Having children symptoms and conditions

Mirena has helped my sex drive, I know women are different, but I seem to just get turned on for no apparent reason since about 2 weeks into the Mirena. My cramping is different than without the Mirena but definitely manageable. My periods lasted 10 days before the Mirena, with the first 5 days being extremely heavy and after having 1 period with the Mirena, I've noticed positive changes. My period was still 10 days but it was much more even, and I only used Light flow tampons the WHOLE period.
My breasts were barely an A cup before Mirena, and i had significant swelling and tenderness before my period, and after my period the swelling went down almost all the way and the tenderness was gone, but I've got a definite A cup now, plus this month's swelling is closer to a B cup. I'm hoping each month's swelling will bring me back to my before having children B cup.
I'm doing great with the Mirena. I'm sorry to see so many who it isn't working for.

I have just taken my sixth and FINAL Lupron shot. I was unaware of many of the side effects, like IBS. I am a lot different than most women. I was born with a birth defect called cloacal exstrophy. I am 41 years old and have lived my life with no bladder or rectum, due to extreme reconstructive surgery at birth. I have a permanent Colostomy and urinary diversion (ileal conduit). I do not have a very large amount of intestine, which creates an absorption problem of certain things, one of them being Calcium. I have also had severe orthopedic reconstruction since birth.

In December of 2008 they found a mass on the right side of my abdomen along with a hydrosalpinx. The hydrosalpinx was drained and I was then urged to start a 6 month cycle of monthly Lupron shots. There is a long history of endo in my maternal family. I have been advised that because of existing scar tissue from so many past surgeries a hysterectomy was not possible. I can not even have a laproscopy to determine that the growth is actually endo.

3 months into the shots I started to suffer extreme diarrhea, lasting from 1 to 3 weeks at a time post the Lupron shot...it was blamed on overgrowth from past surgeries, etc. It has become a terrifying experience for me. Due to my inability to absorb calcium well I now have several calcium kidney stones that must be broken apart with a laser. I have no idea what will happen with the GI symptoms or if they will continue once the Lupron "wears off".

I have no concerns about fertility, since having children has NEVER been an option for me. My concerns are surviving my life longer without additional risk to it from taking this drug.

I have had the usual symptoms of sweating, night sweats, fatigue, Hair loss, loss of appetite and occasional insomnia. Again, the most concerning to me are the kidney stones and GI problems I have been experiencing, including "sludge" in my gallbladder.

I am severely disheartened by the lack of looking at the whole picture, at least midway through this treatment. This is compounded by the fact that my treatment stems from one of the country's "top 10 Hospitals", which is a direct affiliate of the Children's hospital that did an AMAZING job of successful reconstruction in 1968. It is 2009 and I have fewer options to improve this situation than I did the issues from the original reconstruction in 1968.

I feel I never should have been put on this medication and am deeply concerned about my survival from here. If I could go back 6 months, as informed as I am now.....this IS NOT the path I would have chosen. I no longer know which Doctor to trust, what decision is best for me or how much more I can take.

If there are any AMAZING Dr.s reading this, please feel free to contact me...I am desperate, I do not feel that this should affect my survival rate and am willing to listen to alternative solutions IN THEIR ENTIRETY.

Anyone with a shortened GI tract, absorption issues, or previous health conditions should WEIGH ALL OPTIONS and do AS MUCH RESEARCH AS POSSIBLE before agreeing to this treatment. I placed trust and confidence first, not one of my better decisions concerning my health. I will not continue treatment with Lupron.

Hello Ladies,

I am 41 years old and it was suggested that I go on Mirena to help with my heavy, heavy periods. I had it inserted in May 2009. I too have experienced many similar side effects that many of you have mentioned such as tiredness, irritable, bloating, sore joints, foggy thinking, tingling sensation in my fingers(? weird), bloating, no sex drive, bigger breasts (OK, the only plus for me:),nonstop bleeding for about 2 months straight! I have been taking Lexopro for anxiety for several years now and have experienced a little weight gain, but this Mirena has me up to almost 10 lbs. since I started it! I am 5' 2 and have always been an active person. I exercise and try to watch what I eat. Nothing has seemed to work to get the weight off! I was wondering if I was going through pre- or (peri)menopause and it all had to do with my own hormones. Well, I am sure it is the Mirena. I am tired of feeling tired, but I do get out and jog, bike, etc. and ZIPPO has it done for my weight gain! It just makes you so frustrated and upset! My legs are starting to look like sausages. I am definitely having this removed ASAP after reading everyones comments. Thank you for sharing. My husband and I are all done having children, so it's just a matter of finding something to help with the excessive bleeding that I have with my periods. Has anyone ever tried the Novasure procedure yet? I know those who are not done having children would not have this offered as an option to them. It basically removes the endometrial lining. Goodbye hormone treatments for me! Best of luck to all!

I am 39 year old who has had problems with hormones since I got my first period (12 years old). Heavy bleeding, thinking for sure "I was going to die every month" cramps, having to stay out of school for 2 to 3 days a month. I thought after having children(which I was told by doctors) my hormones would get regulated. They did not. Four years ago I was diagnosed with fibroids and got a partial hysterectomy and having no more periods. The doctor put me on hormonal pills(not Yasmin) and I was having problems breathing. So I suffered with a lot of the symptoms listed here until last year September when they found a cyst on the ovary that was left. So I wound up having a full hysterectomy and was put on the Yasmin pill. In the beginning I would get sick on my stomach really bad and I stopped taking them. But, because I was I am full menopause, I swear I was going thru some serious, serious mood swings. So I got back on the pill and started breaking them in half for a month to get my body used to them and now I can take the full dosage. I personally am so happy with this product. My acne has cleared up tremendously and my mood swings are intact. I still may have a few instances if my husband or kids push me to far, I'll let them know in my own way. But it is not as bad as it could be without these pills. I feel bad for those who have really bad reactions to them, but maybe taking half doses until the body gets used to them might help.

extreme hair loss, no sex drive, mood swings/ anger outburst, hot flashes, headaches, tired, depression, etc....

I am 39 yrs old, have been married for five years and have two children with my husband and one from a previous marriage. I am finished having children and after my daughter was born, I decided to have the Mirena inserted (being and labor and delivery nurse, I had heard good things about the Mirena....especially the no periods!) I have had my Mirena since 2/08, didn't have a problem getting it put in, actually was fairly easy. Had bleeding on and off for 2 months after and eventually no periods. I was also breastfeeding at the time. Once I quit breastfeeding I had a period almost a month later and have some break through bleeding here and there (never know when so can't say for sure it is a true period).

Since having it inserted I have had NUMEROUS side effects: hair loss more then I would equate to normal post pregnancy loss and still loosing hair, no sex drive (poor husband, can count the number of times in the last two years on one hand), tired all the time, insomnia to the point I have to take benadryl or ambien to get to sleep, anger/ severe mood swings, weight gain and just over the past few months, my sense of smell is abnormal (almost smells like I have a cigarette/ rubber tire smell constantly and is driving me insane) almost to the point I have convinced myself that I have a brain tumor or something. This may not be related to the Mirena, but nonetheless a "weird" symptom.

My mood swings are awful, almost to the point where I feel bi-polar at times. I was never this way before and was pretty much even tempered. I hate the person I have become, my family takes the brunt of my anger, which is totally not fair to them....I feel like a bad wife and mother. Thankfully my husband is a GREAT man and loves me no matter what. I mention all these things to my OB when I went for my yearly exam, she tried to pass it off to me having four children at home and being a working mom, etc... and prescribed me paxil. I debated back and forth about taking the medication, because I just have a thing about taking antidepressants...this is not me. I am a member of another website called ****** and there is a Mirena side effect support group, so many women have similar complaints and I can't think that this is all just inside of my head. I swear I am going to go crazy or have a nervous break down. I think I will just take my chances and have this Mirena removed. I agree with a previous poster, I would take the symptoms from having a monthly period any day over this, cramps are nothing compared to how I have felt the last 6-8 months.

Those of you that may think this is a bunch of crap, I am glad you are not experiencing the side effects, but I didn't at first, it took almost a good year for the major things to start coming to the surface. I would give anything to be my old self again.

I'm 39 yrs old and I had the Mirena inserted in Sept.of 09. Since I've had this put in, I have a period every 2 weeks and it last for 2 weeks if not longer!!!!! Very annoying....... It seems like I'm always bleeding or discharging and I can't stand it anymore. I've also experienced hair loss, I have always had thick hair and now my hair is getting thin and it hasn't been growing. I'm also experiencing insomnia, my sleep has progressively declined since this was inserted. Now I'm on my second medication to try and get some sleep. I'm tired all the time, extremely moody. I get pissed off all the time over nothing. It is affecting my relationship with a man I'm totally in love with and if something doesn't change I'll end up losing him. Before the Mirena things were great and now they're getting worse and worse. I don't do things with my friends anymore cuz I'm tired all the time and moody and my boyfriend gets the grunt of it all. He has a 5 yr old and I have no patience with her and I've always been really good with kids and I never had such a lack of patience before the Mirena was put in. Needless to say I have an appointment on July 7th to get it out. Oh and did I mention the 15lbs I've gained since I've had it put in. I've never been overweight or had weight issues in my life. Since this has been put in, it seems like I keep gaining weight and it doesn't seem to stop. I go to the gym and do weights and I do a lot of cardio and nothing seems to stop the weight gain. I'm praying that after this evil thing is taken out, I can get back to being my happy self and treat the people around me the way they deserve to be treated. I know some people haven't had any problems with the Mirena, but for me its been a living hell!! No birth control is worth all these side effects. I'm thankful I found this site because I didn't know what the hell was wrong with me until I started reading all the things that other women have experienced that are similar to what I've been going through!

I am a 39 year old mother of two teenager daughters. I had my original Mirena inserted in July, 2002 due to extreme bleeding for many months. I would bleed for about 24 days out of every month and felt horrible. As I was only 32 years old at the time, my GYN did not want to perform a hysterectomy and suggested the Mirena. I bled for a couple of months after insertion, but shortly thereafter I had no bleeding and have had no period ever since. This is the side effect that is fantastic!

Shortly after having the Mirena inserted, my marriage fell apart and I was feeling very depressed, EXTREMELY EXHAUSTED and overall "crappy". I assumed that this was all due to my life circumstances. I gained significant weight in my mid-section, I had (and still have) constant headaches, I am always still very very tired, am dizzy, fuzzy-minded, blurred vision, achey, etc. etc. etc. I never once thought about the Mirena being the cause of any of these symptoms.

My doctor has checked my bloodwork numerous time to ensure my iron levels, etc. were okay as well as my thyroid - every time the results were normal so I thought it must all be in my head and all be due to me being somewhat depressed, etc. due to my marital breakdown.

I had my 2nd Mirena put in in December, 2009 as the first one was in for the full 5 years. It was a little painful getting it taken out and the new one put in, but for me the pain was worth it to continue to be period-free for another 5 years!

Recently I have been experiencing hot flashes and night sweats so I asked my doctor if I could be going through menopause. She ordered bloodwork to check my hormones and informed me last week that yes, in fact I am quite far into menopause!!! (remember, age 39)! Because I have not had a period in almost 6 years, I did have the early warning signs of menopause such as missed or irregular periods.

I wondered why I would be going through it so early so googled "Mirena and early menopause" which brought me to this site. When I started reading all the side effects, I wondered if it was maybe the Mirena that cause a lot my problems over the years and it wasn't in fact the dissolving of my marriage and change in life circumstances.

I now have to decide what to do. My doctor stated that I should (because of my young age) go on Hormone Replacement for quality of life. (I am close to my decision and believe that HRT is beneficial for me) - hopefully this will help with the terrible symptoms of menopause I have been having.

I am wondering if having the Mirena inserted had any part in accelerating my body into menopause. I am thinking of having it removed before starting HRT because even though the doctor told me that there is a very low hormone dosage in the Mirena, I don't want to over-do it with hormones as that could cause me even more problems. It would be amazing if I had it removed that I would feel the way I used to feel back 6 years ago (minus the husband)

FYI, before I had the Mirena inserted the first time I read and re-read the pamphlet which contained all the possible side effects, etc. But, as I stated above, my life changed dramatically very shortly after insertion so it never occurred to me that some of my problems may be related to the Mirena.

If this device does accelerate a woman's body into menopause, this should be well publicized as it would be tragic for young women who use this as a form of contraception early in their life to only find out later that they are no longer able to conceive due to their body going though "the change".

Now you guys have me all paranoid. Are any of you first time mothers because some of these things your are experiencing are also post childbirth side effects. Hair loss, when you are pregnant you stop loosing hair, those couple of hairs you loose every time you comb your hair, well they stop happening but you keep growing more hair hence the fantastic thick pregnant lady hair. Once you have the baby the hair that didn't fall out while you were pregnant finally falls out. Also if you are breastfeeding it can cause you to loose your sex drive, its your bodies way of preventing another pregnancy because pregnancy can make your milk supply dry up and then your baby has nothing to eat! My only symptom that sucks that I KNOW is from Mirena is acne and and that's because of the kind of BC it is, which is just something I have to deal with because its the kind I need that wont mess with my milk supply and my son comes first! I am having no mood swings or depression which is something, if someone's going to get it its going to be me, I was diagnosed depressed and bi-polar and an anxiety disorder all through my teenage years and I'm fine now, maybe a little anxious but that comes with having children!

I do also have back pain but I always get back pain when I have my period and well, I've been on my period for almost 3 weeks now so.. A lot of you just sound like tired over worked Moms.

PS: tiny 35 year old.. your 35, your metabolism slows down with age and with every child you have, you can't eat all you want anymore, I lost that ability with my first child before Mirena, you just have to exchange the oatmeal cream pies for carrot sticks, its what I do.

Hi
I've read quite a few of these listings and i think most of you are from the USA, I'm from the UK and had my Mirena Coil fitted last November and since then I have still had bleeding every 2 weeks like I was before (although not as heavy), I have had awful tummy pain whilst bleeding, my mood swings are awful and the worst of all is that I have completely lost my sex drive which seems to be a common occurrence with us women using this type of birth control.

I'm 42 and have finished having children (I'm actually sterilized so can't have anymore) and had the coil fitted so that it would stop the continual bleeding as it was making me so ill. But it hasn't stopped it at all. Next week I go to see my consultant to see how I have been getting on over that 7 months or so with this coil, and the first thing I will do is to ask him to remove the coil as I want to get back to normal and get my marriage back on track. The second thing I will ask him is to have it all removed completely as been as I don't want and can't have anymore children anyway. I wish I had done this in the first place, but being only 41 at the time, the Consultant wanted me to try other things first.

My advice to anyone would be to give it a try see if it works for you as it does actually work for some women I work with so its just not completable for my body. But please please please don't leave it years before thinking about getting it removed if it doesn't work for you. You know withing the first 6 months whether it will or not, its not going to get any better if it hasn't worked by then.

I'll keep you all posted as to what my Consultant agrees to do next week.

Keep healthy and happy.

I have always trusted the COPPER coil and have been using it for about 10 years now...I got it taken out to have a baby, and was planning on getting "fixed" so I wouldn't have any more, but my doctor said that Mirena was even better, so I figured why not, it'll stop my periods altogether. I've only had mirena for a couple of months now, and I have to say...what everyone says here scares the hell out of me. BEFORE mirena I was on medication for panic attacks and slight depression, and I had no sex drive at all. But so far, believe it or not, I find these things getting better! I wonder if mirena has opposite effects if you've already had the symptoms...I hope so...right now I feel great...I'm becoming me again, the panic attacks have considerably subsided and I feel like I'm digging myself out of the depression...I've been ecstatic! The only real side-effects I've had are cramping one random day and tingling once. Also, I'm not gaining weight, but not losing either. The only annoying thing I find is I have that thick brown discharge instead of a period for 5 or six days, but I'm wondering if my period will stop completely eventually (hopefully) but no matter what I'll take brown sludge any day over an 8 day bledfest.

However, after reading through everyone's comments, I find myself really worried, since I've only had mirena a couple of months and a few of you said that it took like 6 months or so for anything bad to start happening. If that's the case then where will that leave me afterwards? Will my depression get worse?? I don't know what to do, and now I'm pretty nervous.

Ok I Would Like to ask for anyones thoughts on this...and please don't feel like I am attacking anyone but tell me the truth...I am 23 years old I wasn't looking at having children however my beautiful daughter is 7 weeks old and like all of you I had the Mirena inserted last week. I am 5'5 and before I became pregnant I was 113 give or take at the end of my pregnancy I was 155, when I went in to have the mirena placed I was down to 118 and starting to fit in my old jeans again...again I said a week ago. Now like many of you I too have always had problems with my weight I have since my previous marriage I will not go too much into detail but it ended because I was 120. Now I watch my weight VERY closely and when I gain 3 pounds I am spun into a depressed state. When I first had her I was perfect even with 2 hours of sleep a night and a stomach that looked like a big floppy pancake I felt great I loved my motherly body I was not depressed what so ever. Now im not blaming the mirena yet but after reading these post im honestly scared. Before I was pregnant I was on a low hormone pill and I would get horrible migraines to the point where I would faint out of the blue they would strike and down id go Anyway...and please be honest...do you think that people who are prone to these symptoms they are simply intensified not that thats any better but is there anyway to live with them? In my past I sought out therapy and even medical treatment. I ask because My sister has the mirena and so does my neighbor...no weight gain no depression no anger no side effects what so ever. Me I already feel the weight coming on I am no longer anywhere near fitting into my jeans and I haven't eating anything for 3 days I know thats unhealthy but I need to know if this is really the cause...those of you that have had the mirena removed do you honestly feel a big improvement?

I began taking Yasmin when I was 16 to regulate the irregularity and terrible mood swings I was going through. This was in 2004, when Yasmin was very new. I had terrible nausea for the first three months, but after that I was fine. I had clear, healthy skin, and my moods evened out. I was told that it was completely safe and that when I wanted to get off of it to become pregnant there would be no lasting problems. I was great for about two years, and then I began to experience many of the symptoms of pregnancy. I would have pain in my lower abdomen, as well as nausea, mood swings, breast tenderness, and even spotting prior to my period. I consulted with my doctor and she assured me that it was all normal. She explained that my being on birth control was like I was permanently in a state of early pregnancy. She also suspected that I might have ovarian cysts. As a solution to all these problems, she proposed that I try Yaz. So I did for about a year and a half. Then I started experiencing the same symptoms again. I contacted my doctor, and they suggested that the hormones in Yaz were not strong enough to prevent my ovarian cysts from forming. It was at this point that I decided that I should do some investigation of my own. My husband and I decided that I should discontinue all birth control and we would manage my mood problems through diet and behavior modification. I have done this successfully, however, I am just now returning to what I expect is my normal hormone levels. I wanted to get off of birth control because I had found that some women who had used the Depro-Provera shot have taken years to regain fertility, as well as the birth control patch. Because we were planning on having children in the next five years from 2008, we became worried. Since being off birth control (in 2007) it took me until December 2008 to begin having periods that were irregular - meaning that it took me about a year and a half to return to normal cycles. I would not recommend Yaz or Yasmin if you are looking to conceive within 2-3 years. All the side effects listed here are similar to what I experienced, but I think it is up to the individual to decide whether it is worth it. I am now 21 and have acne like I never did when I was a teenager. I think I am now going through adolescence when I should be over all that.

I have been taking Loestrin24 for about 3 years. Starting out I was fine, because I was younger, and having almost no period was awesome. Then I started to get older, and now I am married. My husband and I are talking about having children very soon. I want to stop taking the pill, because I am depressed, gaining weight, bitchy, my contacts aren't working with my eyes anymore, and I am always nauseous. But if I stop taking the pill, my husband and I won't be able to control when we have our baby...If we know what these pills do to our body, the doctors MUST know. Why are we told to take this crap, and why do we? Population control much?

I had mirena inserted in Feb. 2008. Insertion was what I expected. I cramped for 1-2 days after, but it was well controlled with ibuprofen. I spotted for nearly 6 weeks after. The only thing I like about the iud is the lack of a monthly cycle and no cramps.

I am having a terrible time with the weight gain, mood swings and NO libido. Prior to getting the iud, I had been doing weight watcher for over 1 year and had lost 50+ lbs. Since about 2 mos after having it inserted, I have absolutely no control over my appetite and have gained 20+ lbs. The mood swings I am experiencing are terrible. I could cry almost every day. I have tried to convince myself that these things were not b/c of the mirena, but due to the stress of dealing with toddlers. After seeing the posts here, it looks like I'm not alone.

As a nurse, I try to believe that the mirena shouldn't cause such adverse reactions, but I have never felt like I feel now. I want to have it removed, but not until my husband has a vasectomy. I don't want to have it taken out just to have to start back on pills. We are done having children, and I want to be done with birth control.

Everyone reacts differently to medications/treatments, so the mirena may be just what some women are looking for, but I don't think it is for me.

I had mine put in March 2nd, and I'm 20 and have not had children yet, but I am married. The called and made sure it was alright to do it without having children and the nurse said it was common. She didn't tell me that they were going to cause me to scream out in pain and cry while they sized me and then repeat that action while putting it in. Thank God they gave me 4 ibuprofen hours before that! The initial pain dulled out any cramps I had the first day, and the rest of the week was a breeze! I've been looking forward to this freedom for a long time.

Into my 3rd week now and I'm developing a few side effects, it began with these contractions that feel like I'm about to give birth to a set of knives. It's like I can feel exactly where it is and I can feel the plastic jabbing me (though I highly doubt that's the case, although I'd like to know & should probably have it checked out). I get these sharp, sharp shooting pains in my uterus and it makes my heart hurt at the same time. It takes my breath away. They come and go though. Hopefully I'll get used to it and the back pains and mild hair loss.

I consider myself lucky though, I can't take the pill because I suffer from migraines and mood changes but this hasn't given me any of those. I actually feel like I have energy. Just the sharp pains rarely stop now.

I have 3 children. My last was born in October of 2003. Mirena inserted December 2003. It has been the "best thing since sliced bread" for me. I never had any significant side effects and it completely wiped out my period.( Ive always had a light flow anyway and never any cramps- yeah I'm lucky) and I of course never got pregnant over the 5 years it was in. I just had it replaced yesterday.

I think that having a light period & previously having children helped in my situation and maybe that is the case for those of us that have no issues.

I also think that having it inserted shortly after giving birth may have allowed me to chalk up some side effects to post partum. But still, nothing that I can remember.

I'm bummed to see so many complaints because it really has been a great experience for me.

Good Luck All.

coincidentally, i have had two mirena put in, one five years ago then had it removed three years later, then another in august 2007. and within twelve months ended up on antidepressants. with severe depression. i have the hair loss, bloating, cramping, sooo tired all the time, i thought i had glandular fever again as i had it in highschool. but was tested and result was negative. anxiety,heart palpitations, weight gain, (lots) previously ii have never had problems with my weight. i just attributed it to body changes after having children? antidepressants helped with the depression and the moodiness, but not the heart palpitations. have worn a heart monitor several times with inconclusive results, no explanation. my friend was talking to her friend and she is a pediatric nurse, she was describing the same symptoms as me. and put me onto this forum and also a website showing all the side effects from mirena. if this info is correct, it attributes all of my symptoms to the mirena. i had it removed on December 12 2008. no significant changes yet but am hoping for some changes shortly! i know everyone reacts differently to things, but we all have very similar things,in common. so this has to show something if anyone has any suggestions on what we may be able to do about this, let me know. i would be interested in helping others withe same situation. the link on this page about side effects , rates them from very common, to rare. and most of these symptoms we are describing are common. so how safe can this devise really be??? anyway thats my story hope it helps someone, even just for the realization of "it's not me!!"

I got Mirena inserted today. I'm 18 years old and I'm a senior. Me and my Fiance decided it was the best route for us. Since our lives are on the right pathway to success. An , I plan to attend college in the fall. It hurt, and was very uncomfortable , on account I wasn't on my period, and haven't ever had a child. Was a little awkward, but then again beats taking the pill everyday. An helps with future planning , like having children. So, hopefully in the end I will see good results, and hope for the best !

I am 20 years old and had the mirena put in about a year ago. I experienced bad cramping, bleeding off and on, terrible weight gain, and depression. About 7 months after my mirena, I was put on Lexapro for depression. A couple of months ago, I was having severe cramping and I went back to my doctor, they did an ultrasound and found a cyst on my right ovary...I was supposed to go back three weeks later. The next week, I was cramping soooo bad that I called back to the doctor and they did another ultrasound...now there were two cysts on my right ovary. I had laproscopic surgery two weeks ago Friday. During this surgery they found a dermoid cyst on my left ovary they couldn't remove it, so I went for the second surgery last Friday...They had to remove my left ovary and the cyst was the size of a softball. My chances on having children are slim. My mom looked on the internet and found that a lawsuit had been filed in Portland, OR by ATTORNEY ******. They are supposed to be calling us back this week. If anyone is interested, please give her a call. The more we have call this attorney, then we may get a class action lawsuit started.

I got my Mirena inserted in May 2008. I thought this was great since I am horrible at remembering to take the pill. I am 29 and have tried numerous BC. According to my GYN at the time, I was informed I would not experience weight gain and very minimal periods along with occasional cramping. I understand everyone is different. Well, the weight gain was much a lie as I have gained 40 pounds since the Mirena was inserted. My lifestyle has not changed. It took me a year and a half to loose 60 pounds and 6 months to put most of it back on. I encounter two periods a month and they last 7 days. The cramping can be horrendous. I am more tired than I usually would be but being a mother of two I do not have time to think about it. What concerns me the most is after intercourse I experience horrible sharp uterine pains and I begin to bleed. I feel the Mirena poke/stab me during intercourse but try not to let it affect mine and my partners relationship. Don't get me wrong, he is very understanding. The last time we had intercourse (2 days ago) I experienced strange clots which seem to be a bit more than just blood clots and since then I have had a pain around my left ovary area. It has left my lower abdomen area tender. I made an appt. in 2 weeks to have the Mirena removed. Have anyone experienced the after intercourse pain and/or bleeding?

I havent tried Nuvaring yet.... I just got back from the doctor with some free samples. I'm on the Ortho Evra patch currently and I have side effects that made me concerned enough to try something different. I was on the Depo shot for 4 years. I decided to get off of it after I had cycts removed from my ovaries and had pre cancerous cells removed. Which the doctors said would lower my chances of having children. I decided to take a whole year off of birth control. To give my body a chance to "recover". The only problem I had was my periods kept getting longer and longer and more frequent. Next thing I know the doctors tell me I have Polycystic Ovarian Disease. Which also lowers the chance of having children because of the irregular bleeding. The pill makes me so nautious I couldn't stand it so I thought I'd try the patch. Now I have menstrual cramps when I'm not ovulating, I'm so moody its not even funny, I'm eating all the time and tired 24/7. The only thing it did do was regulate my period. Which is what I wanted... But I've only been on it for two months. My doctor told me you cant even feel the Nuvaring and it has a low dose of estrogen so I wont be moody. But reading all of the comments and stories.... I think I'm just going to not be on any birth control and see if my body naturally regulates itself. If I was using the birth control just to avoid pregnancy it would be different, I would want to be on at least something. But I'm glad to know I'm not the only one that thinks birth control is evil and causes alot more problems than doctors tell you. So I think I'm just gonna toss my free samples of Nuvaring, get off the patch and see what my body does naturally.

Hello everyone! I just want to thank each and every one of you for your postings. On more than one occasion I would come to this site because without all of you I probably would have truly lost my mind. I just want to give a brief history of what's been going on with me because if it can help one other person then it's all worth it. In 2005, I go vaccinated for chickenpox, I work in health care, never had them, and wanted to start having children since I'm 36. A month after the vaccine I broke out in a horrific rash ALL OVER and had it until April of 2008. I went to the hospital where I had the vaccine, 5 dermatologists, 3 Infectious Disease, various medical doctors and no one knew what it was. This April, I was admitted to the hospital with Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia. After 3 hematologists, the last one feels the vaccine threw my immune system into a tizzy. I started with 60mg of Prednisone and eventually got down to 2.5mg. The hemolysis(body produces antibodies that attacks it own body) started again so I went to a new Hematologist and was put back up to 30mg and just got put down to 10mg today. Right now my biggest concern is the hair loss. I use to have such thick hair and now I cry almost daily because I loose so much. I am going to try the Ensure like someone posted just to see if that helps. I drink protein shakes, take Silica, multivitamins (Solgar) that have biotin, and going to try Nioxin shampoo. I have terrible mood swings and now I feel like I am going through withdrawal. It's almost like I want to take more just to feel better. I know that sounds crazy. The big fat moon face, my joints feel like they pop out, confused easily, can't sleep, and just can't really leave my house and live a normal life since April. I HATE IT!!! The only thing that helps me feel better when the daily prednisone "kicks in" is walking and exercising. I feel so bad for everyone this drug is just awful. I get angry because not one person told me what life was going to be like on prednisone. I think that is just mean. That's why these postings are so important. I know this is entirely to long but I feel so much better getting my story out there. Did everyone's hair eventually grow back. I don't know if I will have any left next month. Thank you all so much.
GG

i had the iud since sept 2006 and had it removed last week. i had felt it the entire time ive had it. id go thru hell with cramping and no bleeding. my weight would fluctuate from 135 to 150 in a matter of days, i haven't been able to get back down to my pregnancy weight of 117. i was so depressed that i tried to commit suicide. id cramp and bleed after sex, during i could feel it sometimes my husband could too. i had migraines that would last for days multiple times a week. my eyelashes, brows and hair has thinned out a lot. my skin is horrid with acne that would last for months with the same break out. i was bloated all the time. i was super moody, didn't have patients for anything or anyone. i am usually a pretty layed back person on mirena i was completely opposite, im surprised my husband hung in there! i was constantly constipated, frequent urges to pee, didn't want to out outside. when i was having it removed, my doctor couldn't find the strings, luckily she found them. my experience with mirena was horrible. i don't recommend it to anyone. after it was removed my stomach felt so much better. wasn't constipated, didn't feel a hard uterus, the pain that would shoot down to my feet stopped. my doctor did tell me i might have a mini period, which i am now. but im telling you i feel a lot better now that it is out of my body. if you knew me while i was using the IUD, you would think i am a different person now. i wish i had never gotten it in the first place...

Hi, I have been taking Yaz for about 6 months. I struggle with PMDD. I was really nervous to try as I've heard horrible things from all of these forums. However, I noticed IMMEDIATE improvement in my irritability, rage, crying, insecurity. For the first time since having children, I feel confident, and my moods are steady through the whole month. My periods are also only 2 days and very light! The only complaint I have is that my sex drive is completely gone. So, I feel I need to make a choice between "faking i'm interested" or keeping my emotions in check.

Most of us that use this seem to have it inserted soon after delivering our babies. Therefore it makes us wonder if it is postpartum depression or the IUD.
I had mind inserted on Aug 1 2008. I started back to work on Aug 4, 12 weeks postpartum. I kept thinking I was feeling so tired, depressed, tons of anxiety, basically not like myself at all, because of my new schedule of being a working mom. Well it has been only about 3 weeks and everyday I feel dizzy and tired at work. I have ridiculous anxiety that people are going to try to turn my baby against me. I have constant anxiety about my mother in law, when before she never really bothered me. I would consider myself severely depressed a lot of the time. We all have so many changes going on with having children but it does seem that it might be the IUD. I'll probably have it removed because I would rather have more children than be worthless to my family. I wanted to wait 5 years before having number 2... but do I want to be depressed and anxious all the time during my sons baby years? No thanks!