...after insertion I had about 2 weeks of severe vertigo that scared me to death, couldn't walk to bathroom w/out falling down.(&I had a newborn) OBgyn said I must have an inner ear infection, ENT said my ears were fine.I'd never had vertigo before Mirena & still get dizzy. I've had pain in my legs, sharp pain that feels like sciatica--this wasn't an issue b4 Mirena.I've had chronic yeast infections with Mirena, stopped going to OBgyn for them bc the meds didn't work.The only thing that got rid of it was my period and then it would return shortly after.About a month ago my belly just started hanging out, all my pants are hard to snap,& I've always been small.There has been hair loss but I attributed that to having a baby 2.5 yrs ago.I"ve never had zits-my skin has always been super dry, and since Mirena I've had small clusters of breakouts around my mouth.There's been intense lower backpain &tenderness in belly, which are probably cysts according to the MD.
A year ago I started getting insomnia every night so I was prescribed sleeping meds. The worst part was my sex drive went to zero.I'd have to make myself be with my husband &then it wouldn't feel good or it'd hurt.For the last year I've been trying to figure out where my libido went, what's wrong w/me, at 35 it should only be getting better! Finally I started researching Mirena &found 1000's of blogs about women having the same problems! I was so mad at myself for not figuring out sooner that it was Mirena doing all these things, I thought I was losing it. Im happy to say I got Mirena removed this morning :) and I'm looking forward to having the old me back...hopefully it will be soon. Good luck to everyone ladies, and if ya'll hadn't shared your stories, so many of us would still be wondering what's wrong w/us! They need to take that evil thing off the market!!
I just posted about my experiences. If anyone is interested & haven't heard try looking into the Paragaurd aka Copper IUD. I had it for 10 years then changed it out for another 3 years. It DOESNT RELEASE HORMONES..that's the key to not feeling like a fat monster! I had no side effects that I know of and a GREAT sex life. I should've gotten it again but let the OBgyn talk me into Mirena. I'm switching back to Paragard &getting my life back!
From the bottom of my heart, I wanted to say thank you to all you brave women for sharing your stories here.
I had my Mirena implanted a year ago and was absolutely unimpressed with the lack of information I was given. It may sound crazy, but I almost felt like the doctors and nurses involved where only giving me half a story so as to get me to go through with the implant. I asked all the right questions, including whether I would be effected considering my history or depression and anxiety, how much the insertion process would effect me considering I'd never had children, etc. Most, if not all my questions, where placated and avoided. I went ahead with the procedure and suffered immensely. I was in horrendous pain for days to the point where my mother was so concerned she was calling every doctor that would listen as she thought something was seriously wrong.
Since I had the implant inserted, I've steadily and rapidly gained weight, at least 30 kilos in the year. I've attempted to lose the weight many times but it seems to be almost impossible to budge. My skin has broken out and no matter how I anal I am with my skin routine it just wont get better. My worst issue (superficially, anyway) is the hair loss. I've easily lost half my hair, and I'm noticing more and more going. I don't really have that much left to lose, and it's heartbreaking. If it wasn't for all of you here, telling your stories, I'd have never put two and two together as I was mislead from the start.
I'm terrified about the removal process, not only for the pain that I will inevitably encounter (but can deal with to get this thing out) but also for the possible side-effects afterwards. Sadly a friend of a friend has been in and out of psych wards since she had her Mirena removed. She's on constant suicide watch, and considered a threat to her gorgeous children. Her incredible partner and his unending support is the only thing that has kept her here.. Much to her chargrin at times. She openly admits that she wants to die and had never had even the most remote issue before her implant removal. I can only cross my fingers and toes that this isn't the case for me, or for any of you. I'm terrified of the long term effects that this implant will have on me.. I guess only time will tell, but I really hope that something is done about this, and soon, before more women like us are subjected to these kind of side effects.
Thankyou again.
Ive had mirena in for 5 years. I have ovarian cyst, which
I only recently found out is a side effect. I am having it
Removed next week but because I had the strings trimmed because they were poking, I am totally freaked out now (after reading all these posts) that I am going to need surgery to remove it. Yikes! So not worth it to have this iud.
I got the MIrena IUD inserted on February 15 on my 6 week pp appt. on the 19th I started bleeding which I though was my period but it is already March 8 and it hasnt stopped. I'm starting to get acne, I feel bloated all the time, my left side of my waist/back hurts sometimes I can't get up or walk. After reading all of these comments I think I'm getting it removed before it gets worse I haven't had any mood swings and I don't want to because I have a 2 yr old and a 2 month old and Im a stay at home mom so I don't want to take out any frustration on them.
I got Mirena inserted in October 2011 after my 21 birthday. The doctor told me it might be a little crampy and to take some ibuprofen to help ease the pain. HELL NO! It didn't help, and in fact I actually threw up from the pain being so intolerable after the insertion. I felt sick for the rest of the day with flu-like symptoms. I went back in a 10 weeks later with horrible cramps still. She said since I hadn't had a child that my uterus was just very tight. For the past two months I have had horrible acne, which I never had before except when I was really stressed out, on my face, back, legs, pretty much all over my body... I don't get my period anymore, but I get random spotting and cramps that are incurable. I could be driving and have to pull over because the cramps are so debilitating. I am moody and grumpy and my concentration is not there. I am premed student, I need my concentration to be around. I am going to see my doc after reading some of the posts by other women. I will take the pill everyday if I just don't have to deal with the constant pinching feeling anymore!
I have had a GREAT experience with Mirena. After 20 years of Periods so heavy and painful - lasting 11 days - Mirena was a GODSEND. It has been WONDERFUL to have periods lasting 1 hour - just a slight spotting. And they come and go every 3 or 4 months. My Hubby and I get to have sex when ever we like.
My OBGYN prepped my body for the insertion - there was no pain, it was a great experience.
That Said - I am angry. So angry I have had to walk away from my kids for a few minutes. I have flown off the handle when my now 5 year old would not put his boots on, or refused to count to 10.
I only have 5 more months, then my 5 years is up. I'm going to miss the positives but I am looking forward to being a happy mommy again.
I am counting the days until I am happy again.
Firstly can I say thank you to all the ladies that have posted on here. I am so glad I came across this site as for the past couple of months have never felt so Ill in my life. I had the mirena inserted 8 weeks ago, I have fibroids and my doctor told me that it was going to sort my heavy and painful periods and hopefully shrink the fibroids. After insertion I have bled constantly and have had the same amount of pain as before, I am either really angry or tearful constantly, I can start an argument in an empty room and really want to find reasons to shout all the time. My stomach is so swollen I look pregnant, I have never put on weight but have gained nearly 7 pounds and I am eating less due to the feelings of nausea I have every day. I have headaches, back pain, pain in my legs and shooting pains similar to sciatica that I had when pregnant. I have gone from being a fit, active and very healthy woman to one who doesn't want to get up in the mornings. I went to the doctors this week and they gave me strong painkillers and suggested I give the mirena more time to settle in. I have decided today that I can't bear to feel like this Sny longer and have decided to have it removed. I would prefer to go back to how I was before insertion, yes I had heavy painful periods but at least I had a couple of weeks between them, not constant like they are now.
I've had the mirena for a few years and gained 30 pounds I have he appointment to get this piece of garbage removed but I was afraid of the removal and pregnancy so I didn't do it .... After reading this blog I feel relieved I am not alone I can't wait to have this removed so I can go back to being healthy again And jot looking pregnant and feel like crap all the time
Well after having some pain today, I decided to do some research into side effects of the Mirena.. I am glad that I came across this blog. I am 24 and had my IUD inserted in September 2011, (I have never had kids). The procedure went well and it was no big deal.. just a pinch from the numbing shot, and the slight bit of pressure from the dilation of the cervix. I did have spotting for awhile, but that seemed to really be it. Since September things have changed immensely. I have gained 30 lbs (mostly my stomach & hips) in the past 6 months of having the IUD. It has kind of deflated my self esteem, seeing how I used to weight 180 and now am at 210.. I have never been as big as I am now, and it definitely sucks. Especially for the fact that I felt like I had been actually eating better and doing a lot more, so it didn't make much sense to me that I had gained so much weight so fast. Anyway, I hadn't noticed any other side effects until my boyfriend and I were having sex January 1st..(which wasn't a problem before this day) It was fine at first, but then I started getting some sharp pains, I asked him to stop, and then I was having incredibly horrible cramping.. I didn't even want to move. I finally stood up (which was hard to do) and went into the bathroom, thinking maybe my IUD was out of place I tried to feel for the strings. (I hadn't tried feeling for the strings other than right after having it inserted, and I could hardly tell since she cut the strings so short.) I couldn't feel the strings, or maybe I was just so freaked out by the pain that I just couldn't tell. Either way, I called the GYNO office and since it was a Sunday, they got my info and called the on call Dr. to call me back.. She called back, asked what was going on, and told me to go to the E.R. I ended up going, had to deal with some stupid doctor giving me grief about how the doctors who deal with GYNO type stuff were off for the holiday, and that they most likely WON'T come in for this type of thing.. My nurse kept pushing for someone to actually help me. I was given a vaginal exam, and the doctor said he couldn't see the strings for the IUD.. Of course that freaked me out, so finally one girl came in and did a vaginal ultrasound. The results were that I had a cyst rupture. I was told I would need to go in and see my gyno, but that my IUD was still in there. I went to see the GYNO a few days later, she said everything was in place, and that everyone gets a cyst every now & then... Not "Mirena has reoccurring cysts as a side effect"... So that was nice to find out from a friggin TV commercial. It seems that after that, my face/back/check/neck have been breaking out pretty badly. I had minor acne in high school, and was finally happy to grow out of it, only to now have it coming back so badly. I made another appointment to maybe try to get my hormone levels tested to see if there was an imbalance which could be causing some issues, well I was told that I could either take some birth control pills so that it will help with the cysts & acne, or I antibiotics, bla bla bla.. So I settled for trying an antibiotic, and saw semi-decent results within the first 2 weeks. Now being March 25th, I have now been starting to have some sharp cramping pains for the past day or 2, and it sucks. I just finished reading all of these posts.. Figured I'd share mine too. I am wondering what I should do, if I should maybe get it removed, even though it's only been 6 months, and I paid a decent amount to get it.. :\ I really do not want to gain more weight, or start to lose any hair.. I guess I will make an appointment and try to talk to the GYNO about it. I definitely don't want to continue having pains every other month due to cysts or something. Hope everyone other there can either have a better experience or recover from their own reactions. :\
I have had Mirena for a total of 7yrs now (I am on my second). The first IUD I never really noticed any negative side effects. After having the second one inserted two years ago I have been experiencing major depressive episodes, panic attacks (I have been diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder), and difficulty with memory and concentration. I have had cystic like acne (on my face back and chest)and was on an anitbiotic for over a year trying to deal with it.
Also, I have been experiencing chronic yeast infections for the past six months, sometihing that I never had before. And, well, the weight gain...I don't think I can blame that on the Mirena.
I have seen psychologists, counselors, and several doctors trying to manage my symtoms and figure out the cause. Its not until a friend, who is aware of all of my symtoms, mentioned all the blogs and info on the internet about people experiencing the same symptoms who found relief after having their Mirena removed.
I just wonder, if the Mirena is the colprit, why did I not experience any of these symtoms (to this extreme anyway) with the first insertion?
I am 29 and had the Mirena placed last July. I had to pay for it out of pocket, then my doctor couldn't find it so I had to have an ultrasound. In the end, this sucker has costs me roughly $1000 not to mention my sanity. I began to have SEVERE acne shortly after insertion. I'm so ambarassed of the millions of bumps on my face, back, neck (even behind my ears!) chest and my arms. Pelvic pain started shortly after, it was a deep lower uterine pain that switched sides every month. It made it difficult to even walk. I have to stomach pooch that some have mentioned, dizziness, I can't sleep at night but want to sleep during the day. I have xperienced some tingling or numbness on one of my legs, super uncomfortable. Night sweats, occasional yeast infections blah blah blah.
I have no motivation to do ANYTHING. My relationships have suffered greatly. I'm super bummed that the Mirena has been the source of these problems. Not having a period is beyond fantastic so it pains me to go back to BC. This IUD has caused so much grief that I feel it should sit on the mantle so I can throw darts at it!!!!
Has anyone tried another brand of IUD? Do they all cause these symptoms?
I JUST GOT MY IUD MIRENA PUT ON MARCH 30,2012, IT HURT. NOW I HAVE BLEEDING FOR 11 DAYS STRAIGHT. I HOPE ALL THIS PASSES. THE REASON I DECIDED TO GET THIS IUD WAS I HAD 2 PERIODS EVER MONTH. IT GETS EXHAUSTING AFTER A WHILE. NOW IM CRAMPING REAL BAD. I HOPE THIS WILL GET BETTER. I WILL NOT TAKE DEPRESSION AND HAIR LOSS LITELY.
I hate my Mirena. Mood swings, acne, weight gain, and a constant yeast infection. It can't possibly be worth all this misery. Giving it a little time to let my body get used to it. If this stuff isnt cleared up my month 3 taking this awful thing out.
I got my Mirena put in on MArch 29 2012. We thought it was a great idea. So far we are at 5 children! Needless to say the Mirena sounded like a good idea. I was very active up until the Mirena was inserted. I can barely walk due to lower back pain and my neck seems to be permanently stiff. There is no doc that will get me to believe that I didnt stretch enough before exercise! I literally went from running 3 miles a day to asking my husband to help me up the stairs!!! Literally overnight! I am scheduled to have it removed on April 17, 2012. It will be nice to hold my little guy again... Good luck women and let no one decide our fate but us and the man upstairs!
I have had the IUD in for almost 4 years now, and after having being sent around to more doctors than I can say, been poked, prodded and tested for every possible reason for all of my problems. Let me write out a time line..
1. three months after getting it put in, my stomach started hurting. I couldnt seem to eat anything without ending up doubled over in pain. I lost 30 pounds (on my already small frame) and was hospitalized when i started throwing up blood.
2. I was diagnosed with gastritis, and was told to quit smoking cigarettes and drinking my ocassional beers.
3. My stomach still felt as bad as always, my body was exhausted all the time and I started noticing extreme fatigue about one year after insertion.
4. My joints and muscles shortly started aching and my lower back pain has been a constant nagging pain for the past 3 years now.
5. I knew there was something extremely wrong, as I was a healthy 20 year old at the time, and the amount of pain and exhaustion I was feeling, wasnt normal. I was too tired.
6. I was finally diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, and Celiac disease about 2 years ago. (Not that an actually diagnosis made my life any easier) But i completely switched my diet, cut out all wheat and still felt like death.
7. Its been three years of sleep deprivation now, and this morning I woke up screaming in desperation. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO FEEL LIKE THIS. My husband looked at me with sad eyes as he begged me to at least try to take out the IUD considering we have tried everything else on our journey to figuring out what the hell is wrong with me.
8. So here I go, I'm making an appointment today, and hoping with all of my tired, exhausted heart that the IUD is the reason for my hellish past four years.
There are so many posts on here urging to know your own body and to do something when you feel there is something wrong. I should have listened to my poor body years ago. But the mirena has been so convenient to our sexlife(which by the way is and has been pretty non-existant for the past few months). But no more. I will use condoms to the day I die, if i could just get one damn night of sleep, and all of my aches would just go away.
I have had mirena for 20 months and over the past year my symptoms have been getting worse. I actually have begun having seizures that the doctors canot find any cause for. I also suffer from the tingling hands night sweats, sleeplessness, migraines, severe anxiety and panic disorder. I am at a total loss but to me it seems there has to be a connection.
This blog pretty much saved me. I had my mirena implanted on 4/13/2012. The first 2 days were pretty normal, a little sore & some spotting. THEN severe lower back pain, dizziness, BLEEDING (spotting would be such an understatement) fever, chills, insomia and radiating pain in the pelvic region. I stayed in contact with my Dr. & will say this...my Dr. rocks. she didn't hesitate, within 7 days days that baby was out. She believed every word I said and was very sorry and disappointed for me as we chose this to help with very heavy periods. Our agreement was this was for a better quality of life. Now I'm just enjoying a weekend of major bleeding and waiting to find out my fate on Monday. The hormones seemed to assault my dormant ovarian cysts and sadly I may need a hysterotomy. I just past my 1 year divorce anniversary, am 39 and have one child. Have been dating a great guy and he wants kids. This experience has really affected my new relationship, my daughter thinks I'm going to die & I paid $1000 for this pleasureful experience. The manufacturer should be ashamed because there should be more truth in their advertising. My. Dr. is even sending it to a lab for testing cuz she thinks somethings seriously changed in manufacturing and hey, if the company can make it cheaper in some 3rd world country, then charge $800 for it, why should they care if hundreds of "rich" american women feel like they are dying. I am so glad that it's out & plan to apologize to my daughter the minute she gets home from visiting Dad. I shall awaite menopause gracefully like my ancestors did and stop looking for any easy fix. Good Luck to my fellow sufferrers - oh btw - the crying jags that started on day 5 stopped within 24 hours - AMEN!
Hi All,
Thanks for sharing your experience. I am 31. I had Mirena now for 3 years. A lot happened in my personal life which I contributed to either fate or coincidence and never really wanted to blame a tiny stick inside me. However, after reading all your comments, I am having seconds thoughts. I am a hard-worker but I have never been this tired and fatigue. I have been like this for last couple of years. My weight shot up to over 10 stones. I was a healthy size 8 woman only 3 years ago into size 12, grumpy woman who complains about her lack of energy all the time. I also have started to display symptoms of autoimmune disease. My joints sometimes ache so bad that I will stay in bed for couple of days. The amount of sick leaves I got from work tripled in last couple of years from zero. I have been on painkiller for last couple of years to deal with my joints ache and a week long painful cramps during my period. It was only couple of days ago, I digged into my paper works and realised that Mirena could be causing some of the problems. Whether it is true or not, I will get it removed, hopefully next month. Thank you for your comments.I owe you.
I have had the iud now for 4.5 yrs. I last month or so my body changed ( sore lower back, major weight gain very tired, feeling sick, . very sore breasts. They leak)(just left side) can any meds interfear? My Uturis is tiped. Like the signs i have are signs of pregnancy. I have had 3 childern already.. I went my family dr. She was like lets go back to your ob. But the obs sectatary is being rude. I checked i do belive that my iud fell out.. (checked my slef but i belive i did it right). No one wants to help me...the drs is just leaving me hanging.. And the dr thinks im pregnant. Weight gain i love. But what harm could they be doing if im prego? What should i do? Anyone.. thanks for reading. Hope to talk soon.
My Wake up call-
I started Mirena on my postpartum check up after my 4th child. Everything the doc said about it made it a winner. I had it inserted with minor discomfort and cramping for the rest of the day. No biggie. My periods became spotted and then disapeared. I was cool with that. But then I started to feel extra tired all the time..prolly about 3 months later. Then, I got really depressed. This happend about 6 months later. At the time my mood swings were crazy, I was up and down and so was my weight. So I go to the behavioral health dr and was told I was bi-polar. Really? Wow! So I take the pills for this disorder because im told I have it do to my "symptoms" of being moody, angry, tired, cant concentrate, No sex drive at all, weight issues, full of energy one day and the next nothin yadda, yadda, yadda. So then I have an allergic reaction to those meds...so I stop them. I know im not bi-polar! But I cant figure out why I have become this? Two and a half years later my symptoms are so bad that I dont even recognize myself, my body anymore. I am 5'3 at the start of mirena I weighed 130 and that was 6 weeks after having my 4th child. Now, im full of acne on my face, neck and back. Dark acne spots on the sides of my face and tiny little pimples under the right and left sides of my chin. I have never suffered from pimples anywhere. Im always tired, moody and oh yeah! I weigh a whoppin 175! I didnt weigh that much fully pregnant about to have all four of my kids! Yah. When my weight continued to rise for no reason, the acne got worse, my hair started to come out in clumps and I now have joint pain..I decided to look up rapid weight gain and found this site. Im glad I did, cuz now im going to get this isht out of me. Im so big right now I look and feel pregnant..but im not! Good luck ladies.
I am about to get out my IUD which I got in 2007 after I have my daughter. I would have to say, I loved the fact that I havent had to worry about taking pills and etc...But over the last 2+ years I have noticed that my emotions are just so out of control. Im always depressed and cant get seem to get it in control. Now reading all these blogs, I now know that the IUD is causing this.
I had my 2nd son in May 2011. I was breastfeeding and didn't want to go on the mini pill, so my GYN recommended Mirena. She stated that she had the Mirena after her twins were born. I thought, "If she had it, it must not be that bad". I had the Mirena inserted in July 2011. The insertion wasn't too bad, just like a mild cramp. While I was breastfeeding, everything was fine. I had no adverse symptoms, and thought I was so lucky to not be one of those women with a bad experience.
Well, My son weaned from breastfeeding at 10 months old. That's when every symptom I had read about, came to haunt me. Ever since, I have been anxious about everything, I have been having uncontrollable mood swings, I cannot sleep at all, but I am so tired, my vision is blurry, I can't concentrate. The worst one yet is that I have had horrible, sharp, stabbing pains in my left hip area. And yesterday, out of no where, my lower back started hurting so bad that I cannot stand up straight and I cannot pick up my baby. I sat in a way too hot bathtub 2 times yesterday for a total of 4 hours, and my back is still in horrid pain today.
I also have a 2 year old son, who is really a great kid. I feel so guilty now, because I know this Mirena has made me lash out at him, over stupid little things. I am hoping that once this is removed, he can have his fun mommy back.
I could just kick myself for not calling to have it taken out last week. I was contemplating it, but just put it off because I thought it was something other than the Mirena. Since it's the weekend, I couldn't call the GYN to make an appointment, so I did a little internet search and came upon all of these Mirena horror stories. Everyone had the same symptoms as I do. Tomorrow morning I will be calling to get this thing out.
I hope we can teach our friends and family about the dangers of Mirena because it is not what they make it out to be. Thank you all for telling your stories.
(Ironically, as I'm typing this a Mirena commercial came on. KISS MY @$$ BAYER!!!!)
I had the Mirena placed about a year and four months ago. Since then I have experienced major ups and downs in my mood swings, and how I've felt in general. I'm tired even if I had nearly 8 hours of sleep; however most nights its hard to get to sleep or stay asleep. I have random cramps or just discomfort in my lower abdomen ALL the time. After sex is when it aches the worst. Not to mention random spotting.
About two months ago I had a bacterial infection, or so I was told by a Doc at the express clinic. It scared the hell out of me. I had never had anything like that before and was afraid it was an STD and the pain was terrible. When the doc asked me what contraceptive I was on, she seemed rather unhappy about my answer. She proceeded to tell me that women who are not in a monogamous relationship are not even supposed to receive this in the first place. Women who do have it have higher risks for bacterial infections and so on because the strings hanging down keep the cervix open, allowing all kinds of bacteria to reside in your uterus. When I had a follow up with my OBGYN, she told me that they were wrong. According to her I had a UTI and that she wasn't going to take out the Mirena because of how easy it was and there was no real need to anyway. I had a UTI while pregnant, this pain was nothing like that and it was not located in my ovaries and uterus (of which hurt so badly that I could feel their exact position).
My memory is terrible. My poor baby girl suffers from mommy being sane one moment and loosing it the next. If I had the money I'd have it taken out immediately. I warned my sister of this after a doc tried to convince her that this would solve all her problems, because now they are giving it to women who have never been pregnant. I will continue to scream warnings to anyone I know to try and protect them from all the damage I, like so many others, have suffered.
I bless the Lord Jesus Christ for the day i stumbled in this site. I have being suffering from the iud for the pass 4.5 yrs and didnt know even though i have being having the gut feeling but i totaly ignore. I am due to c my ob on the weekend and my first request will b to remove it. Ever since i insert it i have being having lower back pain numbness in my left side down to my thigh some time swelling one munite my tummy is normal the next its high there always seem to b something in my belly to the right painful if i touch it most recently the dr diognose me with vertego my vision is sometime blurr and eye exam shows my vision is fine. right now i am feeling the cramps in my left leg. i owe my entire family an apology i got angy for nothing i am usually a quite soft spoken person now i yell and shout at my two daughters 5&6 yrs old for no reason not to mention my husband i have no patience my husband is tired of complaining he feels that some other spirit has got into me the syntoms r endless i am glad for this revelation i will b telling everyone i know to avoid this bc method. So many of us cannot b wrong. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP!!!!
I agree with the lady above me! Thank god I found this site that other women besides me are feeling the same way! I through I was crazy! So here is my story. Three years ago after having my frist child my doctor told me to get the mirena. He said that I wouldn't have to worrie about having anymore kids for 5 year and if I still didn't want any then he would give me a new one. Which to me sounded great. Plus I was only 17 at the time and being a teen mom two baby's would kill me. I got it in around April 14 and it hurt for a sec and I went home and had some cramps which wasn't to bad. After a couple of months I was spotting everyday. I felt like I had my period every day for 6 months and it was horrible! Very day bleeding and having to have a pad was so horrible I though I would lose all my blood. Then one day it just stopped and I haven't had a period for 2 years now. Today I have been on it for 3 years and 2 weeks . Long time huh to be now saying how much I dis like it. I figure it beats taken the pill everyday and I only have 2 more years to go with it but know I'm thinking about getting it removed. My sister always talks about how crazy I have gotten since being on the pill. Yeah I'm stressed all the time and little sisters always wanting something from me I tend to be mean. But I didn't think it could be mirena. I thought it could be stress with riseing my kid who is three now and gets into everything or stress from dealing with a stepson and his mother( my bf x) all at an age of 17 which I'm still young only 20 now. I am really thinking it Mirena. That's why I have been reading other women's deal with the mirena. The resone is because I think it caused me to gain weight I was 160 after having my child I was 135 before having her and I'm kinda tall so that was a good size. After having my child I went to 160 from the prago weight gain now since I have had mirena in I went to 190 !! Almost 200 pounds I have never been this big in my life! Didn't change how I ate or anything. I started pink method diet and lost 20 pounds so now I'm 170. So I did lose weight while one this mirena so if I could y'all can to. But I'm not saying I'm not blameing it because I feel that's what made me gain so much. Also last thing at frist my bf felt it while having sex. He didn't like it he said it would stab him and you could see little holes where it did. But since I have had this for 3 years he can seem to feel it anymore so I think it gets soft over time or something I don't know. But I feel I might get it taken out! Help with my stress of feeling sad all the time and may help me lose weight.
So that's my story.
I'm 44 and got the Mirena inserted on 3/24/12 to help with heavy periods. My last period started on 2/23/12 and ended a week before the Dr inserted the Mirena (it only stopped then because she put me on progesterone). The insertion was quick (10 seconds) but with a cramp-like pain. The doctor said the cramps would last the rest of the day but they lasted two weeks. The cramps were severe (like I used to have when I was in high school). The bleeding resumed in these two weeks as well, a bit heavy still. But both the bleeding and pain did stop after that except for some bleed-through or spotting, which continues on a daily basis. My sex-drive has diminished and I was hoping it was temporary since it's been less than 2 months. I don't feel depressed, but I don't feel like myself either. So, although, I'm not sad, I don't get as excited about the little things in life like I used to. I'm not motivated to go out to exercise like I used to either, especially this time of year when the weather warms up. I will try to make sure I don't let my symptoms get worse before I go to the doctor. Thank you so much for your comments. I'll let you know if anything changes.
So I have had the mirena iud for about a year now. When I first got it I was happy and everything was good. Then I started to gain back the 20 pounds I had lost and I thought I was pregnant because it felt like a baby in my stomach was kicking. It happens all the time and I went to the doctors and they told me that it must be the birth control moving!!?and then it was gas. I was so mad and I told them to take it out. They told me my insurance wouldn't cover any new birth control because my current method was fine. I decieded to wait and here I am still with these weird side affects.I'm going to get it out today
I recently had the Mirena inserted on 4/16/12. I had been discussing it with my doctor for the last couple of years. My periods were getting heavier and heavier and I couldn't take it anymore. I had a close friend that had it put in about 3 months ago. She told me she cramped on & off for a couple of weeks and her periods kept getting lighter so based on that & my doctors recommendations I had it inserted. First let's start with the horrible cramps. Oh my god, I have never used my heating pad for so many days in a row. I'm bleeding every single day, whether it be spotting or more, it's now going on 4 weeks straight. I have NO movitivation to do anything other than sit on the couch, which is not me! I can't concentrate. My breasts are sore ALL THE TIME. I also realized just today that I have absolutely no desire to have sex at all! I've never really had a huge sex drive but now, just nothing. I'm going to give it a few more weeks and then reassess.
I'm glad I found this blog though!!
OMG I have to say I actually started tearing up reading these comments. I have felt the worst I ever have in my whole life since I got my Mirena 2 months ago and I was starting to feel that I really needed professional help. I have had constant pinching in my uterus, like where my ovaries are, when I have sex, sneeze or even push to go to the bathroom. I went to the GYN to have the placement checked and she said the pain was "EXTREMELY RARE" and made me feel even more crazy!! I have been SO moody, to the point where I hate my fiance, my coworkers, ANYONE i have to talk to on a regular basis.
For the first 6 weeks I was constantly bleeding, however that did recently stop. I no longer feel good during sex, it feels forced, and half the time it hurts anyways.
Anyone know if the copper IUD is any different?
I have to get this taken out first thing tomorrow!! I've been extremely nausious the past few days, cramping, swollen abdomen and 3 neg hpt. I originally got this to lighten my periods and help with my migraines... it has done the complete opposite as well as weight gain and memory loss. Thank God for making us women strong!! We have so much to go through!
I am a 25 year old female. I am 5 foot 6 inches. I have had the mirena before and had no problems. This time I had the mirena placed 8 days ago and I have been sent to the emergency room with severe edema that led to multiple tube of blood being drawn for about 12 different test. The only one that came back elevated was for a blood clot. So then I got sent to do a ct scan... In the last 8 days I have gained 16 pounds, yet I am a very active person.... My dr said that she doesnt want to remove it because it has only been a week but between all that has happened so far and the new symptom of severe back pain.... I am about to go crazy!!!!
the copper iud can make you period worse and cause more issues
I lasted three years on the Mirena and can't believe it took me so long to get it removed! Gained 30lbs, bad skin, palpatations, numbness, spotting which ruined all my underwear as it would stop then start and then period would start, psorasis on scalp, terrible water retention yet constantly peeing and felt miserable. Had it removed two days ago, already don't feel so bloated, skin clearing up...will see how I get on with non hormonal version! And ladies, don't worry about the pain of removal, it was a bit sore but nowhere near as bad as getting it inserted!
I am 27, married with a 2 1/2 yr old son. I got the IUD when my son was 8 months old. It was painful for a few days but after that it was fine. Up until about 6 months ago I felt fine. No symptoms that everyone is talking aobut. But, about 6 months ago I started having terrible abdominal/back pain, palpatations, breast tenderness, headaches, low sex drive, gained 10 lbs. and just feel terrible all the time. I am moody one minute and ok the next. I have terrible abdominal pain after intercourse with my husband that lasts usually 2-3 days after intercourse. I didn't do well with oral contraceptives and don't want the shot, patch, or implant, so the IUD seemed the best choice for my family at the time because my husband and I only wanted one child. I have an appointment next week with my OB/GYN and am greatly considering paying the $200 and geting it taken out after finding this blog.
So here is my story,
I got on mirena Jan 9 2010. I still have it in now but this coming Thursday it will be out. First off I loved my obgyn. He told me about mirena when I was 19 weeks pregnant and let me think about for the rest of my pregnancy. So anyway, the insertion was simple, no pain. The first month was ok, the second month it all went to hell in a hand basket. I started getting shape pains on each ovary at random times and my moods changed drastically. My boyfriend and I had gotten into a fight and I ended up calling him 60 something times in 4 hours. That's so not me. I went from a happy new mom to a depressed cranky bitter 23 yr old. Here I am now 26 with that same mood along with anxiety issues. I have had gut wrenching chest pain, which I that was from the gallstone I had but have had my gallbladder removed. Still experiencing chest pains. Went to e.r. multipal times they did ekg and everything else. All normal. I now have constant headaches, back pain etc. I have also had horrible yeast infections and have gotten sick a lot. From the time I was 11 til I got this in, I had never even so much as had a cold. Now I've had strep, ear infections, gallbladder problems, chest pain, weird rashes. And I used to run 7 miles a day. Since I've gotten mirena, all I want to do is sleep.
Now for the most recent episode. Sex has never been painful, even with mirena. However, about 3 weeks ago my fiance and I had sex and it was painful. I asked him to stop. Woke up the next morning, was sore. 2 days later I had genital and anal sores. In a panic, I ran to the e.r. they did every std test known to man. Not a thing wrong with me. Not even herpes. Dr. Said it could be a false negative and prescribed me a asclovir pill and cream. The sores have gotten worse, 2 weeks later mind you. I have also been running a fever, severe leg pains to the point I can't stand, and a horrible yellow foul smelling discharge. Again, no std. But guess what, these are side effects of mirena. I guess all my symptoms can be linked to mirena. Def coming out.Thursday. stay away from it ladies.
I thought I was totally insane!!! I had the IUD placed a few months ago and shortly after started having side effects. I couldnt figure out why I was so depressed and "not myself". I thought I was going crazy. Thank you Thank you for this blog cause now I know I am not insane. I have been suffering with heart palpatations, anxiety, panick attacks, my insides feel shaky. I have been so depressed and can not concentrate on anything, I am always tired and dont even want to play with my two year old at all. I kept trying to make up reasons why I was feeling like this why I was breaking out so bad even though I never had acne before. Then I read this and I felt so much better knowing it wasnt just me. I just got off the phone with the dr's office and scheduled my appointment to have this removerd....i can NOT wait!! Thanks everyone!
Ladies this blog is absolutely amazing and I thank you all for the information. I can feel all of your pain because I too have had all the same symptoms you have shared. It is so heart breaking for me to hear that I am not the only one going through this. I hate that all of you are/were going through the same thing!!! It sucks!! I have a two year old also and I have been so depressed and can not concentrate on anything, I am always tired and dont even want to play with my two year old at all. I kept trying to make up reasons why I was feeling like this! Plus even worse than that my back hurts so bad, at times it feels worse than labor!!! Not to mention I can even bend over to tuck my little girl in bed with out wanting to cry because my back hurts so bad!! I called my doctor and am set to have it taken on July 17th....that is the soonest they can get me in so I'll have to wait a little but I am sooo excited to actually be getting it out and look forward to a normal life again!! Thank you thank you everyone!! I wish you all the best~~Stay strong ladies
after reading this and knowing how many people have had the same side effects that I have now, I will be getting taken out as soon as possible ,I'm glad that I found this site because I honestly thought I was going crazy..
The link for the canadian information is not working for me it is sayin that I have to register and I dont have the number that is required to register the Dr. didnt give me the box that it came in so how do i access this website I would really like to know what they list as side effects because i am having symptoms that i believe are side effects from mirena but i don't know how to prove it.Please help?
The link for the canadian information is not working for me it is sayin that I have to register and I dont have the number that is required to register the Dr. didnt give me the box that it came in so how do i access this website I would really like to know what they list as side effects because i am having symptoms that i believe are side effects from mirena but i don't know how to prove it.Please help?
Hi! Wondering if your site is still up. I typed in www.mirena-awareness.webs.com like you posted but I get an error page saying site not found.Thanks!
Wow...this explains so much to me and how I have been feeling the last 2 and a half years. I have mentioned mirena as a possible issue with my problems and my M.D. said no...I need to seek a counselor for my depression. I tried anti depressants and they barely even seemed to work. I am very glad I came across this website....I have felt like I was losing my mind and not caring about anything anymore...and that is not the type of person I have ever been. I plan on having this thing removed asap. Thanks for all the posts ladies!
Glad to know....I'm not the only one....my poor family has suffered.
I came across this blog after doing some research on Mirena side effects. I had Mirena inserted after my pp appt 2 months ago. My milk supply has dwindle down tremendously, that I have to substitute with formula before Mirena my fridge was stocked with breastmilk for the day, I used to soak up my nursing pads and leak thru my bras and blouses. I have also lost a tremendous amount of hair, I know after having a baby you usually do, but I have patches missing by my hair line. I have bad headaches, dizziness and feel tired all the time, even though my baby sleeps through the night. After coming across this site and reading what these women have gone thru, I have scheduled an appt to have mine removed this Friday. I gave it a 2 month trial and I'm listening to my body, this thing is coming out before I go bald and symptoms get worse.
I have had the Mirena IUD in for almost 4 months now. In that 4 months I have gained 12 lbs. I work out 3 days a week and eat very healthy. To the point of basically eating like a squirrel. I have been the same weight since I was 15 years old and I am now 43. My hair texture has changed to feeling course even though I am doing deep conditioner treatments far more than I used to have to. I stopped having my period unless I have sex and then there is a little spotting. I feel crampy off and on as well. The worst is the anxiety attacks. I have always had GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) but now I get anxiety attacks in my sleep and for NO reason. Bad ones where I feel so anxious that I start crying. I also work in the service industry and yesterday at work I was telling a co-worker that I wanted to punch everybody in the face. I am NOT that kind of person. I also started getting acne. Not bad, but it was very strange since I haven't had skin problems EVER. I have an appointment to get this THING removed today.
All I can say after reading a few comments is, "Wow". It all makes sense now. I have had my Mirena 2-1\2 years. I gained over 20 lbs that would not come off. I had sky-high blood pressure for the first time in my life. I still have memory problems. I lose my train of thought easily and trail off without knowing it and I often feel like I am in a fog mentally. It's hard to concentrate on anything.
I've been having some discomfort with the Mirena. I have always been able to feel mine. Lately, it pinches. I went to my gyno Monday to see what is going on. Apparently the string has buried itselfin my cervix and will have to be removed surgically. I will have an ablation to relieve the horrible cramping I am having with my returned periods every 3 weeks. At age 50, I just want them to stop. I have no quality of life for a week, every 21 days.
I have been exercising heavily and dieting for two months. I have lost six pounds, but gain most of it back for the week I have my period. I believe the Mirena is the cause for the weight gain, the enormous stomach and the ungodly pain. It's time for it to go!
I am 42, have had Mirena for 8 months. Prior to that I already knew I was going into peri-menopause.
I already have uncontrolled BPD2.I was dissapointed as more time went on it seemed like not only was I prone to having PMS like symptoms,longer periods, spotting, but that my anxiety and ability to cope with anything which was already diminished was getting worse.
I just realized today to google Mirena, Bipolar,PMDD. My anxiety is huge, I'm doing things like turning to alcohol for the first time when I've never used that as a coping mechanism and eating, however beight a weight loss surgery complication patient, I resolved my eating disordered issues years ago, only experienced weight gain when diagnosed 4 years ago with the psychotropics I was put on but I gained a huge amount of weight, with Mirena, even thogh I eat balanced and exercise (I also throw up still quite a bit from wls complications).
I just don't know as I do have severe chronic pain issues, that I couldn't use the Fentanyl patch. I had serious weight loss surgery complications enough which required my wgastric bypass to be undone, I'm wondering if the release of the medication and having a foreign body is playing into my being an anxiety ridden wreck.
I'm just wondering if I should have a tubal and abalation and call it a day, but I have a feeling as I've already had to do so much medical advocacy for chronic pain and severe weight loss surgery complications, Mirena is so highly touted, that everything I'm going through is going to be blamed on being bipolar..I'm already considered medically complex, because of my uncontrollable pain issues, my high tolerance and prone to major side effects from all medication classes (both my pcp and psychiatrist chose not to put me on anymore psychotropics because the side effects out weighed the risk), so not al of this is Mirena, I just know things are much worse now and have no idea what to do..
Sorry so rambly and disjointed, between severe nutritionally deficiencies, an inability to process both oral and internal and iv meds properly, getting hit still with 2 periods, or periods that last forever but having what I'm thinking now is PMDD, because of the Mirena, leaves me at a loss of what to do....
A few years ago I was diagnoswd with thyroid disease, specifically Hashimotos disease, an auto-immune disorder. I atttributed it to stress. However, I eat well,.I had been exercising regularly, and i still gained 40 pounds. Finally realized that my Mirena was put in 4 years ago. After all the research I've found,.I'm having my mirena removed in 3 weeks. There IS a connection. Listen to your own body and your intuition, and find a doctor who agrees. I.finally did. Can't wait until I am back to the person I know and love.
Wow! Praise God that I found this blog. Makes total sense now. Calling OB tomorrow to get this thing removed. Thank you!
After my last son was born in Dec of 2009 the Mirena was recommended to me as a more permanent and reliable birth control solution. Even though I asked all the right questions ie weight gain, mood swings, bleeding and the whole nine yards. And having been reassured by my OBGYN that none of those would come into effect, and as a woman, smoker no less, it was the safest way for me to prevent pregnancy without permanancy. Here it is almost two and a half years later, I have gained 30 pounds even though I am not doing anything different with my diet and excercise, my mood swings are off the charts, who wants to have sex while that is going on? Not me and I dare my husband to want to or even so much as ask for it politely or otherwise!
I am sick of this! I am breaking out like an overgrown teenager and I have had enough! My doctor called me and suggested that I have it taken out. So I am making an appointment to have it taken out!
For all you ladies out there: It's not worth it! Not your health not your sanity, certainly your husbands should understand cause if they don't they ought to bend over and let you insert something that is way less painful once it's inserted and won't take as long to remove, once they can afford the surgery to remove your foot out of his ass.
I love sex just as much as the next girl, however if this is what I gotta go through then no thanks.
Looking into a law suit next, my health and well being may not be important to most, maybe not even me if it weren't for my babies. They need me, I have been lied to. And I hate lies! I am not some primate in a zoo, I am a mother, I am a wife and I am a woman, HEAR ME ROAR!
A couple of months ago I started researching the Mirena side effects and came across this blog. I was feeling everything every woman who has commented had felt. Included in that was unreal weight gain and excrutiting hip pain. I had the Mirena for two and a half years and was feeling really crappy. I started to think more of te plastic it is made from, they say not to even drink water from plastic and here I was with a piece of plastic inside my body. No wonder my uterus was forever filled with cramps. My body was trying to tell me something and it took two and a half years to listen. After trying to remove it myself and feeling a lot of pain, I got in my car and drive until I found an open clinic, yay Canada a clinic open until 9pm!!! The doctor was great although he said he had never removed one before he was willing to try. Now from what I read, removal is supposed to be pretty much pain free. Not for me! It hurt like hell, but after a few
Unites of gritting my teeth, he had it in hand! I don't think I have ever said thank you so many times! So I came home happy as eer until I started reading about the 'Mirena crash' a lot of women experience after removal. Hormone withdrawal, oh wonderful! The day after my arms and legs felt heavy as concrete and I was super lethargic and tired. I did a bit more research, and this too will pass! So now it has been about 6 weeks since removal. I have just had my first period since removal. I had read it would be pretty heavy and a lot of cramping. Yes it was but nothing compared to the cramps I was getting with the Mirena in place. My emotions have started to mellow, I have a sense of humor again and have already lost 10 pounds! Yay me!!!! My husband and I are now using the sponge for contraception. No reactions, good sex and no plastic will ever enter this body again!!! Keep your chin up ladies I know how you are feeling. Find a doctor who is willing to remove your Mirena, if they say no keep looking!!! You will feel so much better in the long run! I just honestly couldn't believe all my health issues were relate to one little peice of plastic, that's what took me so long to get rid. But sit back and think when all your problems started, and I bet it's when you got that IUD inserted. For those of you about to remove it check out the 'Mirena Crash'. There are all sorts of blogs to read up. Everywoman is different and will experience it to some degree. I think I lucked out, my reactions were quite mild, but just remind yourself when you feel like crap that your body has been used to a dose of hormones everyday. It is only withdrawals. And it doesn't last very long. I found it helped to e pretty active everyday and to get your natural endorphins to kick in!!! Good luck ladies and no your are not losing your mind, you like me, were told only half truths about this product!!!
I'm in the same position as you I have had the miréna in for a year now. After 1 month I was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia and now suspected MS I have tingling numbness in my legs my hands shake II am constantly tired. I suffer anxiety now and feel like I have a big lump on either ovaries I want it out but am scared of being pregnant after two losses and 3 kids but I'd rather pregnancy then feeling like this.
I got my Mirena in Nov.09', five weeks after the birth of my daughter. Insertion was easy, nearly painless and I was a happy camper! I went back for a check up several weeks later found out I weighed more than I did the day before I delivered my daughter. I didn't really have any cravings during pregnancy and didn't gain a ton of weight, but my cravings after getting this implant were insane! This went on for nearly two months and finally tapered off and I went back to my normal eating habits, which are fairly healthy. Still my weight continued to climb. I finally leveled off 45 POUNDS HEAVIER than I was when I gave birth. I believe the only reason I haven't continued to gain is because I started a business a year ago and am working my butt off on top of taking Zumba. I have low thyroid so I thought that maybe since I'm nearly 37, my metabolism had become non-existent and I would have to learn to live with my excess weight.
I've always been a little moody though I do a great job of hiding it, so I attributed my depression 3 months after giving birth to post-partem depression. It got much better after a year (with the help of prozac, but I cannot handle stress. Not such a good thing when you have a toddler.
I trusted my doctor, read some good reviews of Mirena, and never attributed any of my symptoms to it. Until a probable MS diagnosis got me searching the Web. I stumbled across a website where woman were complaining about their Mirena side effects. Most were being tested for neurological disorders or autoimmune diseases. I was hospitialized last September (nearly 2 years after getting Mirena) with stroke like symptoms. Numbness and tingling, thick tongue, blurred vision. I was released a week letter with an appointment for a spinal tap. Most of the testing in the coming months were inconclusive except for a few tiny lesions on my brain. They told me to come back for another MRI in July. Just went back and they found another very small lesion. My symptoms are MS symptoms. Odd sensations through out body that are hard to describe to others. Numbness and tingling in my arms, hands, legs and feet. Tingling on my face. My left optic nerve is just a tiny bit different than my right one. The symptoms are mild enough that they can't say, "Yes, you absolutely have MS". However, they don't want to chance something really bad happening so they are recommending that I start injections. I agreed and am awaiting my medicine now.
Which brings me to why I am here. I started researching the effects of the medication (Lord knows I didn't want to gain even more weight). That is where I found the website of woman complaining of their symptoms from possible MS and one in paticular linking it to the Mirena. I then started researching Mirena side effects and found this page. I now know that Mirena is probably the culprit of my morphing into Miss Piggy and being slightly Jekel and Hyde-ish, but am I insane to think that it could have given me an autoimmune disorder or at least they symptoms of one?
so i in the army, i found out i was deploying so i tried to find a bc that would stop my period. i got merina i have being in afganistan for 4 months and i bleed every day. i work out every day but gain weight, my stomach is swollen and it hurts so bad i feel like vomitting all the time. i havent pooped in 3 weeks, i have acne, back pain hair lost every thing bad. i feel so tired and shitty every day. i have pains in my abdomen and vagina. i have heart palpitations and i have bad mood swings. i dont eat i dont sleep its hell. 2 months ago i looked up some information about merina. i was shocked to find all these things. but i said maybe it will pass. it got worst yesterday i went to the aid station and begged them to take it out, they tried but didnt have the right stuff to get it out. i had to go to the hospital at kandahar air field. i got it out, it took a while but they found the string. i felt a little better after it was out, my tummy feels like a lot of preasure has being relieved. i am still havng vaninal pains and palpitations, and i am sore and still have no desire to eat, i feel like i want to vomit. however i feel alot better than i have in the pass 4 months. i guess i was dumb, feeling all these side effects but didnt want to get it out because i was scared it would hurt as much as it did when i got it put in. i wish some one had told me all this before i got it put in. the irony of trying to stop my period lol
I have had my mirena for three yrs hoping that these side effects would sub-side nothing changes the pains that I get only get worse I havent lost my hair thank GOD but sex life sucks sometimes my pain takes over, then its over, depression wooww, I cry more than a baby, when I am not sleep I'm angry and cussing I have been on several bc I have never felt so sick, sad, unsexy in my life this is the worse not recommended for humans, animals, or aliens thank you everyone I thought I was going crazy I will have this removed asap
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