Insertion symptoms and conditions

I have been using Mirena for 6 years now and I have been having all the same symptoms as many of you. Frightenly I also found another website about women just like us complaining about the same things we are complaining about but what is worse is that for many of them they were thrown into early menopause because of this IUD. One as young as 25 years old, I'm only 33 but I feel horrible ever since insertion. Tomorrow I am going to have a blood test done to see if that's what's happening to me, then I am having this thing taken out.

Here is the website: ******

I had my son Oct 2008 and had Mirena inserted at my 6 week postnatal checkup. At that point I had lost about 15 lbs of baby weight and was feeling pretty darn good for just having a baby.

Since then I have gained back the 15 lbs plus 15 more despite exercising and dieting and NURSING for 11 months! I have had blurry vision, no sex drive, migraines, acne on my face and arms?!?!, and just been all around grumpy. I have also been diagnosed as hypothyroid since being on this - I don't know for sure if it is related to Mirena, but I do know that I was tested for it before becoming pregnant with my miracle baby because my husband and I were declared infertile!

I have spotted almost the entire time despite not having a "real" period since before my son was born. I do not want any more children (12 year old girl and 1 year old boy keep me pretty darn busy), but decided to take out the mirena after reading this site and seeing that other women have had the same issues. Removed on Tuesday (Nov 10) and guess what - I already feel better! There was no pain getting it removed and no cramping, unlike the insertion process.

I am looking forward to seeing the other side effects disappear. I wish that my OB would have focused more on possible side effects instead of how simple it would be. The past year has been a personal hell for me when it should have been one of the happiest times of my life! I hope that the rest of you find this helpful:) Good luck!

I had Mirena inserted in May 2009. I did not have much pain at all with insertion, just minor cramping. I did bleed for almost 3 months after insertion though it was fairly light. After that I have only had 2 periods. They were fairly light and lasted about 3 weeks each. Then it seems like forever till I have another one...I should really be keeping track. But it seems like I go every other month and have a period. Sometimes I think I'm pregnant because my breasts get tender and Ive never been able to feel my string! It makes me nervous. Also I have terrible acne, and I never want to have sex! Don't know if that has anything to do with mirena but I want to blame it on something!
So my experience hasn't been a horrible one, and I enjoy not taking a pill all the time. But I'm thinking there still could be bad to come since it's only been 6 months ish. Are we supposed to get mirena check ups every so often? My doctors never said or scheduled anything about it. Well thanks.

I had been on Depo for basically 14 years, I came off of it, got pregnant 3 months later and after the birth went back on it. I had gained a lot of weight with it and had all the side effects plus so when I saw mirena I thought finally something better for me. I had it inserted in aug 2008. Other than painful insertion, like labor delivery contractions the rest of that day and some the next everything was fine. I didn't get my periods back, the only thing I liked about depo, and my weight was coming off and I was actually wanting and enjoying sex again. . A year later, and 15 lbs less, thought I was still doing good. Well I thought maybe my teenage daughter had jinxed me because I was bragging about still not having a period and I started, well a week later I am still having some sort of a period. It's very light and spotty, just when you think it's gone away, well there it is again. I have been noticing vision issues, I figured it was from where I had lasic done several years ago was starting to go but after reading everyone else's posts I think that's not it now. Everything I was experiencing, the back pain, blurry eyes, feeling sad, lower abdominal pain, I made an excuse for until now. I have recently started to loose my sex drive again. I hadn't had any, or so I thought, problems until several weeks ago. My problem is I can't take the pill, I don't want the depo back because of the side effects, the patch won't work for me so I am not sure what is left for me to take, I saved up for this and put so much money into it and now after reading everyone else's post realize that this BC is not for me either.

I'm on my 6th day of Mirena. I just had sex for the first time since insertion. I noticed that the threads are curled up and behind my cervix, rather than to the side where they have been every day.

What I'm really writing about is; starting yesterday I've had this lump feeling in my throat. it makes me want to gag and I cannot make it go away. I had this when on Yasmin. I developed a severe allergy to Yasmin and my entire face swelled. But it started with the lump in throat feeling. I have also had ringing in the ears all day, I even have it now. I haven't had that in years.

I'm on my 6th day of Mirena. I just had sex for the first time since insertion. I noticed that the threads are curled up and behind my cervix, rather than to the side where they have been every day.

What I'm really writing about is; starting yesterday I've had this lump feeling in my throat. it makes me want to gag and I cannot make it go away. I had this when on Yasmin. I developed a severe allergy to Yasmin and my entire face swelled. But it started with the lump in throat feeling. I have also had ringing in the ears all day, I even have it now. I haven't had that in years.

Is anyone/has anyone experienced this side effect? You would definitely know if you have it. It feels like something is in my throat.

my insertion was so bad i literally almost kicked the doctor as an instant reaction and yelled a cuss word... i had a c section delivery so pain full doesn't even describe that pain it was unbearable.. but the cramping starting the moment after insertion to about a month ago was i think worse then the c section pain id be at work almost on the floor in a ball crying in pain and the doctor said take Tylenol it will go away and nevvvvver did... i still get random cramps and sharp pains

i never had bv until i was pregnant during the pregnancy i had it one time and thought it was gone... after i got the mirena put in ive have 4 cases of bv this is November., and 3 uti's.. i got the mirena in march i believe... that is not good for my body to be on antibiotics like that ... lately ive been having terrrrrible pain when i pee like above my pubic bone.. my first thought was a uti ... went to er hoping to get an antibiotic once again... blood urine ctscan everything was normal... er doctor said its probably my mirena and i should get it taken out... i called my obgyn and she insisted i keep it in and thats not the mirena giving me those pains!!! why are these doctors so against taking it out i mean i'll get on the pill i don't care i thought the mirena would be handy u know not worrying about missing a pilll!!! wellllll i wish would have never decided to get it in ive had painful sex , very emotional, pain in general, it terrible...

alssssso my boyfriend and i obviously do not use condoms bc the birth control... now we have to use them bc hes been having a burning sensation when he pees like so bad and painful to where his legs almost buckle ... he was talking to his best friend about it and he said hes experiencing the sammmmme thing and his girl is on mirena ... they've come to the conclusion theyyyy are having a reaction to the hormone released from the mirena and it makes complete sense i don't care condom or no condom it doesn't bother me... but its the fact ... he said he felt it at one point which the doctor said your boyfriend shouldn't feel a thing... sorry if thats tmi but while having sex i feel it bad and it ruins the mood for sex with me at least...

i didn't have a pd for roughly 3 months now its heavy and clotty... then the next day nothing then the next clotty again im soooooo sick of it thank god i stumbled across this sight in search if the reaction my man was having... but now i don't feel alone for all my problems ive been having!!!!

I don't have any new side effects; they're the same as everyone has mentioned. I feel so unhappy almost all of the time. I have experienced the fluttering in my stomach, which looks like I'm 5 months pregnant. Diet and exercise aren't working to take away the 20lbs I've gained. And the acne is annoying. Everyday I get a new pimple. I know that Proactive works because I used it prior to my November 2007 insertion of Mirena. After reading the comments listed on this site, I have decided to have it removed. I'm tired of being tired, sad and popping pimples. I also had a vibrating feeling in my right foot for about a week; Mirena related? Don't know for sure. Good Luck ladies! And thanks so much for your posts.

I'm a 20 year old female, 125 lbs, exercise everyday, and eat very well. I recently had an the mirena IUD put in after a year on depo provera. I cramped for about a week after insertion and then started to have pain on the left side near my pubic bone. I also was having nausea, blurry vision, difficultly focusing my eyes, dizziness, severe chest pains, and a pin prick sensation along with hot flashes all over my body. After finding this site, I called my doctor who didn't believe that the mirena was causing this, even though many of these are listed as severe side effects. I'm a 20 year old woman! Why would i suddenly develop some disease that made me feel this way? Despite her claims that the mirena wasn't responsible, the chest pains were unbearable and the uterine pain was shooting down my legs. I demanded to have it out. One day later the uterine pain was significantly better and my vision was back to normal. I still have slight chest pains but they have diminished appropriately. the hormone in mirena has a half life of about a day and a half so in two days it should be completely out of my system and the chest pains should subside. To conclude, if you are having these side effects and have no other conditions, try getting the mirena removed. It fixed me completely.

I am 49 years old and got the Mirena for heavy bleeding / perimenopause systems. I was told I would probably stop having periods a couple months after insertion and that appealed to me. I had it put in place on Friday October 30. Insertion was uncomfortable but over quickly and I did not bleed much as a result. I woke up Saturday nauseous with a head ache and tingly feelings in my extremities. I also felt this thing inside me. I laid on my side, I could feel it. I felt a heaviness inside. I took tylenol and Pepto for headaches and nausea but it persisted. I felt very tired and my skin itched. Sunday the same thing. Tingling, headache, nausea and the sensation of having a foreign object inside. My abdomen hurt too. I took tylenol and Pepto but as the day went on I felt worse. I wanted it out! I called a Consulting Nurse who recommended I go to Urgent Care. I went to Urgent Care last night. My blood pressure was very high as well. The Dr said it was a reaction to the hormone. I got the think taken out and felt immediately better. Today my skin itches but that will go away. I have decided to try natural Progesterone cream and other natural methods vs. synthetic hormones.

Mirena the BANE of our existence! I had mine put in January 2009 and then taken out this week. I thought maybe I should ride it out for awhile, see if some of the problems went away with time... and to be honest some of them did. The acne subsided, the cramps lessened and the periods became virtually non-existent. However, the headaches, the mood swings, the tiredness and depression and not to mention 20lbs along with boobs that went from C to DD, I couldn't handle them anymore. Removal was uncomfortable but 1/8 of the pain of insertion. I had some clotting but it only lasted a couple hours. I have been experiencing a crash in emotions but nothing worse than a "bad" day with Mirena. The only real problem I have run into was the PA that removed it. Please learn from this experience and don't become discouraged by ignorant and book smart doctors...
My doctor had the audacity to tell me that all of these "symptoms" were probably my body returning to it's natural state, that is to the way it was before I ever went on birth control. I was on Ortho for 8 years before I decided to give myself a break and insert. So what this woman was telling me was that there were no documented side effects to legitimize my issues. She was saying in no certain terms that from the ages of 13-18 before BC, I was fat, moody, irrational, with acne, craps and gigantic breasts. I was offended to say the least and tensely asked her to take it out and put me back on the pill. Now I am just praying I don't experience another catastrophe with whatever this "woman" has decided to prescribe me. You can be sure I will be doing my research before putting anything else into my system. Thank you ladies for your honesty and thank you medications.com.

I was literally in tears when I found this site and read all of your posts. It was as if I was reading something I HAD WRITTEN. Having just returned from getting a CT scan of my head, I started researching "causes of severe headaches not related to migraines" and lo and behold this site popped up in my search. What caught my attention was the word "Mirena". Up until today I had never even considered that all of the issues I have been having since the birth of my daughter in August 2008, were in any way related to Mirena. When my daughter was about 2 months old (after my 8 week check up and insertion of the implant) I became extremely moody, sad, social anxiety kicked in, I cried for no reason, had no desire to talk to anyone, not even my husband - VERY unlike my personality. After talking to my doctor it was determined I had post partum depression so I was prescribed zoloft. Didn't work. Was still irritable and lethargic but maternity leave was up so I went back to work. I was exhausted, couldn't process my thoughts, was constantly dizzy and had blurred vision and it was all attributed to the "baby schedule (nightly feedings, no solid sleep, adjusting to schedule, etc.). My mood swings were out of control and it got to the point that I even through a knive (albeit a butter knife) at my husband. I began seeing a psychiatrist who determined I had mild bipolar disorder so he put me on medication for that. It has helped some but still doesn't control my crying spells or occasional outbursts. Recently I was so dizzy that I saw my ENT doctor who said I had vertigo. I was prescribed something for that. Still, I am dizzy and feel off balance. Most recently, I have had severe, severe, severe headaches and though there is a great possibility it is a viral issue, I was ordered to have blood drawn and to obtain a CT scan. Nothing much revealed so we set an appointment to see an neurologist next week. So, because of the worry over it, I started doing an internet search and her I am. Reading these posts brought on an overwhelming sadness because my poor family has had to endure my wrath for past 12 months. I am so angry that I didn't see this sooner and moreso that their !@#@#$% side effects didn't list ANY OF THESE discussed here. Additionally, my hair has been falling out in clumps and I can't seem to lose weight despite my 1500 calorie diet and exercise.
I made an appointment TODAY to have it removed. If I could yank it out myself I would. Thank you all for your posts. You may have just saved my marriage and my life.

I had the Mirena put in 2 yrs 9 months ago. I had continual spotting for about 6 weeks after insertion, which was really annoying but they did tell me to expect that. For 2 years I noticed a couple of side effects...some cramping and the belly flutters (which is so weird to hear of other people having them because I thought I was just crazy!!!) And the acne..oh, the acne! Also I haven't been able to lose weight very easily, even with dieting. All these things were ok side effects to me. But now after 2 and a half years the side effects have gotten a lot worse. I kept telling my husband that I was sorry, I just couldn't' understand why I can't get motivated to do anything besides sit around. I am bloated all the time and crampy. Not just cramps but I'll have sharp pains in my uterine area. I went in for my annual exam and they said the strings were where they belonged. Prior to that exam, I was having light 2 day periods regularly. Since then, I have been bleeding (some heavily, some light) for SIX WEEKS straight along with having cramps and fatigue and the missing motivation has gotten even worse. It is coming out tomorrow morning. This is not worth it at ALL!

Wow glad I'm not alone. Had mine inserted after giving birth to my first child, 8 weeks later. Insertion was terrible, awful, all others have described. I'm breastfeeding so my doctor said I could bleed for up to 3 months on and on, and it was about that until it stopped. In the beginning i felt as though it was tickling me which could have been in my head but that's what I remember. But recently Ive been having horrible cramping that seems totally random. Insane mood swings. One minute I will depressed and thinking to myself do I really love my husband and feeling my life is meaningless to the next minute wanted to have crazy wild sex. My husband is starting to worry about my crazy mood swings and depressions. I have nothing to be depressed about my life is great but I continually find myself feeling that way. It's terrible. Not to mention I can't sleep anymore hence it's 4am and I researching mirena side effects. I can't wait to get this thing out of me. My advice my first child was a surprise and I really really can't afford another kid any time soon, but this mirena crap ain't worth it, AT ALL. Beware do not get it!

I just had a mirena put in on Thursday, after the recommendation of the obgyn (she said she had one).
When I was asking my questions I was concerned about the acne, since I never really had it in my life and the possible headaches. BUT reading the above postings is not very encouraging: low libido, weight gain, mood swings. I will surely be back to post the results after a month.
Note: I have not had children, but since I was prone to severe pain/length of periods that is how mirena was suggested.
INSERTION was excruciating! "3 small cramps" was in fact pain that left me quivering and in shock. Doctor's need to be more transparent about the insertion process (especially if you have not had kids).
I will be back after my 4 week check up with the latest report. (and if need be, I will be assertive in the removal demand.)
Thank you so much, ladies.

I had mine removed this week - thank the lord above!!! However, it has been rough and be forewarned that I experienced horrific cramping and HEAVY bleeding for nearly five days. I also had terrible back pains and some pain down my legs as well as some mental fogginess. I only had it in about one month and had gained 3 pounds and outgrown my bras! So now, two boxes of tampons later, I finally stopped bleeding altogether about 24 hours ago and the cramping has subsided. I feel mentally clearer and, believe it or not, have some semblance of libido - my husband is thrilled!

I am exploring other options for managing hormonal changes in perimenopause - including evening primrose oil and am still doing lots of yoga (even during the pain periods I did lots of yoga to help me manage)...Mainly, I feel so betrayed by the doctors (two women half my age) who insisted my symptoms were "all in my head" - to those of you planning for removal I encourage you to tell the medical professionals you work with that you are NOT crazy and NOT the only one experiencing these side effects. I personally believe that many women get too much progestin in the Mirena (which is not Progesterone, either) and this, in addition to overloading our estrogen, is enough to make us completely insane and miserable. I say let nature work its course as regards my own perimenopause and to those out there using Mirena for birth control I managed to avoid pregnancy with little concern using natural/rhythm methods and condoms as well as a diaphragm, conceiving my two beautiful (now teenage) sons without any intervention from hormones except my own. I am going to do peri and menopause the same way here on out. !!!!

Would love to hear how long it took for weight and stomach fat to go away after the removal from anyone who has been there - I eat very healthfully and exercise daily so I knew the pregnant look I got after that month with the Mirena was not due to one too many cookies )as my doctor seemed to infer !

I think that I finally figured out why I am so physically and mentally sick. I received the mirena almost 2 years ago and I was a true advocate of the product...I love it!! About 6 months ago I started to have panic attacks and anxiety (i have never experienced this before) it was so bad that I barely made it to work everyday and could no longer handle being out in public. My PCP placed me on different types of anti-depressants (which made me depressed). Currently I take Budeprion which has decreased my anxiety but I do not feel like myself. The past month and a half I wake up with the feeling of morning sickness (the numerous pregnancy test say that I am not), have headaches, low energy levels and little motivation. I was pretty sure that my hormones levels must be "off" but my PCP and OB insisted that there is no way that my symptoms have anything to do with my hormones because my child is almost 2 years old and I am 29 years old. I have gone through numerous tests on my gallbladder and other organs to find the cause of these symptoms that I have and Everything is Fine. After reading the stories on this website I now know that I do not need anti-depressants and I am not going crazy...I just need to get the Mirena removed.

I have had my Mirena for 3 yrs. (Oct 2006) For a long time my doctor, nurse and I joked about how I was the poster girl for this product. I didn't have much cramping with insertion, had one slight period a month later, and have been period free since December '06.

A few months later I broke out with the cystic acne and they put me on Yaz. It seemed to help for about 6mths. I then went off the Yaz and was fine for a few months, until I broke out again. This time Yaz didn't work. I've delt with them ever since. In the mean time I started having troubles falling to sleep. It was very sporadic at first until this past Jan. (09) My doctor put me on 10mg of generic Ambien. In July she cut me off. I had a full blown panic attack! The next day I contacted another dr who doesn't have a problem with me being on them. She put me on several anti-depressants until we found one that seems to be helping.

I have always been a people person, full of life and love for everyone! Now, I dread going to the store, or taking my boys (11,9 & 4) to soccer practice/games!

My husband has mentioned from time to time that I complain of a lot of headaches. Come to think of it now, they happen nearly every day to one extent or another!

I've been researching the Mirena the last couple of days because of the acne and sleeplessness. MOST posts talk about the symptoms beginning right away, making me think I was crazy and just looking for a reason to feel this way!

My husband has been my rock and is very supportive of me. He has no problems with me taking it out, but will NOT get the sweet lil V done! ugh If I can get this out and have the acne clear up. I'd be HAPPY!

First symptoms: Acne
Then: Sleeplessness, Headaches, back pain especially lower, mood swings, anxiety/depression, oily hair, uncontrollable crying... I'm sure I could go on. The symptoms don't have to be instant. In my case they came slowly...

GOD BLESS!

I have to say I am SHOCKED over this site but had to read every bit of it. I am a TRUE believer in the Mirena and until I came across this site while searching for sites to send a friend to encourage the Mirena I never knew how many horrible things could happen for someone on the Mirena. HOWEVER, I guess this is proof when with any type of birth control including Mirena it is said it's not for everyone. I happen to LOVE mine. I'm actually on my 2nd insertion. My first one went very well, after a crampy insertion and 2 days of horrible cramps controlled by ibuprofin I was left to enjoy 5 years of birth control w/out problems. I can't take the pill as no matter the dose I spend the 1st to weeks nauseated and vomiting in the morning, I tried the Depo Shot (personally that is the EVIL OF ALL EVIL birth control methods, gained 68 pounds in 11mnts never going over 105 pounds except for pregnancy in my life, have battled to control my weight since therefore I believe it destroyed my metabolism forever, major depression to the point of medication and medical leave from work & the world). And after an accident pregnancy no way was condoms going to be enough for me. My Dr. recommended Mirena and I gave it a try. I was not lucky enough to go period free my first insertion I did have a max of 3 days of period with little or no cramping. My second not as good, I now have about 5 days of spotting only if sex promotes it and occasionally after using the bathroom a little blood on the toilet paper, never needing to actually use any feminine products. I use to get ovarian cysts all the time, small enough surgery was only needed once but I knew when one was there and I knew one they "popped" as my doctor would call it. I haven't had that problem since I started with Mirena, I'm told its due to the small amount of hormones (hence the reason my Dr suggested Mirena versus a non hormone IUD). My sex drive has not been affected one bit...in fact like one of the positive posts I just read...my husband and I have discussed more then once prior to coming across this site how much more of a sex drive I do have, although we contributed it to not being pulled down in the dark world of depression from the Depo shot...and the freedom of placed once & forget for 5 years type birth control. I have 8 friends and coworkers that have the Mirena...One person had a problem, hers "fell out" in the toilet and she had been cramping and in abdominal pain for a few days prior not connecting it to her Mirena...but after 2 months of other methods she had another one placed and has had no problem since...that was 2 years ago. It stinks to hear how horrible this "wonder bc method" is for others...(are you seeing how terrible the other methods were for me first for me to feel this is the wonder of all wonders) and of course I'm concerned with the fact that most of you that had a problem had SEVERE problems..not just a small one here or there. But I'm going to bet that on the flip side the methods that caused me hell might work for one of you. I have 2 more years left on this 2nd cycle...I pray I never have the problems you do if I chose a 3rd insertion...however, with science today we can only hope your complaints are taken seriously and the makers of Mirena continue to improve so that less and less people run into these side effects. I'm not sure I would have another option...SCARY!

This is my Mirena story. I got it inserted just over 4 months ago. Other birth controls were not working very well for me, as I had irregular bleeding with them often. So my doctor recommended Mirena. Insertino was awful. It hurt terribly. I almost passed out in the office from the pain (and I am not a wuss when it comes to pain). On the drive home I had to pull over to throw up - I was so nauseous from the pain. The extreme pain (which, to me, was worse than when I was in labor) lasted for a few days then subsided.

I bled for 30 days straight after insertion, which was awful. I also have experienced hair loss, acne, irritability and weight gain (without changing my diet and exercise levels). Over the past four months I have also had awful back pain and extreme cramps that seem to come randomly. My periods come and last 10 days.

Recently, I decided that I'd had it with the Mirena. I went to the doctor today and had it removed. After talking with her about my side effects, she was very supportive in my decision to have it removed. She believes I may be overly sensitive to the progestin in it. Removal was super-quick and easy and virtually painless. I'm looking forward to life without this thing!

My name is Amanda, I'm 21 yrs old, engaged and having some problems:
I had mirena put in December, 2008 and had a horrible first night. My cramps were terrible for at least 5 hrs. After that I had no problems other than really odd cycles (on for 10 days, off for 3 months, on for 4 days, etc)
I hadn't thought my other problems were due to this iud but now think otherwise and am seriously wanting it removed. I've been very irritable, bloated, exhausted, can't sleep at all at night until 6 am then finally sleep till 1 pm... I have absolutely NO SEX DRIVE (odd because my fiancé were very happy with our sex lives , now it's maybe once if that).
My fiancé says this is a very good form of B.C. Because we never have sex... Hahaha. I don't have any cramps but do get unusual headaches (right temple, extremely sharp pain) ...
If i knew for sure that these symptoms weren't from mirena, I'd keep it... But now am going to get it removed and get back on the shot...
Let me know if anyone has anything to help me out with the sex drive thing!!!

Does it hurt to get mirena removed?

Will my sex drive return?????
I'm only 21 and am getting married in sept 2010 (hopefully ... Haha) ...
Thanks, A.

After almost a year to date....I am experiencing a lot of the side effects lately that almost everyone has posted. I have two beautiful daughters and a loving husband. Here is my story. I had it put in Oct of 2008. I had not been on BC before b/c we were purposely starting a family. Well, I had it put in because I ended up getting pregnant for the 3rd time after having my 3month old (second child). Being pregnant so soon after giving birth was such an emotional roller coaster and caused a lot of stress for us both. Unfortunately I ended up having a miscarriage after 3months. When that happened, we decided that I needed an effective BC that I didn't have to think about everyday because I already had a 3month old and a 20 mo running around. This is what led us to getting the Mirena. So NOW that I stumbled upon this forum, I realized that I had been through a lot of the side effects that others have. I thought it was "normal" to go through what I did. At times, I thought it was my imagination. And now, I wish I would have spoken up about it sooner. I bled for 6 months straight thinking that this is what I had to go through to have years of light or no periods at all. It def put a wedge in my sex life with the hubby and not to mention my libido has been next to nothing. After the first 8 weeks of insertion, my hair fell out, but I blew it off because I thought it was due to the stress of the kids and the miscarriage. It fell out so terribly that I had to get a new hair cut to even it out. Fast forward to May of 2009, finally, my period is starting to last only 7 days and not like 3 weeks. Next thing you know, we are smooth sailing. Libido hasn't moved up a notch, but at least I knew when my period would come and how long it would last so that my hubby and I could have intimacy for once. Everything was fine all summer all the way up to last month (Sept 2009). Present day, now all of a sudden, my period has not shown up. Last time it came was 6weeks ago in Sept.. Kid you not, I'm having all the same symptoms of all my pregnancies. All last week including today I have had the following symptoms:
-Extreme dizziness with nausea
-Severe abdominal pain-like a sharp piercing pain on the left side
-lower back pain every single morning
-nose bleeds everyday, sometimes twice in a day
-increased appetite
-Extreme fatigue like I need to take a 2 hour nap
-adrenaline flashes
....So, after 7 days of this I called my OB today since she was on call and asked if I should go to the emergency. She decided that she wants to see me at her practice first thing tomorrow morning. In the meantime, she asked me to take a hpt. It was negative. But guess what, I'm not convinced. The 3rd pregnancy where I had the miscarriage...you remember right? Well, I took a pregnancy test the week before I was supposed to get the Mirena in b/c it had to be put in before my next period, well, that's when I found out I was pregnant...at the doctor's office! My hpt test said negative. So anyways, I am nervous and anxious to get to the bottom of this. If I am not pregnant, I will probably have it removed. It has caused so much unwanted change in my life-loss of sex drive, irregular bleeding, moodiness to the point where my husband thinks I'm psycho at times....you name it. If I am pregnant, then I will certainly have more worries than I ever have had before.

If you experience migraines, and you are like me and never had a headache your entire life. My advice is to call your doctor and have a brain scan.

I am so glad that I am not alone in this!! I have had Mirena for 2 1/2 years. The insertion was not that bad and I thought it was going to be wonderful!! Well....I was wrong!! I have always had migraines with aura, but I have had more frequently, terrible weight gain, ZERO sex drive, fatigue and terrible mood swings. I have had ENOUGH!!. I was told, like most of you, that Mirena can't cause side effects like this, but YES it can!! I am having it removed on Thursday, although, I do like the idea of just taking it out myself. (Save me $40) I have friends who have it and love it, but as for me, I would think long and hard before getting one!!

Oh!!!! I thank God for finding this site. I have been so down and out for the last 4 to 5 months. I'm 48 years old and had my Mirena put in March 2009. It was very painful for me but I quickly got over that with minimal spotting. Since the insertion I have gained at least 10 pounds. I don't weigh myself but I go by how my clothes fit. I consider myself an athlete who is a decent runner. I've completed 12 marathons to date. I know how to work out and how to eat. But for the life of me I can't get rid of this. My breasts feel like they did when I was pregnant - tender and larger. Then I started having stomach problems. Terrible bloating and pain. I went back to my OB and they did a pregnancy test which of course came back negative. I went to my family practioner who put me on prescription Zantac for my stomach issues. With all this going on within a 7 month span, I knew something was wrong but until this morning I didn't know what. I called my OB and talked to the nurse and she said that the weight problem I'm having is just because I'm getting older. HOG WASH!!!! She can't tell me that what I'm feeling is normal. I can't live like this anymore. I will just have to use some other birth control.