Breastfeeding symptoms and conditions

Hello ladies,

I had mine put in 1/4/08 and taken out about two weeks ago. I've experienced almost everything that is explained below. The insertion was easy until I left the docs office. Then extreme pain led me to pull over on the way home, go into Walgreens and crouch down on the floor of there disgusting bathroom until my husband came and picked me up because I could not drive. After that I guess I never noticed over the course of the last year and a half all the things you've described below. I have two children so I was done. I started Mirena right after breast feeding and not getting my period for 7 months anyway. I figured I would just morph into the Mirena no period zone from the breastfeeding no period zone - perfect. Well I did get my period (although much shorter and lighter). It never really went away. That wasn't my major problem. I am not sure about any hair loss but I've been working out like a crazy person and experiencing some weight loss but nothing that I would think. I am wondering now that I have taken it out if I'll lose some weight. Anyway, the biggest side effect I think was the same as one listed below. I always felt like my body was trying to push it out as well. I went to the doctor twice for that. I always had discharge (sorry for the descriptiveness). Also, my husband was stabbed a few times so I went in and they trimmed the strings. Then we thought it was lost (I apparently have a long uterus) so they had to do an ultrasound to find it. Then once my husband told me I didn't smell quite right, I immediately went in and had it removed. After reading all this, I am glad I did. As far as the sex drive goes, I guess we haven't been doing it as much (we used to all the time) even after the first kid. We are still very much attracted to each other and love to mess around so I am hoping that this is removed I will be more receptive to the idea. Lastly, I have just gotten off the phone with my doctor since I have a very heavy period today with large clots. I am concerned and also a bit light headed. I am not a baby when it come to pain so the insensitive girl below has to understand everyone is different and if it's working out for her, she is blessed. I am glad I had it removed. When you have that many attempts and trips to the doctor to find, correct and monitor something, it's probably not working. The best part is, because of me trying and not being successful, my husband agreed to his vasectomy finally. Now all I have to do is wait until I regulate (and I'm hoping someone posts something about that) and he needs to do his thing about 30 times and we should be good to go. I send out happy thoughts to all the brave ladies that have tried this. I am a true believer that we need to listen to our bodies and ever one of us in unique.

This is unbelievable. Like most of you, I was told there were very few side effects with Mirena. I had a baby girl in May this year and was considering using the depo after birth since I had used it before with no major issues or dislikes (a little weight gain but, I always felt I was too thin before and the depo made me look curvy in all the right places so no complaints at that time which was about 4 years ago.) I did however, stop using the depo when I wanted to try for another baby and while off the depo I gained much more weight. Right before my due date this year, my midwife suggested I consider Mirena because unlike the depo, "it doesn't make you gain weight." Considering I had gained 30 lbs. during pregnancy and wanted to lose a total of about 45 after birth, I agreed to use Mirena as b/c. Well, I had my baby on May 10th, I immediately breastfed and on my two week postnatal visit I had already lost ALL of the pregnancy weight (30 lbs.!) I then scheduled the appt. to have the Mirena inserted on July twenty something. By that visit I had already lost 50 lbs. by breastfeeding alone...I was ecstatic! About four months later and with the Mirena in me, I am gaining weight, so far 8 lbs. and all of it on my belly, I look like I am about 5-6 months preg. This is especially depressing because only a couple months ago my husband was talking about how flat my stomach had gotten. I am also experiencing hair loss and spotting/bleeding after every intercourse. I am also considering having this thing removed! AHHHHHH!

I have just started taking Yasmin TWO DAYS AGO at six in the night. I have already suffered from nausea. I went to bed feeling nauseated the second night hoping it would go away.....it didn't. I got up in the wee hours of the morning with the sensation to throw up. I eventually threw up, this relieved me somewhat. But i was still not at 100%. I have taken Microbal while breastfeeding and have had no side effects and just two days of taking Yasmin i'm already feeling some of the COMMON SYMPTOMS AS DESCRIBED BY MANUFACTURERS OF YASMIN. How can they expect someone to function while feeling nauseous. They have statd that the symptoms may subside after three months but i can't wait the long to feel better. it's no worth it even though this pill claims to have other benefits such as acne prevention. S. Mills

\ i had mirena 9 months and that was enough i know myself very good, so when i started changing i knew it was mirena. i almost ruin my marriage, with my bad moods. but what worry me later was that if YOU BREASTFEED IT WAS WOREST, THIS IS WHAT I FOUND ON BEWARE REPORT ON MIRENA. I WAS VERY UPSET CAUSE I BREAST FEED MY CHILD AND MY DR. DID NOT INFORM ME THIS!

could find that followed breastfeeding infants exposed to levonorgestrel (Norplant) was done in Norway and found that they had higher incidence rates of respiratory infections, skin conditions and eye infections than the control group, and later were found to have a higher proportion of “neurological conditions.”

To me it’s unthinkable to even consider exposing a nursing infant to any type of progestin. I would call this a form of corporate sociopathy—marketing without a conscience to unwitting, under-informed women who are just trying to responsibly avoid an unwanted pregnancy. Since the FDA is unlikely to take action against this practice it’s up to the rest of us to spread the word.
IF YOU BREASTFEED AND HAVE MIRENA READ THIS ABOVE

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 had the Mirena put in in August of 2007. Since that time, I'm a moody, crabby, ANGRY, irritable person. I can't even stand to be around myself. I have a 14 month old son who I feel angry at for no reason. He wants to nurse and I get angry. WHY?!?! I'm not an angry person by any means. My sex drive is next to none. Since my son has been born, we have had sex 6 times. Yes, only 6. And I could care less at this point if we ever have sex again. I feel very nervous, worried...almost paranoid. I get weird, period like cramps, but haven't had a period since 2006 when I got pregnant! My back pain is horrible, and I recently started seeing a chiropractor because it was so bad. My hands get numb and I drop ink pens, spoons, etc. I'm making an appt today to have this removed!! I wish someone had told me the side effects before I got this put in. My doctor said it was safe while breastfeeding...ugh. Who knows what I'm putting into my son! This is poison.

Had a baby eight weeks ago, started Yasmin three days ago. Today I've been queasy, can't think straight, and I feel drugged. I'm going to stop taking it today. My doctor didn't even tell me it would interfere with breastfeeding by lowering my milk supply. That hasn't happened, thank goodness, but if I continued taking it it would. I feel like I could pass out. Not cool! I can't take any birth control, they all seem so scary! Oh well, guess I'll have lots of babies;)

I had my Mirena inserted 8 weeks after having my 3rd child. Everything seemed fine for the first 3 months but then I began to develop severe pain in my finger joints, wrists, ankles, elbows, back and neck. I was shuffling around like a 90 year old woman. At first I thought I may have developed arthritis and then my mother suggested I give up the breastfeeding as it might be 'taking it out of me'. Then the other symptoms seemed to creep up on me - foggy brain, severe mood swings, feeling sad and depressed for no reason, SEVERE headaches, night sweats and extreme fatigue. I couldn't complete tasks like washing the clothes and general cleaning of my home and I never felt refreshed after a long sleep. I remember saying to my husband on 3 or 4 occasions 'I feel like I'm going crazy!!' I think he thought the same thing. It was only by chance I revisited a forum I had bookmarked earlier when I was trying to find out how long after initial insertion the bleeding lasted that a post containing some similar side-effects to the ones I was experiencing caught my eye - well what an eye-opener, I would never in my wildest dreams have connected my symptoms with my IUD. The cause of my debilitating symptoms became so clear and that night I squatted down in the shower, found the strings, gave a tug and took the damn thing out myself! That was 3 weeks ago and I've felt a little better every day. I'm hoping to be back to my old self as soon as possible. Thank you so much to everyone who has shared their experiences. If it wasn't for you these debilitating effects on my body would have continued for I dont know how long.

I have had Mirena for about 5 weeks now and have had constant medium flow bleeding every single day. I also have tingling and swelling in my hands and feet. My head feels kinda cloudy and dizzy a bit. Is anyone out there having these problems too. Will these side effects go away with time??

I was on this for about 9 months. When I first started it, it was soooo much better than my previous B/C (Ortho Micronor. I had a migrane and nausea nearly every night for a year, but I was breastfeeding at the time so this was my best option then)

So when I first started this I was so relieved that I didn't feel sick and felt pretty normal. After a few months my relationship started to get worse & worse. Everything my boyfriend did irritated me and I'd pick fighs with him all the time. I'd cry at the drop of a hat, and I'd scream and yell when I was mad (I am usually a very soft spoken person) A couple people actually said they were concerned and thought I was depressed.

Along with the emotional side effects, I started spotting in the middle of the month, and my periods were over a week long. For two weeks out of the month I was either spotting or on my period. (I tried just leaving the ring in to skip periods but I always bled anyway) I had 2 yeast infections in two months; both started a couple days after I inserted the nuvaring.

I threw out my nuvaring after my last yeast infection in July and decided to go hormone free for a while. Sure enough my moods improved, my relationships improved, my periods were more regular, and no more painful yeast infections.

The nuvaring was a great idea in theory, but the wrong mix of hormones for me.

I began taking sulfameth about 1 week ago. Everything seemed ok until one morning I woke up and my neck was completely stiff! I started getting the hot and cold feeling and a splitting headache with nausea. I took tylenol and it seemed to improve a little. That evening I woke up every ten mins, just unable to get quality sleep. Next morning I woke up (after no sleep again), COVERED in hives. I mean, from my head to my ankles, these huge, red, itchy things all over! My throat, too. You know how it feels right when you swallow?..that's how my throat felt constantly. I was completely freaked out as hubby was at work and I was home alone with my 4 kids. So we hauled booty to the clinic and sure enough, allergic reaction to the antibiotic. I'm actually allergic to penicillin as well, so the doctor I saw said she was really surprised my other doctor would have prescribed a sulfer drug to me as it has a high instance of causing allergic reactions. hhhmmm...thanks.
Anyway she said I could take benadaryl, but better yet, Claritin. She said Claritin won't make you drowsy and will knock it right out (you should take benadryl instead of claritin if you're breastfeeding though). That was yesterday, and besides some weird mottled look on my legs (leftover rash), all seems well.

i got my mirena inserted in august 2006 wanted get tubes tied but the gyno said the mirena is reversible if anything was to happen to my kids. i was still breastfeeding but trying to stop i didn't think anything of it when my breasts became tender but now that my daughter is completely weaned (i was so tired that she used to feed in the middle of the night when i was asleep) i have noticed a discharge that is similar to the discharge when pregnant i have asked the doctor to remove it but he has told me to give it another 3 months i am going to find another doctor but because i need antibiotics when having it inserted and removed i am going to have two appointments in the one day

I have been taking Yaz for about 4 months now and although I have had super light and really short (two day) periods, I feel like it is really making me crazy!! I was on Zoloft when I first started the Yaz and literally I was crying, and biting everyones head off for three days - I stopped the Zoloft and felt better but now I am still super moody, crying and really irritable - I was on Micronor before and had no problems but I stopped breastfeeding and needd a new b/c pill so I switched to Yaz. I want to try something else - Anyone tried Loestrin 24??

I just took my 5th shot last week. The hot flashes are terrible some days and hardly noticeable others. Some times I just want to scream in anger for no reason. I feel like I'm hypersensitive to everything. I don't want to cry, I just want to lash out in anger. I've got one dose after this and am praying that it will have been worth it to have some relief from the endometriosis.

Hi everyone, I've been off Yaz for two weeks now and have had severe depression, emotional numbness, anxiety, muscle weakness, migraines, and on and on. The symptoms are actually getting worse in some ways since I went off the Yaz.

I'm hoping someone can tell me whether they've had any success in going on another birth control pill after Yasmin/Yaz in order to stabilize side-effects of depression and anxiety, which are what freaks me out the most. I've been off Yaz for two weeks now and if anything my side-effects have gotten worse. I'm seeing a doctor and trying to figure out what's going on, but in the meantime I am desperate to feel like myself again. I'd rather not go on anything else hormonal for the long-term, but I'm considering going back on an older, completely different prescription (Loestrin) which didn't cause me any psychological side-effects. One of my doctors says it should be fine, but the other doesn't want me to do it. Has anyone else felt an improvement in depression and anxiety from going onto a different pill prescription? Thanks for your help!!

I have had my Mirena since Jan 07. My periods are certainly much lighter however I am spotting in between. I am having cramping and nausea almost daily know for about a week and my lower back hurts as well. The nausea is what is really bothering me. I don't hear too many complaints about nausea. Is anyone else expierencing this?
Thanks.

Thank god I'm normal! I plan to call the doctor TOMORROW to come off of this medication.

I'm breastfeeding my son, so it's difficult to find a "safe" pill to use. I tried the mini-pill with lots of side effects. Have been on Yaz for 10 days, and as I read through all of the posts I realize I've had side effects I didn't even know were side effects!

The most troubling has been the anxiety. To have a panic attack while nursing an infant in the middle of the night is not a good thing. Especially the loss of control knowing that if I pull him off for my own comfort, he will probably become frantic. My anxiety level during the day has been ok, but I've been on Prozac for depression all along, which may be keeping me somewhat even.

Other side effects: insomnia (last 3 nights I've been up till 3 in the morning), extreme muscle aches, nausea in the morning (feels like morning sickness, but def. not preg!), dry, itchy skin, lack of libido and aversive to touch, even in a non-sexual way.

Oh, well...time to try another. Hopefully my OB/Gyn will not give me a hard time.

hi kim123.
sorry i was not around yesterday,my youngest has just gone off to nursery school so has been a bit manic. as the Guest below seems to think we should not use this forum to chat (even though support is a MAJOR part of why people come to this forum) i will email you personally.

hi,guest 35696.
sorry if the above remark sounds rude,it is not meant that way. i understand what you are saying,that new people come here to find out if their symptoms are linked to yasmin and all they can find is personal chit chat and not a full list of symptoms,but i have no idea how to set up a forum for all the ladies here that find just chatting to other sufferers helps.this site and chatting to people on it literally saved my life. if you know how to do it then please let us know. a lot people seem to post side effects on the other page (yasmin forum) that is where i initially found all my symptoms.
once again sorry if the above sounds rude it really is not meant that way but i am passionate about this site and helping support the newcomers as they did when i was a newcomer and nobody understood me and how i was feeling. i am a computer idiot so have no idea how to start up a forum,if any of you ladies out there know how to do it please post on here.

To the lady with the sore breast... mine were agony pre menstrually and just plain huge the rest of the time. i agree with you saying that it feels like engorged breast like when you were breastfeeding that is exactly how mine felt. they were solid and shiny most of the time!!!
i have been off yasmin since june 06 and mine are much better now although i still get a little discomfort premenstrually but they no longer feel lumpy and hurt just with a t-shirt touching them.i used to cringe if my kids wanted a hug as they were so sore. apparently evening primrose oil is good for breast tenderness.

sarah

I was on Yasmin a few years back and didnt seem to have any noted problems. At the time, I had extremely long hair. Past my butt, about mid-thigh. I began losing tons of hair. At the time, I had no clue as to why I was losing my hair. Me and my husband assumed that my hair had just reached a length that my scalp could no longer handle. I went and got my first haircut in 15 years!! I got it cut to about bra-strap length. Then shortly thereafter, my insurance stopped covering Yasmin so I was forched to switch. The hairloss stopped. I never thought twice about it. I assumed the haircut put an end to the hairloss. Until recently. I have never been able to take the higher estrogen birth control pills due to migraines. Only Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, Lowestrin, Yasmin, and Ortho Micronor. Most recently, I had been taking Ortho Micronor due to breastfeeding my son. At my recent annual, my doctor wanted me to get off the Ortho Micronor because he said its not as effective as the other ones and he only had me on it because I had been breastfeeding. Now that I was no longer breastfeeding, he wanted me off it. He was going to put me on Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, but I specifically asked for Yasmin because I remember how nice it made my skin and figure. I have been on it for 16 days now and have noticed constipation, weight gain, and most predominantly...major hair loss. I took a shower and washed my hair the other day and noticed clumps falling out as I was rinsing. Then while I was brushing it after I got out, I cleaned a hairball the size of my fist out of my hairbrush afterwards. I still didn't put two and two together. I got online only to look up if the constipation was a side effect of the Yasmin cuz I dont remember having constipation the last time I was on it. Thats when I found that other women were having hairloss from Yasmin. Then I remembered the last time I suffered this type of hair loss, and it was indeed, the last time I was on the Yasmin. Even though I dont recall constipation or weight gain with the Yasmin last time, I definately notice it now. I've gained 4 pounds in 16 days. This really upsets me since I recently lost 26 pounds. So, Im calling my doctor today and tell him I dont care if the Ortho Micronor is less effective because I prefer to keep my hair and not become a whale =)

I began takng Reglan yesterday for help with the let down reflex in breastfeeding. I was told to take it every 4 hours. After the first dose I became very tired, after the second I became shaky and "hyper" unable to sleep, while still feeling exhausted. I have not taken any more for 5 hours and I am still shaking and unable to sleep.