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View Full Version : I think I'm going to break up with my Mirena



wendibird22
05-05-2011, 03:58 PM
I had Mirena inserted back in September. Insertion was pretty easy and relatively painless and the OBGYN said the insertion for her was textbook. I then had daily spotting for what seemed like forever...probably 6wks at least...and then off and on after that. Here it is May and it still hasn't regulated. I cannot plan on when I will spot or have a period. Right now I seem to have some type of bleeding every 2 weeks or so. Definitely not regular at all. I also find that my mood swings are crazy all over the place (much more than my normal PMS sans Mirena), I get back aches in my kidney region, pelvic cramps/pain, nipple pain (I'm still nursing), headaches, extreme bloating (I look and feel 5mos preggo), and diarrhea that I have been documenting and seem to come mid-cycle, though again, my cycle isn't predictable. The only thing I can predict is that in any given 4-6wk timeframe I will have a day of bloating, a day of major back ache, a few days of nipple pain, etc, etc, etc. And while I have loved not having to remember to take a pill each day or DH to use a condom, I seriously don't think the Mirena is worth all this other $hit I'm putting up with. Up till now I've been trying to give it a chance and see if I'll adjust but really, I think 8mos is long enough. I did schedule an appointment to have it removed but they can't get me in until the end of the month. I guess that gives me time to research other BC. Any recommendations?

larig
05-05-2011, 04:35 PM
Honestly, I love my good old copper IUD. I like not having any extra hormones.

mariza
05-05-2011, 04:41 PM
I've been happy overall with my NuvaRing, though there has been one or two occasions that I've forgotten to remove it or put it back in on time. It's what was recommended to me by my ObGyn after I had my Mirena removed.

cono0507
05-05-2011, 05:27 PM
I had a Mirena since 2007 and just had it taken out last month. I had some spotting the first few months which then became just one day/mo or so, but still with lots of PMS symptoms since you do still ovulate with the IUD. I actually was pretty happy with it. But in the past year, I've had heavy spotting, more like a light period each month plus a week or so of spotting on either side of that. Just wasn't worth it any more. Now I'm back on the pill (seasonique) until DH and I are ready for him to have his vasectomy. So far so good on seasonique - haven't spotted a bit in the first 5 weeks of it and no more PMS since no ovulation on it. :)

SnuggleBuggles
05-05-2011, 06:04 PM
Honestly, I love my good old copper IUD. I like not having any extra hormones.

:yeahthat: Posts like OP make me more and more grateful that I didn't trust them that the Mirena was side effect free (or only good side effects, as the spin normally is; "no periods!!"). I have had very good luck with the copper IUD and it lasts 10 years. Any mood stuff I know is just me, not anything I have added to the mix. :)

Beth

veronica
05-05-2011, 06:48 PM
OP, sorry it is not working out and I hope you find something that works well soon.

I had great results on Mirena for 2.5 years (removed only to TTC). I had no periods or spotting and the inital spotting was only about 2 weeks.

It was a godsend because I suffer from very, unaturally heavy periods. I can't even think of paraguard, since oftentimes that makes periods worse.

That said, I'm not sure what I will do after DS's are born because I'd also like to be hormone free....

pinkmomagain
05-05-2011, 08:30 PM
So sorry your dealing with this. I'm in love with my Mirena...in fact it's my 2nd one. The first one I did get periods. The 2nd one (placed when the efficacy of the first one was up) I didn't. No problems with moods or spotting.

But it does seem that some people make a connection to adverse symptoms with theirs. Definitely look into other options. Hope you feel better soon!

wendibird22
05-06-2011, 10:11 AM
For those with the copper IUD, is your cycle regular?

I will have to read up on nuvaring.

BCPs are kind of a pain but it is nice to know, consistently every month, what your cycle will be. I've never really had a problem with hormonal BC so I am surprised that Mirena is causing all this.

g-mama
05-06-2011, 10:58 AM
I'm sorry you're not pleased with the Mirena.

I just went in this morning to have mine replaced since the five years is up. I don't experience any of the negative side effects you've mentioned. Those would stink. I only experience the greatest one, which is a period that is basically a few hours of spotting. I used to have periods that were ridiculously heavy and lasted 8-9 days. Even the pill didn't help much with that.

wendibird22
05-06-2011, 12:57 PM
I'm sorry you're not pleased with the Mirena.

I just went in this morning to have mine replaced since the five years is up. I don't experience any of the negative side effects you've mentioned. Those would stink. I only experience the greatest one, which is a period that is basically a few hours of spotting. I used to have periods that were ridiculously heavy and lasted 8-9 days. Even the pill didn't help much with that.

Where's the "jealous" smiley! I might be willing to put up with some of the other junk if I only spotted one day a month. I spotted for 5 days about 2.5wks ago and now on the 3rd day of spotting this week. About 5-6wks ago I spotted off and on for 12 days. For me on BCP I don't spot at all except for the placebo weeks.

almostmom
05-06-2011, 02:19 PM
So I dealt with a lot of the things you mentioned for 5 years! I loved that I didn't get my period, but I was bloated and crampy A LOT. And then I came here, to BBB, and mentioned my low sex drive, and lots of folks pointed to hormonal BC. So out it came in November. In February I got the copper IUD and braced myself for horrible long periods. But it's been fine! I'm completely regular, in that I get my period just about on the 28 day mark. Have a day or 2 of pretty bad cramps, but advil takes care of it if I take it. My period has a couple of heavy days followed by a few days of light bleeding. No biggie. It lasts 5 days or so. And I feel SO much better, all around. After about 20 years on hormonal BC, I'm really glad to be off of it.

There are options besides the pill, and I for one think the copper IUD (paraguard) is a great option - definitely worth a try.

mikeys_mom
05-06-2011, 02:54 PM
I had my Mirena removed 2 months ago and I feel so much better. It was in for a little over 1.5 years and I thought I loved it. I had 2-3 days of light spotting each month and that's it. Then I started getting really heavy periods with lots of spotting for up to a week afterwards. I had a few u/s and they determined that the IUD had moved out of place so my OB recommended removing it. I was really disappointed that I had to remove it. Once it was removed, I realized that it had been causing anxiety and mood swings. I had just assumed that I was feeling that way because of the stress of having 4 young kids, working, etc... Turns out, the Mirena must have been causing the symptoms. I discussed it with my OB and he said it's a rare side effect but certainly possible. I'm now back on the BCP and much happier :). I have an appointment with my family Dr in a few weeks to discuss the Nuvaring. I'd like to try it simply because it is a pain to remember to take the BCP every day. Copper IUD is not an option for me at this point because I am still having the heavy periods even on the BCP so my OB does not think it's a good idea.

He told me that "women's bodies do not follow a textbook". In theory, the Mirena is a lower does of hormones than the BCP so in theory, it should cause less symptoms. However, he has seen many cases where women do better with higher does of hormones than lower ones. Also, sometimes the combination of two hormones in the BCP work better. He told me that it's basically a game of trial and error. At least now, I know that I can feel calm and relaxed so if I start to get anxious and moody, it is likely my BC.

Hopefully once you see how much better you feel on another form of BC, you won't be disappointed anymore about the Mirena not working out.

wendibird22
05-20-2011, 12:50 PM
My appointment to have Mirena removed is a week away and I still haven't figured out what to do instead. I'm leaning towards paraguard. My periods have always been "average in amount and duration so I probably shouldn't worry about heavier periods and the "no hormones" is enticing. I did some reading on Nuvaring and it sounded promising until I happened upon all the class action lawsuits regarding stoke and embolism and that took it off the list. I realize that those are side effects related to BCPs too, but it looks like it might be more common with the nuvaring and it's not a risk I'm willing to take. I learned a lot about 3rd and 4th generation hormones while researching and it is interesting to read about the side effects that have been added in an attempt to eliminate others (acne, weight gain, hair growth).

Snow mom
05-20-2011, 01:34 PM
I got my paraguard at about the same time as you got the mirena. The first two months I had crazy heavy bleeding and longer than normal periods (maybe 7 days instead of 5?) Typically my period is light or moderate so the heavy bleeding was quite a shock, but it settled down pretty quickly. The RN (?) who inserted it said that typically the heavier period just means a day or two more heavy than normal. In my case I was basically back to normal within a couple of months. I do have occasional "spotting" but nothing terrible--really more of a minor annoyance. My cycle changed when it returned after DD but the paraguard hasn't created additional changes. I personally don't feel like I can do any hormonal BC so I'm happy to have something effective and not requiring thought. If your insurance covers it I'd say 100% give it a try.

DrSally
05-20-2011, 08:57 PM
I learned a lot about 3rd and 4th generation hormones while researching and it is interesting to read about the side effects that have been added in an attempt to eliminate others (acne, weight gain, hair growth).

Can you say more about the added SE for the 4th generation hormones?

dogmom
06-15-2011, 11:17 AM
The only thing I would add if you are (ahem) older like me and the next thing on your reproductive agenda is perimenopause the Mirena has lot to recommend it. As all my other friends are starting to deal with heavy, horrible, unpredictable periods I am, gratefully, at least free from that symptom. In fact, I still have it even though I got my tubes tied after surgery to remove an ovarian cyst. I don't think the benefits would have outweighed the negatives when I was younger, but it works great for the older 45 crowd.

wendibird22
06-15-2011, 12:46 PM
Can you say more about the added SE for the 4th generation hormones?

Sorry I missed your follow up question. I was reading that the newer synthetic hormones seem more likely to cause stroke, blood clots, cysts, etc. than the earlier versions which caused weight gain, acne, hair growth etc. No my ob claims that these risks are very very minimal but for me personally I think I'd rather have a nasty zit than a blood clot. Her logic is that pregnancy is more likely to cause stroke and blood clots than say Nuvaring so by using Nuvaring and preventing pregnancy you are lowering your risk. To me that's faulty logic because it is more of a risk than a non hormonal birth control.