Baby blues symptoms and conditions

I find it extremely annoying and offensive that people have the nerve to comment things like: You are all complaining or whining, read the side affects before you use it. why do any of you think that you are more educated or better than any of us? of course we all knew the side affects but people react to medicines (etc) differently. i find it very hard to believe that all of these symptoms are coincidence. 99% of us have given birth and raised children which is the hardest, most challenging, emotional roller coaster and im sure we are all able to deal with a headache now and then and mild cramps but that is not the case with us. its a problem when you wake up every morning with migraines and back pains. it is also a problem when women are so depressed and tired that they aren't able to take care of their children and husband. we all have one thing in common. We are suffering from these side affects. I appreciate everyone who has opened up and told their experience and i will not let someone comment about any of us and tell us we are making this up in our heads or that we are whining. if you feel any of those no one is making you read these stories.. so GET LOST!!!
for those of you that have had a great experience with Mirena why are you even on this site?? you are no help to those who actually need help and those that are suffering.
bottom line is no one is right or wrong but this forum is made for those who want help not someone adding their input to make us feel even worse.

I'm so glad I found this! I thought I was going mad for a while there. Background: I'm a 34 yr old female. Diagnosed w/ asthma at 12, but they suspect I had it before that. Used only Ventolin for a long time. Five years ago, right around the time I had my second child, my symptoms (and allergies) seemed to get much worse. We moved around that time, to a house with a HUGE Chinese elm in the backyard (which I now know I'm allergic to) and right next to a main freeway. Around this time, Dr. prescribed Advair 250/50 when he realized I was using Ventolin up to 6 & 7 times/ day. The first year, I actually felt so much better (I could BREATHE!!) that I think I wouldn't have noticed any side affects. Year two I had MAJOR hair thinning. Dr said "age and hormones". Following 3 years on it: Almost constant nasal congestion (despite always being on a decongestant), sinus infection, tonsil infections, laryngitis, TWO bouts of pneumonia in 3 years. Around the year mark on it, I did experience the depression and anxiety, however, I had had the "baby blues" with my first child and just thought it was a more severe version of that. Now, I feel CONSTANTLY "run down" and almost always have some low-grade infection (yeast, UTI, sinus, bronchitis...etc.), am always hoarse and am just waiting for another round of pneumonia. I also get dizzy A LOT. I am in the second day of a cold turkey quit and am looking for alternative diet/exercise therapies. Good Luck to everyone!

I have been extremely happy with my Mirena actually. I had it put in after my second child in Dec. 2004 at my 6 week appointment. The cramping and bleeding didn't last that long actually but then again I was still bleeding after having the baby anyway so it was a good time to have it done. I stopped having periods after 3 months of having it in completely. That was the absolute BEST part. I haven't had to use a sanitary pad or tampon in almost 5 years!

Now for the other aspects...in hindsight I don't know if the issues I had during the first couple years with the Mirena were side effects of the device or postpartum. That's the problem with having an IUD put in right after having a baby. Side effects like baby blues, postpartum depression (in my case I was almost postpartum psychosis), hair loss, weight issues, etc. can all be related to post-pregnancy. My biggest side effect was the hair loss. I have fine, thin hair to begin with so it's VERY noticeable when I start to lose hair. However, this happens after birth. After 2 years it was such a problem I went for a physical and requested a blood work-up. Everything came back normal. I was told it could be aging (I was 31 years old then) or stress. I tried absolutely everything from changing my diet, taking tons of biotin pills, multi-vitamins, etc. Every year I kept noticing it getting worse. I went to dermatologists who said it could be age, stress, hereditary (I have NO female pattern baldness in my family) and so forth. I started taking Women's Rogaine last fall. Still no difference and I'm losing hair still. I've even lost 25 pounds and within excellent weight range, changed positions in my company to a less stressed job (since last year) and STILL have hair loss.

My husband started doing research on the Mirena since I need to make a decision on birth control in the next 6 months. We both noticed that other symptoms were "wearing" off. I have increased sex drive (a significant amount - let's face it...14 years in a monogamous relationship doesn't all of a sudden just start to increase in the sex drive area normally), started spotting a little bit when I guess would be my period (remember I haven't had a period for 4 years now since I had the Mirena put in post 3 months) and this last month I had a REAL period for a couple days. He thought the hormones were wearing off.

I made an appointment with my GYN to discuss but thought I'd share my experience.

Again I've been super happy with the no periods aspect of the Mirena. LOVE IT! But I don't know if the other symptoms I've been having over the past 5 years are related. And now I have to make a decision. My husband wants me to switch to the Paragard Copper IUD (we love the ease of the IUD so much) yet I hate the idea of heavy periods and cramping after a decade without either. Do I take the hair loss (if it's related) but have no periods? Decisions....

I had my mirena inserted in July 2007, so we're working on two years. At first, I noticed some sharp pains in my abdomen. When i asked my doctor about it, he told me it could not be related to the mirena and I should try prilosec. I probably had indigestion. I thought...oh, ok. If you say so! But it didn't go away until about 2 months later.

I could list all the same things as everyone else - hair loss, sore breasts, metal taste in mouth, cravings of food just like when I was pregnant, omg, the weight gain and stomach bloating is what kills me the most. I seriously still look pregnant and I didn't even think much about it until I looked at photos of myself post-baby, but pre-mirena. I looked SO much thinner and so much better rested. I seriously don't even look like myself.

I complained to my doctor last May about being super anxious and having trouble sleeping. He prescribed Lexapro for me and told me I probably had some left over baby blues. I took Lexapro until Christmas of this year when I one day just decided not to refill the prescription. I just don't feel like me. The lexapro made me cloudy and I didn't feel anything. I couldn't cry. I'm a TOTAL SAP and I couldn't cry! I couldn't feel anything. So, I took myself off it, which was no picnic in the park. Dizzy beyond belief.

It's been tough because even my husband seems to think this all coincides with becoming a mom and that is what changed me. But, I don't buy it. I love being a mom. I am good at being a mom. I have no anxiety about being a mom and so on. My body is screaming at me to change my hhabits. I've increased exercise, gained weight. I can't stop eating....and I eeat crap.

OK, enough from me. I'm getting this thing out next Monday and I don't intend to tell the doctor why. I am going to suggest I may like to get pregnant again as my reason - because I know he'll honor that reason and take it out. I plan on taking a 6 month rest from inserting any kind of chemicals into my system and seeing what happens. At that point, if my body has changed and gone back to some normalcy, I will probably go back on the pill. (I just didn't want to go back on it after my child because I got pregnant on the pill in the first place!)

Wow, just wow I can't even begin to say how happy I am to have found this site. I am actually choked up. A little background:

I got the Mirena in about three months after the birth of my daughter in July of 02 (our second child), at around this same time my husband and I were having severe marital issues, we were a VERY happy couple before this. I was extremely irritable, was so mad at him all the time over anything he would do that would remotely annoy me, we attributed this to the baby blues and tried to work through it. My sex drive was non-existent, and I hated him more than anything. Well, about three years ago we divorced... after much counseling and anti-depressants, even being diagnosed as having bi-polar disorder and being put on Lithium (which I refused to take) I was NORMAL before all this, why did I snap? I had one baby and was fine!!! That was the greatest mystery to me, and I felt like a horrible worthless person. :(

The now:
I have met someone else, and we are engaged to be married and just bought a home together, when we first started seeing each other I was VERY shocked that my sex drive was back (which I now attribute to it being new, and I was free for the first time in years), however, over the past years we have been together it has all but completely vanished again. We will have sex maybe once or twice a month, and really it is to make him happy. My temper is outrageous, my kids are very touchy when it comes to asking me to do something etc.. I find myself stuck to my couch or to my PC playing WoW because it takes little or no effort on my part. I have no energy to do anything. Cleaning the house, or simply helping the kids with the homework is just.. exhausting mentally. My fiance takes the kids out because I never want to. We will make plans together only to have me break them, the ONLY thing that he can get me to do is eat out.. because and here is a shocker, I just want to stuff my face so long as it is prepared by somebody else. I used to love to cook and I don't want to anymore. I don't know how much weight I have gained since the insertion, this was 7 years ago and two Mirenas in. But I am HUGE in comparison to how I was.
About one year ago, a few months after the 5 year replacement was put in I started having problems with walking, which again Mirena didn't even cross my mind as being the culprit. I woke up one morning with slight cramping in my feet, within a month I was unable to walk. The doctors could not figure out what was wrong with me, I was getting odd lumps on my legs, and the pain from trying to walk was just unbelievable. They tested me for lupus, and it was a no go. Did the talk of birth control ever come up with the doctors? No. But after about a month.. it just, went away. Just as suddenly as it came.
Someone on here posted about "panic attacks" hun.. I have the same problem. My heart like to fly up to my throat, and it is the equivalent of feeling as though I were drowning.. but only for a few moments. Heart doc said.. I am normal. HAH! Really? NEVER had this problem before the Mirena... hrm.

So in a nutshell MY side effects I believe are (some not listed in the above background):
Insane mood swings
Walking problems
The inability to relax
NO sex drive, zilch gone
Laziness, no ambition to do anything even small daily chores
Discharge and odd odors
Never feeling clean downstairs
Facial hair thats right ladies, growing a beard :(
Large amount of weight gain
insatiable appetite
Depression
Dryness
Diarrhea
Sharp pains in my abdomen and breasts
"Fluttering" spasms in my abdomen almost feels as though a baby is kicking
One divorce and a quickly fading engagement...

PLEASE take it from me, DO NOT get this. It is just not worth it. It has changed my life for the worst, I have made do with my past and am actually happy for the divorce, the Mirena actually helped me to see what I would ignore in him. But everything else, has been nothing but a long painful road. It has made a normal healthy woman, into a fat lazy woman that has lost her lust for life and everything in it.
I am making a doctors appointment on Monday, I can't express how shocked I am that this birthcontrol has done this to me, sure some people may think that some of the problems I am dealing with or have dealt with may not be directly attributed to it... but think about it. I was fine and nothing was wrong until I had this inserted. And there are far too many coincidences to allow myself to turn a blind eye. I will keep you updated in my "rebirth".

Again.. thank you.

I cannot tell you that all of my issues were caused by YAZ but I can tell you that I am 34 years old and just released from the hospital. I am 5'9" 135lbs and have perfect blood pressure and cholesterol. I quit smoking last year. I was just released from the hospital with many little pulmonary embolisms and 3 large pulminary embolisms. I now have a filter in my vena cava and will never be able to have another child since I am so high risk per my doctors(both OBGYN and Internist).

I have been on YAZ since my last child was born 3 years ago. I noticed that the longer I was on it the more depressed I felt. The first year I wrote it off as just after baby blues since I was nursing but it did not get better. I was on other birth control pills in the past and also Nuvaring and I never experienced the depression that I had in the past 3 years. My sex drive was also not what it used to be which I attributed to age and stress. I would have migraine headaches frequently which my doctor said most likely was caused by stress. After reading the other posts maybe I was wrong. I can tell you, if anyone is smoking either stop or find another form of birth control. If you have family history of blood clotting you may want to explore other options also. I am lucky to be here today to care for my 3 kids.

I had mirena put in a month ago. My daughter is 3 months old and I thought I had been struck with a certain bout of baby blues. I feel/felt depressed, anxious, scatter-brained, irritable, have at least a headache a day. I've been bleeding for 3 weeks now...thought this was supposed to bring SHORTER, LIGHTER periods!!!
Something I haven't seen anyone else mention and am curious about: I was breastfeeding and suddenly lost my milk. I successfully breast fed my son, but this time, with my daughter, my milk just seemed to run out. I called the doctor and she told me that it certainly wasn't due to mirena. Anyone else experienced this?
Also, I'm having light red rectal bleeding. Not a lot...just there when i wipe. Just started today, which is what spurred me to start looking for answers. Anyone else??

I just had Mirena inserted on Oct. 21, only three days ago. The pain wasn't to bad, just very crampy. I had to concentrate on making sure I wasn't holding my breath due to the discomfort. It otherwise went well, quick. Mine was inserted by a nurse practitioner. She wanted me to come in and have it inserted during my time of the month. She said it goes in much more smoothing that way for a couple of reasons, moisture acts as a lubricant, and during our cycles, our cervix dilates slightly. I was at the beginning of my period when I went to have it put it. Just spotting waiting for the gates to break loose. I still am just a little heavier than a spot, my period has yet to come full force, cramping like it wants too though. The past two days, I have had the worst mood swings. Feels very similar to the baby blues. I am hoping this is just my body adjusting to the hormones and it will subside as I had postpartum depression after my daughter was born (4yr). After my son (6mos) I was ok, just baby blues for a couple weeks and I was back to my old self. With my history though, it scares me, I don't want to experience that feeling again. I have been getting very angry over little things the past couple days as well. Almost uncontrollable. I came home and found that our cat had got in our blinds and broke a slat (I guess that is what I can call it) I was so mad, I kicked her and she slid across the kitchen floor. I felt so horrible and guilty after. That is so not like me. I would just ordinarily scold her and forget about it. I am worried that it is going to get worse. Ever since I have had Mirena placed, I have noticed these changes and it seems to be increasing each day. Like I said, I have a 6 mos baby and my husband is deployed. The last thing I would want is a Dr to dismiss my side effects. I already have a stressful life situation right now, if this makes it harder for me and my family, it is going to have to go.

It's so funny...I completely thought I was crazy. I have an almost 5 month old and I kept thinking my hormones were just screwed up. She is my third child and it is horrible trying to take care of them with these severe side effects. I have had horrible constant headaches..as soon as I take something- Excedrin, Advil, Tylenol- it comes back within an hour. The pain is constant. I have had terrible back pain, depression, weight gain- I have been trying to lose the baby weight and I am only putting on more- abdominal pain, absolutely no patience with my children, frequent aches and pains, massive hot flashes (and I'm only 29), and running to pee all of the time (and I feel like I'm finished but I get up and I'm not!). And don't even get me started on what it did to my period. With the exception of about a week and a half I have had it constantly since it was inserted 3 1/2 months ago. And it goes from non-existent so I think it's over to full on with-sorry to be gross- terrible cramps and clots. I NEVER had a problem with cramping before. I don't even feel like the same person I was before I was on it. I have had no "baby blues" with any of my three children so I know that isn't the reason I feel so off- I can't keep my emotions straight. After I had the baby, I felt really good besides my abdomen being tender and my incision pain from the c section. I can't believe the drastic turn of events since I got this thing put in. Thank you everyone for your experiences- I don't feel like a lunatic anymore. I felt so guilty for my children, husband, family because I feel so bad- sad and sore- and I felt like all I did was complain for no reason.

I have been on Zoloft for 3 months now. My OB/GYN prescribed it to me after I had my son since I had a severe case of the baby blues and depression. I've felt much better and don't feel so hopeless anymore, but one thing that is really worrying me is that I can't cry anymore or feel any type of extreme emotion. I've recently moved from KS to VA and when I was leaving my family and friends I couldn't even cry or show sadness even though I knew I felt it inside. It was really weird. Another bad side effect is the EXTREME decline in my sex drive. My husband is getting really frustrated with me because I'm just not into sex anymore AT ALL. But my theory is I'd rather have no sex drive than feel hopeless and lonely and depressed like I did before taking Zoloft. Once I find a new doctor in VA I'll see if there's any alternatives but for now I'm staying with it.

I am 27 and had Mirena put in about 2 months ago during my 6 week check-up after my second child. I had been put on a mild antidepressant for "baby blues" only a week or so after my son was born. So I didn't notice the mood swings so much after I had it put in. But after gaining back some of the weight I had lost, I decided to forego the Lexipro for a while so that I could take diet pills to help me lose the weight. I expected to be more moody, but I didn't expect anything like this. I cry at the drop of a hat, I freak out on my 2-year old unexpectedly, and I have NO sex drive. It is WAY worse than before. I also have been to the doctor for problems with my knee. It hurts all the time. My other joints ache pretty bad at night, and I have never had joint problems before this. The past two days I have had a stabbing pain in my abdomen. It hurts when I move or sit down. My stomach is very swollen, and now I am wondering if it is the bloating that many of you are talking about, or if it is swollen from an infection that may or may not be causing the pain. What do I do?! I hate not to stick it out for a while, because I really don't feel as if I have much of an alternative except for something perminant. My mother AND my grandmother got pregnant on the pill, and I can't remember to take them at the exact same time every day. UGH!

My turn...Ive been taking this pill for one week (first time ever taking any type of birth control pill). Ive never agreed with the whole concept ( I once had a heart defect; my mother had breast cancer; I have a history of depression ), and Ive been aware of the hormonal changes and side effects, but after 2 babies, both unplanned =o), and with a spouse who's 'sick' of the condoms, I decided to give the pill. So far I hate it. After just one day of taking the pill I became moody, depressed, crying for anything, and so irritable, even with my children. A week later I'm spotting (big time, not bloody, just brown); I'm cramping; nauseous; and Ive had a headache for 2 days now. I'm ready to quit this. I feel like I'm in my 1st trimester meshed with living through postpartum baby blues. Its horrible. Itd probably be tolerable if I were single, but I have to care for 2 kids under the age of 3, and I just don't have the energy to deal with this. Also, I just imagine the long term effects. These hormones causing all these crazy changes cant be healthy at all.

I think the NuvaRing has catapulted my baby blues into post partum depression. Over the past week I have experienced severe mood swings and fatigue among many other irritable symptoms that if it wasn't for the depression and fatigue I may have been able to tolerate this BC. Although
I recognize the NuvaRing has been great for many for me it has been a hellish experience that has caused many problems with my husband and I. I would definitely not recommend this BC to anyone until they are sure they are past the baby blues/ post partum depression stage and or have no history of depression. Even the mildest depression, such seasonal mood disorder.

I used Yasmin for almost 3 years between 2004 - 2007. I loved it....my periods were regular, I had little acne, and I hardly had any PMS. Then I got pregnant (after stopping the Yasmin!) with twins and delivered them in late November 2007. I was so happy to know that I just knew which type of birth control I wanted to use, I had a great experience while on Yasmin so of course I would go back to it!

BAD IDEA! 4 weeks after the babies were born I started the pills. Mind you, I had a great pregnancy and lots of help at home...no post-partum or baby blues here. I started the pills on 12/23/07 and by 12/25/07 (Christmas Day) I was feeling majorally depressed, having emotional outbursts, having irrational thoughts....I felt alone and as if no one cared about me. I secluded myself and had suicidal thoughts. I thought about leaving my family and living in a hotel. I would get so mad at the littlest things....I almost threw a chair at my husband and tried to punch a hole in the wall. I cussed family members out. I was so irrational. I felt like a crazy, psychotic woman and all in less than a week. This was NOT me.

I quit the pill after the first week, realizing that this pill was causing all these side-effects. I called my OB and spoke with the nurse who told me what I was experiencing couldn't be from the Yasmin - those weren't common side-effects. I told her that I was 1 day Yasmin free and felt like a completely different person...I was myself again. She tried to tell me that maybe I was experiencing post-partum depression and I decided then to just make an appointment to talk to my OB (about Yasmin & his nurse!).

I have an appointment next week and am curious as to what he will say. I know it was the Yasmin and I am glad that I found this website & that I am not alone!