Menstrual cramps symptoms and conditions

Wow you ladies are so right! I have had all the symptoms you all listed but my OB/GYN says it not the Mirena. What frustrates me the most is the random spotting and the cramps. I got my Mirena inserted 7/10/09 and it hurt like hell. I would not do it again. Immediately after insertion, I cramped and had severe lower back pain. I was almost in a car accident on my way back to work due to a sudden blurry vision episode. Afterwards that day I felt fatigued and cramped all afternoon. These cramps were short, sharp and uncomfortable, nothing like menstrual cramps. BTW, Im 29 and never had a baby so I don’t know what labor pains feel like. I recommend that if you do decide to get a Mirena (don't do it) take the rest of the day off after insertion and have someone drive you home to avoid any unknown side effects you might get (like the blurred vision I got). The rest of the month I spotted, had uncomfortable cramps and the lower back pain. 2nd month the back pain, cramping and spotting went away. I had a period as usual, but lighter. My 2nd checkup was after my 1st period not three mo, that’s what my doctor said and since the side effects had ceased, that is what I told my dr. All she said was that my strings had shortened and she yanked on them to make sure they weren’t too short and said everything looked ok. She asked me a question that caught me off guard that you should ask before you get your Mirena. She asked me if my bf had complained about getting poked! Because I had bee spotting all month I hadn't had any relations and said no but I should have asked her if the strings would be sharp enough to poke thru a condom or hurt the penis. NOW the OB/GYN might laugh at u but ASK! What I've learned thru this experience is that I need to do more research on things that will go into my body ad ask ask ask questions no matter how silly they might sound. Now going on to the side effects again. I’m going into my 3rd mo and I'm considering removal. My period was12 days late and I only spotted lightly that week. THEN I began to spot heavier 2 days ago. I have cramps today and am very fatigued. I'm also emotional (crying as I'm typing) almost like I'm having my period now. I'm very frustrated, my sex drive has not dropped at all but now I cant have sex because I'm spotting again. AND I fear my bf is gonna get poked! I am losing hair, but my hair has always fallen out easily so I'm not sure if that's due to Mirena. I do have some light acne on my back and face but it can be controlled by medicated creams obtained from a dermatologist (I use Tazorac and Duac for the face and Clindamycin phosphate topical lotion for the body) I get nauseous, dizzy and irritable randomly, and I even thought I was pregnant. Another thing I didn’t like my doctor telling me was that you cant be sure if its effective as a contraceptive, just have sex and if you don’t get preg then it works. What? Also I asked about how one can determine about it being embedded and she said that you couldn’t know until you have it removed. If it doesn’t come out easily then it might be embedded. What? I'm imagining a painful bloody extraction, which is the only reason I haven’t taken it out. But thanx to this website and you ladies, I'm feeling better about getting it taken out. I think that as long as its not embedded, there shouldn’t be any complications. Finally the last side effect that frustrates me is the weight gain. I have gained probably 10lbs and lots on the midsection. I'm not joking when I say I LOOK preg. AH! Yes I agree with one blogger below when she says that we should get together and formally sue. Good luck to you women who decide this is what you want and congrats to the women who actually like it. But I pray for all of us who are not taking well to it even if our doctors don’t believe its Mirena causing us all this grief. Now I have to consider my birth control options again, not happy about that. If you can tell me about BC that isn’t the pill or a tubal ligation or Essure, please let me know. Also feel free to ask me question about any of my comments. I will try to help as much as I can.

Hello,
I've tried a bunch of different brands and types of BC's in the past, and none ever worked well with me... then i started Yasmin. It worked wonders. helped my acne, cramps, length of my period etc... i was on it for about 1 year. i stopped BC and had my son (Nov 18 09) .. my doc told me to get back on the pill about 2 months after my son was born and i have been on it since.. lately I've been noticing that I'm not me anymore... i can't remember the last time I've felt like myself.. depression, lack of motivation, hopelessness, i get irritated over the stupidest things, LOW sex drive, LIKE NONE AT ALL, lack of confidence, loss of appetite, loss of hair ongoing 9 months after birth and getting worse, bad menstrual cramps, bad acne, dark colored urine,strange vaginal discharge before my period, longer periods, migraines, mood swings, irrational thoughts and outburst, dizzy spells, blurred (black) vision upon standing, seeing spots and light headed, etc... i attributed all of this to postpartum hormonal imbalance, stress, etc... but I'm now considering the fact that maybe Yasmin is doing this to my body... so i will stop the pill or switch it, my next appointment is only in a month so no sex till then, but yet again my libido is completely gone so that will be no problem... (ahh my POOR BF) lol

all this to say that if it was postpartum depression, my son wouldn't be the only reason i get up in the morning, i wouldn't get up at all...

i know that this isn't postpartum depression... I'm positive that it's Yasmin causing all this i know at least that some of it is..

What i don't understand is that we all have a bunch of docs that ignore us and our bodies.. this isn't only happening to on person this is a lot of people who have had similar and sever reactions to this pill, it should really be taken off the market, or at least doctors should warn us about the "other" side effects...

anyways I'm DONE with this pill and will tell all my friends.

it at least feels good to get this off my chest... it's hard to talk about this stuff to people who are close to you...

All this sounds crazy but makes sense at the same time...

thank god i found this site!

C. xxo

I am 45 and had the device inserted in June. Since then I have had an annoying constant red-brown discharge and my period three times. My menstrual cramps are definitely greatly lessened but what is freaking me out (apart from the discharge) is the anxiety I am experiencing for no reason. I am also feeling depressed. I am greatly concerned as being on the pill many years ago I had a mild stroke and my doctor assured me that the hormones ion the Mirena stay in the uterus. Why then the sudden anxiety attacks? I have always been a really laid-back person - I can only relate this sudden appearance of anxiety to the Mirena - it started about two weeks after I had it inserted.

I am now debating whether to ride it out - has anyone had the anxiety subside?

I was recently prescribed Doxy for Lyme disease. From the time I took my first dose until now, 3 days later, I have had horrible cramping. Similar to menstrual cramps, but worse. I also have a constant headache, though I'm not sure if the headache is caused my the meds or the Lyme disease itself. I have found I absolutely can NOT take this medication on an empty stomach. I drink the recommended amount of water and eat a few crackers when I take it. Seems to take the edge off a bit. I currently take a prescription medication for GERD, but I have been having the worst heartburn ever. Not so sure if I will be able to deal with 18 more days on this medication. I will probably call my doctor first thing Monday morning to see what my options are.

I am going to have my Mirena moved tomorrow and I am sooooooooooooo ready to get it out. I have not had a sex drive AT ALL. My period has been on for about 2 months now no-stop with spotting. I got it in Nov of 2007 I was excited b/c I didn't have to pop a pill. But getting the IUD was the worse decision I think I have ever made. I just want to get it out and start bck on bc pills b/c I don't want anything else that has to be inserted in me or anything that I have to insert myself. I have been constantly tired regardless of how many energy drinks I have and despite how many vitamins I take. Please do your research before having the iud placed. My husband is excited that I am getting it out b/c he said maybe he can actually get some loving without me saying "I'm still on my period" lol. It is constant spotting. I have had a million bacteria infections from it. It did work wonders for my menstrual cramps tough. Before the iud my cramps with my cycle were like labor pains but with the iud they were very mild. So I am not looking forward to having severe cramps again but I am excited that maybe I can be horny again.....lol!!!!!!!!! I found this website by doing a google search. I wanted to make sure it wasn't just me having these problems but now I see it's most women who have it inserted. So I am going through with my decision 100%. I will leave a update in a month after I see if things get back to normal.

I've been on nuvaring for 2 years and its the best birth control that I've used so far. The only side effects that I get are occasional hot flashes. I do experience some mood swings, which are "PMS" type mood swings, which have lasted only a few hours right before my period starts.

The hot flashes can be annoying but they are manageable, these happen to me when I have had the one week break from NuvaRing and then insert the new ring, the first day or two, i experience hot flashes.

Other than that, my sex drive has not changed, it is very normal and healthy.

I have been on various birth control pills, in the past, for 6 years. Ive tried "ortho-tri cyclen", which made me feel bloated, moody and depressed. I've also tried "ortho-tri-cylen lo"and it made me feel the same way. I have also tried Triphasil and it caused me to feel depressed, and i experienced bloating.
I do have to say that all of the Birth Control pills were more effective in controlling acne than with the NuvaRing.

I still get quite medium to heavy periods with NuvaRing with some menstrual cramps, however, the cramping does not last very long and it is a lot lighter than when I am not taking any birth control.

Overall, nuvaring is working for me so far. I recommend trying it out and giving it a minimum of 6 months trial before giving up.
Also, I found that taking a break from all birth control methods for about a year, and using other barrier methods (aka condom) have also helped me, as I felt like it gave me a break from synthetic chemicals and my body was able to be "natural" for awhile, I felt that was psychologically and emotionally a good idea for awhile. So if you feel like you are switching and just completely all over the place, I suggest that you might try taking a break for yourself, as a woman, to restore the biological settings and maybe try again with something new after a long period of time.

cheers : )

I started Yasmin 9 weeks ago and within the first week I noticed lower sex drive and vaginal dryness. I have been on lots of different contraceptives such as ortho tri cyclen, alessa, ortho cyclen and even depo provera, I have always had these same side affects. I now have a dull headache almost every day. My biggest problem lately is within a few days after my period I experience extreme vaginal discomfort- itchy, painful and a white discharge. Last month I had a yeast infection after my period and I think its happening again. My menstrual cramps are almost non existent but I have had some mood swings but they are not as bad as when I was on other pills. We all should know that all medicine have side effects and the pills side effects are stated very clearly in the book you get with them. I know everyone feels the it won't happen to them but all medications have side effects and some unfortunately are way more severe then others, but there are obviously millions of women that love this pill. If you are having any of these horrible side effects, be your own health advocate and talk to your doctor and get off this pill immediately, so you can avoid any of these incredibly sad experiences. I am pretty sure that all birth control has uncomfortable side effects, I think that it is all trial and error until you find the one that is right for you or just use the old fashion method of counting your days and taking precautions around the time of ovulation.

I started using the NuvaRing about 14 months ago to help with acne, cramping, and PCOS. I have always enjoyed the convenience of the Ring, as has my husband. No worries about a missed pill and the scheduled insertion and removal have always been key for us. The first few months I didn't notice any changes--good or bad--and I had a noticeable decrease in ovarian cysts right away. But over the last several months, I have noticed several changes in my body that I think may be related to the NuvaRing. I have gained 21 pounds since January.

I eat very healthy, and am mild active. However, nothing changed in January to cause such consistent weight gain. I get terrible and painful acne while I have the ring in, but it disappears within days once I remove the ring. While my face clearing up is a relief, I spend days feeling terrible and VERY moody. My poor husband doesn't know how to handle me those days. So now, in place of mood swings from PMS, I get them even worse during my period while the ring is out. I also have a very decreased sex drive, and experience pain from intercourse during and after. I have abdominal cramps most days that are similar to menstrual cramps, and extend into my digestive system, causing nausea and stomach cramping.

I just started Ocella (generic form of Yaz) two days ago, in hopes of decreasing these symptoms. I did warn my husband that he may be doing a lot more condom shopping in the coming weeks if I don't notice improvement. He says he actually welcomes using a condom if it eliminates all of the moodiness and crying over my weight and acne, even if it isn't as pregnancy-proof as BC.

Best of luck to all of you ladies!

I have had my Mirena for 4.5 years and found this site when looking up info on removal...WOW, I had no idea that women had so many different problems with this IUD. The reason I chose Mirena to begin with is that I had tried many other forms of birth control...not so much to prevent getting pregnant...but I had such bad menstrual cramps that they would cause my blood pressure to drop and I would pass out. My only option left was hysterectomy, and I was only 40 years old at the time. In any case, I never really thought I had problems with the IUD other than the initial pain at insertion. I attributed my weight gain over the past 3 years to a decrease in activity after beginning a Doctorate degree while still working full time. One thing I could never explain is the constant feeling of fatigue and occasional dizziness that seems to have increased over the past year....almost like a light hangover. I have also been getting more acne and breast tenderness over the past year, but I thought this might be due to the medication on the Mirena losing its potency. I am scheduled to see the Gyn next month, where I was going to ask her to remove the current Mirena and replace it with a new one...but I am not so sure about replacing this. I would appreciate advice specifically on whether anyone went from this option to a partial hysterectomy and their experience, as this is really my only other choice at this point.

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.

I was on Yasmin for 3 years and never experienced any significant side effects. I tried several different contraceptives to help with my menstrual cramps, and Yasmin was the only one that didn't make me crazy. I didn't notice any obvious weight gain, and I never experienced the horrible things I have seen written on here. I sympathize with everyone. Several other types of pills have negatively affected me: Alesse, Femcon Fe. I think it at depends on the person. About 4 months ago, I decided to go off of the pills just to see if my cramps would still be as bad as they used to be. They weren't, but as soon as I came off the pill, I got mild to moderate acne, I was sweating like a man, and generally felt exhausted. I decided to go back on Yasmin simply to help my acne.

I have been in a monogamous relationship for 3 years so me and my boyfriend have been using condoms for a long long time. I had a scare last month and thought I might be pregnant so after my period finally came in early August, I made an appointment so I could get birth control. My dr suggested the nuvaring (I took the pill about 8-9 yrs ago and I always forgot to take them plus I hated the side effects.) I went home and put it in on August 22. About 4-5 days later I began to have what felt like menstrual cramps, always hot, always tired, and then at night my legs would ache so bad. Not to mention, I had headaches every day and every morning when I ate breakfast I would become nauseous! I also would wake up every night between 4-5am to pee - and it felt like it was a full bladder even when I would pee before I went to bed! Oh, and on September 3 my nerves were so bad that I had bipolar-like mood swings - one minute happy, one minute crying, another minute upset - I had NEVER had this type of anxiety occur before!

After Google-ing "Nuvaring side effects" in the early morning of September 4th, I came across this site. I read all the reviews on this site and removed the ring on September 4 which was 8 days before I was supposed to. Since then I've seen many changes. No more cramps, no more nausea in the morning, no more feeling lethargic and sleepy. I am, however, still getting a headache every day! I guess it will take some time before all the hormones come out of my body.

Hi ladies,

I'm a 20 year old girl and I've been on Yasmin for just over a year now and it has hands down been the WORST YEAR OF MY LIFE. I started taking it for extreme menstrual cramps that would leave me screaming on the kitchen floor, curled up in a ball begging for the pain to stop. Yasmin fixed that, trust me it was like a miracle, and my acne on my face and back cleared up, another miracle.

Now the bad stuff. The first month was okay, because sometimes it takes time for the hormones to take affect. But I became severely depressed thereafter. It just started happening, crying all the time, hopeless, binge eating, gaining a lot of weight. And on top of that the GI problems, my stomach literally ballooned out to the size of a watermelon, and everything I ate irritated me. But a few months ago I became bulimic in a drastic attempt to get control back of my life, I hadn't even thought of the pill as the culprit up until this point. Keep in mind that I'm young, fit, have a great family, in school, there's no reason for my to be falling so low.
I started seeing a therapist, then a psychiatrist. I was this close to being put on antidepressants. And then something happened, my years worth prescription of Yasmin ran out so my OBGYN told the pharmacy to refill my prescription but with the generic brand, Ocella, that they had available which would only cost me 10 dollars a month with health insurance. Within four days I felt like my old self. Happy. I couldn't believe it. I went to a physician for tests and everything seemed normal, but after explaining to her my severe stomach problems she told me that it seemed like the pill induced me to become lactose intolerant. Wonderful!
So I started the second pack of Ocella a week ago and it all started happening again. The first month was fine again, but my body had caught up by now and even though I've cut dairy out, my stomach has ballooned up again and I have heartburn and indigestion no matter what I eat. Yesterday I felt insanely depressed, I binged, became insanely nauseous and threw up. I didn't leave the couch once. Now I know that it may sound like I need to reevaluate my problems, but I promise you, THIS IS NOT ME. I've realized that Ocella is exactly what it is, the generic version, and hence chemically the same as Yasmin, so the effects will mirror Yasmin's. MY OBGYN told me to finish the pack, and then I can come off them, and I cannot begin to explain how excited I am. I'm done with pills, and I'll find another way to deal with the pain.

Please, if you're taking birth control for something like acne, reconsider, it's not worth it. We are the experimental age. We can't ask our grandmothers what the long terms affects are. But if you must be on it and are feeling badly in any way, switch! You might find something better for you.

I have been on Aviane 28 Day BC for a month. I did not notice any changes right away, however, my boyfriend keeps complaining about my attitude and I was beginning to believe that I was turning into a monster.
However, after reading many of your comments, I believe that my mood swings can be correlated to this BC.

Also, I always had UNCONTROLLABLE acne, but now my skin is nearly FLAWLESS so that is GREAT news for me! My breasts have also gotten larger, which is a plus in my case.

Additionally, I'm on Week 4 (the sugar pills) and my period is almost nonexistent even though I know it is here. I'm bleeding very lightly (which means I could use a panty shield). Before I started taking this BC I had TERRIBLE periods and EXCRUTIATING cramps. I used at least 40 pads or more every month! I have 4 packs of pads in anticipation of my period, but it seems like I won't be using them for right now. However, I am a little concern that my period is barely here, but I will be a good patient and continue to use the pill for the next two months as prescribed.

Finally, I have also noticed that I now feel very agitated and extremely anxious which is not a pleasant feeling at all!

Overall, the pill seems to be working for what it was prescribed for (i.e. assist with menstrual cramps and reduce the flow). I wish everyone the best with this medication or in finding one that is efficient for you.

I had Mirena put in on Monday at noon and had it removed on Wednesday at 4:30. The time in between was awful. First, the IMPLANTATION (and don't let anyone tell you it's an INSERTION - it's IMPLANTED) was honestly the worst pain I've ever had. It compares to slamming your finger in a door. My eyes immediately teared and I kind of screamed and jumped. The dr. said "It'll only hurt like that one more time." WHAT???? Sure enough, it hurt like that again, then it was in. Then the cramping started. It continued through that day, eased up, hurt a bit the next day. Then my stomach started hurting, and I began developing a bruise on my skin on top of where the Mirena was. It felt as if it were trying to push its way out through my skin. The next day I woke up feeling almost normal, but that afternoon thought I was in labor. Was crying, couldn't take deep breaths or it would REALLY hurt, severe cramps worse than any menstrual cramps I've ever had (and I've had BAD ones). My husband called the doctor and I went right over and had it removed. Within 1-2 minutes I felt normal again.

What upsets me the most is not the promotional piece of literature that only told me the benefits, but the fact that my gyno presented it as The Device That Would End All of my Problems. I would expect a more fair assessment from a doctor.

It ended up being her partner who removed it, and he said, "Mirena's not for everybody." I really wish it had been presented in a more unbiased way upfront.

Anyway, the pain is over now and I'm taking Loestrin. My advice would be to just REALLY SERIOUSLY consider what you are doing before you get this device, and be ready to have it removed if it doesn't work out for you.

I HAVE BEEN ON THE LAMICTAL FOR 5 MONTHS NOW( FOR MINOR BI POLAR EPISODE). AT FIRST I FELT A LITTLE "SPACEY" AS I HAVE INCREASED MY DOSAGE EACH TIME I NOTICED VERY PAINFUL MENSTRUAL CRAMPS, WORSE PMS, EXTRA LONG MENSTRUATION CYCLE, JOINT PAIN IN THE HIP, FORGETTING EVERYTHING( LOSS OF SHORT TERM MEMORY), AND EXTREME TIREDNESS IN THE DAY AND NOT SLEEPING AT NIGHT. I HAD BEEN ON 75MG A DAY ( 2 IN AM, 1 IN PM) AND THEN UPPED MY DOSE TO 100MG(2 IN AM, 2 IN PM). THE SIDE EFFECTS ARE WORSENING, ESPECIALLY THE JOINT PAIN. I HAVE ALSO NOTICED PANIC ATTACKS AND IRRITABLENESS THAT I HADN'T HAD BEFORE. WORST OF ALL, IS THAT I HAVE GAINED ABOUT 27 LBS WHILE TAKING THIS MED. HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS? PLEASE REPLY TO TELL ME THE BEST REMEDY.

I decided to stop using the NuvaRing and removed it about 3 weeks ago. A very light period started about 4 days later, which was the norm while I had been on the ring. Starting about the day I would have normally put in a new ring, I started to get cramps and an unusual amount of discharge. I've never been one to suffer from bad menstrual cramps, so having cramps well after my light period ended and when I wasn't even using the ring was surprising to me. The pain has been fairly constant for two weeks now, although the discharge has diminished slightly in the past few days. I'm not uncomfortable when I'm sitting or laying down, but the second I stand up the abdominal/pelvic area pain occurs. Could this be my body adjusting to NOT having the ring (I had been on it consistently for over 2 years)? Or could the cramping by a sign of something unrelated to the ring like a pelvic infection, fibroids, etc.? Any ideas and thoughts are appreciated. Might have to take myself to the doctor about this soon.

Haven t been on the pill for years, but decided to go back on as my 2nd child is now 8months old. Started taking Yasmin 10 days ago, from the 1st day of my period as instructed. The 1st couple of days were fine as i usually suffer with painful, heavy periods and they seemed a little lighter. I still had pain and had to take pain killers but wasn't as extremely intense as usual. I started to have intense stabbing pains in my stomach over a 2 day period but pain killers stopped that. But even now, im still bleeding and getting menstrual cramps even though my period should have finished 5 days ago. Was going to hold on to Yasmin for at least a month to see how it goes but with the lack of energy, tiredness, nausea, pains im finding it hard to be a mum of two active young children!

Hello Everyone,

I am just amazed by how many people have the same side effects and how many doctors don't listen! I started taking Levoxyl in Nov 2007 after having RAI on Aug. 30th, 2007. I've never been in such pain. Most of it has subsided, but now it feels as if someone divided my body in half and my right side only gets minor muscle aches and joint pains and muscle spasms. But the left side of my body, from my neck to me toes...my muscles feel tingly, knotted, sore, burning points, spasms, itchiness, hives and it come and goes almost constantly. I am currently taking 125 mg. But the weird thing is that before this happened, I would get torturous menstrual cramps. Ever since I started Levoxyl, I get NO cramps - at all! I am trying to find info regarding Levoxyl and how and if it affects hormone levels. Can anyone help me on this? Thanks!!

i am on the first week of my second pack, after switching from orthotricyclinLo (which i loved, but my gyn suggested i switch so that she could give me samples while i was abroad). a few days before my first "period" (if you can really call it that...it was ridiculously light as far as periods go)at the end of my first pack i started getting bad stomach cramps. i attributed it to my body getting adjusted to foreign food, but the cramps, while less painful, are still rather persistent and range from my stomach to lower-left side. i have also been experiencing weird hunger, in which i have the desire to eat but everything seems unappetizing or makes me nauseous.

i started freaking out, thinking i had some strange std symptom, but i have no other symptoms and have been in a monogamous relationship for the past 9 months. and while i have yet to take a pregnancy test, i have been on birth control for the past 4 years (so my uterus is something of a barren wasteland) and i use condoms with my boyfriend. i was freaking out a bit with these side cramps, wondering whether or not i should make a doctor's appointment. when taking orthotricyclinLo i had little to no side effects, and i have never gotten menstrual cramps before, so i hadn't thought that this discomfort could be from my pills. i was thinking of making a doctor's appointment, but after reading this blog am reconsidering, and might just wait out another month or so.

has anyone else had a similar cramping/discomfort experience, and did it ever subside?

thanks!

Many strange things have been happening to me for the last year and a half, that I did not ever experience before. I just turned 38 years old. I am now suspecting these are side effects from the MIRENA. I want to get opinions about what I'm experiencing and what happens when it's removed.

The most profound thing is the feeling of being in a mental bubble. Even though I'm aware of it and I try to be alert, I feel cloudy minded and can't even rely on myself to remember things or commit to things because I never know how I will feel when I wake up each day. Some days are okay while others are completely LOST because I may have struggled to sleep the night before, sweating and soaking my pillow case and waking up with a rapid heart beat, panicking for no apparent reason right out of sleeping. Or, I'm irritable due to discomfort which takes several forms like these:
- major moodiness, like feeling totally peaceful one minute and then something small triggers me and I'm angry for hours, later realizing that I was overreacting
- visibly shaking hands, especially when I drink just 1/2 cup coffee.
- increased oily skin and acne on face, back, shoulders and even in ears, along with thinning hair around face
- fatigue and stiffness in the morning, so it takes me forever to get out of bed
- off and on fatigue that has me uncontrollably dozing off during the day
- bloated tummy (visible), gas and menstrual cramps in no predicable pattern, but I never go more than a week without these things
- strange libido, one day I wouldn't care if I ever had sex again, the next night wake up horny as heck at 2 am
- ears ringing, jaw pain, mystery pains in back and joints regularly

All along I've been assuming these odd things were stress and age related but the more I think about it, there's just too many things, and these things don't necessarily represent the stress of a typical stay at home mom.
Sure, I have had stress and anxiety in the past, but they could always be connected to something large going on in my life. Now, the anxiety and moodiness hit unpredictably and indiscriminately, it seems. For a long time now I feel like I'm a total mess physically and mentally, even more so because I realize something is wrong
I am pretty sure as of right now that I should get this removed. If the symptoms go away I'll then know what caused them in the first place.
I am wondering what happens upon removal, will it also be a roller coaster of physical and mental anguish???????? How long will it last?

I had the MIRENA IUD inserted on January 11th, 2008. 10 weeks after my sons’ birth. It is now February 18th I have went over a full month of consistent bleeding. After 13 days of non-stop bleeding, no breaks in between, called the doctor just to get advised to take ibuprofen for menstrual cramps. That was not of my concern, how long was I to be bleeding for, however was. Never got an answer, and now the cramping too are of big concern. Just yesterday, while I was at Wal-Mart, I had cramps so bad they stopped me dead in my tracks. I have never, never ever had a menstrual cycle longer than 3 days and cramps so bad I couldn't go to work. Just over these past two weeks my skin has become so horrible, I do not get acne ladies, and I now have acne all over my back, chest, arms and patches on my face. Also, in odd places, who gets acne behind their neck and ears? I don't know, do you? I had breast tenderness for about 1 to 2 weeks; still have dizziness every other day. I have 2 kids, had an epidural with both and had no issues with lower back pain. Think I do now? Well, of course I do! Funny thing too, I didn't know that mood swings were a side effect, and my boyfriend says to me the other day, "you have been real mean for like the past month!" The only thing I can say that has not been a problem is my sex drive. Even though I have been bleeding for over a month I have had some very, very light days. This IUD has not interfered with my interest in sex. I actually want it more now than ever... but that’s probably because I am so in love with the man that gave me the two loves of my life!!!! And not the MIRENA IUD... lol!!!

Okay....Sorry ladies, I'm Hi-Jacking your women's only postings on Mirena for one second.

My daughter just e-mailed me a few minutes ago to tell me that she was considering having this Mirena inserted to try and help her with her very bad menstrual cramps that she has had for years. The Doctors, and there have been many, haven't been able to figure out WHY she's had so much pain over the years during her period. Then she talks to this lady that said she had the Mirena inserted recently, and it had helped her with her endometriosis. Which is what we think is wrong with my daughter. She has all of the symptoms of endometriosis, along with all of the menstrual problems as well.

But me, being a concerned Father, I always do research on everything before I try it or buy it. Or if any of the members of my family that are interested in trying or buying anything, i do the research. The internet is a Godsend for that purpose alone!

However, after reading all of these posting from you ladies willing to share all of the side effects that y'all have experienced, I'm going to suggest to my precious daughter, that keep searching for her miracle cure and not have this Mirena inserted. She's got enough problems without the problems that this Mirena seems to be causing for most of you.

Much Thanks to all of your ladies that have shared your problems that have resulted from this Mirena!

Blessings to you all!

Okay....Sorry ladies, I'm Hi-Jacking your women's only postings on Mirena for one second.

My daughter just e-mailed me a few minutes ago to tell me that she was considering having this Mirena inserted to try and help her with her very bad menstrual cramps that she has had for years. The Doctors, and there have been many, haven't been able to figure out WHY she's had so much pain over the years during her period. Then she talks to this lady that said she had the Mirena inserted recently, and it had helped her with her endometriosis. Which is what we think is wrong with my daughter. She has all of the symptoms of endometriosis, along with all of the menstrual problems as well.

But me, being a concerned Father, I always do research on everything before I try it or buy it. Or if any of the members of my family that are interested in trying or buying anything, i do the research. The internet is a Godsend for that purpose alone!

However, after reading all of these posting from you ladies willing to share all of the side effects that y'all have experienced, I'm going to suggest to my precious daughter, that keep searching for her miracle cure and not have this Mirena inserted. She's got enough problems without the problems that this Mirena seems to be causing for most of you.

Much Thanks to all of your ladies that have shared your problems that have resulted from this Mirena! Blessings to you all!

I've had my Mirena for about 15 and a half months and I am having it removed today at 2 o'clock. At first I had sharp pains when I would sit down and I felt like the cords were poking me and irritating me. My OB/GYN requires patients to come back one month after having it put in so he can check it and make sure it is still in place. At this visit he also trimmed the cords although he acted like he didn't believe me when I told him that I could feel them poking me when I sat down and that it hurt. At first I didn't notice any bad side effects, but I did have one good one: my periods stopped, but I still had occasional and sporadic spotting. I didn't think to look for any bad side effects because I got the device under the impression that it had no bad side effects. I thought it only had a rare complication of perforating the uterus, but since mine was in place at the one month check, I didn't think about anymore until I started thinking about having another baby recently. I went online to see if I had to have a doctor remove the Mirena or if I could do it myself, and I found out that it's best done by a professional because bad things can happen and then you'd have to go to the doctor anyway. Plus, I didn't want to hurt my chances of having another baby. While online I discovered this whole world of message boards where women were having a lot of the same problems I'd been having in recent months and they all blamed their Mirenas. Some claimed that their problems had gone away since having it removed. I never thought to link my circumstances to the Mirena, but when I saw how many women are having the exact same problems as me I knew that I needed to go ahead and get mine out ASAP. Here is a list of my side effects, and I've found other women have had them as well with Mirena: weight gain, bloated stomach, depression, short temper with husband and daughter, acne, low sex drive, spotting, cramps, constipation, and back pain. There may be more, but I can't remember them all right now. Some of them may not even be related to the device, but I've read of so many women with Mirena who are having or have had the same issues, so I suspect a link between my problems and Mirena. I hope this helps someone out there looking for answers. God Bless!