Monogamous relationship symptoms and conditions

I am so glad to see that so many have had a good experiences with the mirena, me... not so much.
I had it inserted roughly 3 years ago (my youngest was 4 at the time and I was and still am in a committed monogamous relationship) and since then I have gained about 30 pounds that I cannot get rid of(despite a very healthy diet from a nutritionist AND working with a personal trainer), very moody, tender and lumpy breasts (it hurts to even sleep on my stomach) mostly around my "period" (as I only have very light spotting, but I can still tell when it is)bad acne, fine peach fuzzy hair over my face, chest, and back along with course dark hairs on and under my chin. But, the biggest issue I have had were/are the ovarian cysts. I have never had them before the mirena, and within the first year had one on each ovary and had to go to the ER. Since I know what they are now (and don't want another $3000.00 hospital bill) when I get them it is debilitating, but I can wait it out with pain killers at home till they rupture or go away.
Even with all this I was hesitant to have it removed, but after reading this site (and a few others) I think it is time. I really wish it would have worked, but apparently my body just doesn't agree with it...

Ok, I have to say I'm glad i did my research first and came across this site! Just yesterday i met with my gyn to discuss Mirena/IUD's. I'm in a monogamous relationship and not looking to have children right now. Condoms are a pain and I don't want any more hormones in my body so, no Pill for me. I'm not a candidate for Paraguard because I haven't had any children (FDA hasn't approved that one for women who haven't, only women who have had children). He kept pushing Mirena (I'm sure there are some motivation$ for him behind that too). I'm hesitant to put any more hormones in my body than i already have and all these posts I've read are exactly the reason why. I already suffer from depression (being treated with meds) and IBS (w/constipation). I also just lost about 25lbs recently that was bc related weight. There is NO WAY I'm willing to deal with weight gain again! MISERABLE! I can imagine how all you ladies feel and i know it's not good. All these bad side-effects far outweigh the benefits if you ask me. I've reached my conclusion: I'm not doing this to myself, I'd rather use pain-in-the-ass condoms than deal with hormonal bs. Thanks to all who posted!

I had the Mirena Coil inserted in Jan 2008 (age 42), for heavy and painful periods and fibroids.I was told by my Gynaecologist that ''It's the best thing since sliced bread''....It took a few months for the bleeding to slow down and I was bleeding approx every 2 weeks, sometimes bright red clots, then 'old' brown blood. I would (and still am) experiencing pain before, during and after a period, particularly in my pelvis and low back and across the front of my tummy. In July 2008 I had pain constantly for 2 weeks, yet basic swabs for std (I'm in a monogamous relationship), revealed no abnormality and no uti. I was having regular check ups with my Gynaecologist, telling her how much pain I was in. I persevered for the 'recommended' year of having it in place. In Jan 2009 I began with excruciating pain which lasted 3 weeks. I had a routine pap smear which was normal except for Actinomyces. As I was symptomatic I asked my GP to remove the Mirena. It was sent for histology and revealed it had grown Gram Positive Cocci. I am still waiting for extended culture results. A high vaginal swab also revealed I had Bacterial Vaginosis and Mixed Anaerobes. I am due to finish 3 weeks of Amoxycillin antibiotics tomorrow for the Positive Cocci, and am on my second lot of Clindamycin Phosphate inserted internally for the Bacterial Vaginosis as I was still in a lot of pain and in desperation went to my GUMed clinic which revealed I still had the BV despite having 1 lot of treatment. I am waiting for a Laparoscopy in April. I am so angry that I have suffered for over a year with the Mirena. I have no idea what my periods will be like in future or when they will return in full. This IUD has affected my relationship with my partner and family, my social life and my working life. I live in the UK and I would sue the makers if the opportunity arises.
M.

I had my mirena inserted in March of 2008, after talking to two different doctors and doing a lot of research about my options. I had been on the pill but was really irregular about taking it (which renders it almost worthless). Next I used Nuvaring--a GODSEND when I was in college! I never had to worry about timing and just sent for another three month supply through the mail. I decided to get Mirena when I knew my insurance would end when I graduated. I and 23, and have been in a monogamous relationship for six years which means my risk of contracting an STD which would lead to PID (which can be very very serious when you have an IUD, and the IUD makes it easier to develop PID) is low. My docs also told me the reason they usually only like to insert Mirena into women who have had children is these women's cervixes aren't as tight and closed as a woman, like myself, who has never had kids. This didn't effect insertion for me--it was a breeze after a few ibuprofen.

I've had my Mirena for over 8 months now, and after the first 3 months or so my cramps (which were in my lower back and were very sharp) and my bleeding (which lasted about a month) were gone. I had periods for a few more months..but I have been COMPLETELY period/cramps/bloating/mood swing free for the past 4 months. I'm very happy about Mirena! A little acne, but NOT a big deal. Please remember these posts are almost all by women who have had bad experiences...What about those of us who have had good experiences? Mirena, like any hormonal contraceptive, effects different women in different ways.

Hi, Ive had the Mirena for 2 weeks now and it has been TERRIBLE, I have had terrible sharp pains off and on... I have never had kids but is a contraction like the pain that I am feeling? My doctor suggested that I have it put it since I felt sick with the pill and specially if I am not ready to have a baby yet. I've been married six months now.... I don't know if this will go away and I don't know what to do, the only thing good about this is that my sex drive is much better, lol... but this is terrible what should I do? Should I have it taken out and will it hurt?

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.

Within about 8 days of starting Yaz, I developed muscle pain all over my body, but especially in my legs and shoulders. Sometimes it felt like muscle cramps, sometimes like a crawling feeling, sometimes like a pinching, sometimes like a knot. Blood tests and a Doppler test showed no blood clots, but I went off the pill anyway. The symptoms started improving after a few days, and mostly went away within a few weeks. But then I came down with extreme itching and discharge, and trips to four different doctors revealed no infection. That finally cleared up after about two months. Now I'm on a different pill, and unfortunately the muscle pain is coming back. So I guess hormonal birth control might not be for me, but like someone said, this is not easy to deal with in a committed monogamous relationship. I'm going to take a break from all hormonal birth control and hope that the return of the muscle pain was just because my body isn't ready yet after the Yaz.

I am 40 years old, divorced, 2 children, in a monogamous relationship for 2 years, all credentials as a perfect candidate for Mirena. I originally decided to have Essure, but my doctors convinced me to wait a few years, as it is peramament, irreversible. So last week, after much research, through the internet, and friends, I had Mirena inserted. I was looking forward to the spontaneity, and done with the side effects of condoms, spermicides, and the like. The first day was not pleasant, I had a terrible migraine, back pain, and heavy bleeding. Since then, the side effects have come & gone from time to time. I have experienced nasal congestion, stomach aches, diarrhea, more migraines, and fatigue. I decided to give it more time, in hope the symptoms would subside. Until the other night, when my guy told me he could feel the threads, and it was quite painful. I am not sure why so many of us have all these issues. I recall from the early 70s, there was much controversy regarding the IUD. I thought the research and improvements would make it safe & risk free. I can only say, that based on my mood swings, bleeding, cramps, and now this sensation my guy feels, he described it as a mini electrical shock, I am regretful of my decision. I will make an appointment to have it trimmed, and give it the 6 weeks to see if any effects improve, or at least subside. I wish I had read these blogs before I hade Mirena inserted, I would have reconsidered other options. Thank you to all of you for your honesty. I empathize & sympathize with all of you. I will keep you posted throughout my progress. Good luck to all of you!

I'm a couple weeks into taking this Loestrin pill, after being on Seasonique for about 3 months, and I'm nervous about it. I'm in a monogamous relationship with my boyfriend, he uses condoms , and I'm on birth control , but I'm experiencing nausea in the morning, weird food cravings, unpleasant cramps, headaches, but still light blood spotting. I was absolutely terrified that I was pregnant, but after reading these other entries, it seems mildly common to 'be pregnant' for a month. To be safe I'm getting a pregnancy test, but I'm hoping that the chemicals in the Loestrin doesn't mess with the test. I don't think I dig these pills very much if this is going to happen every month.

I went on the NuvaRing because it would regulate my hormones- I have IBS and get sick a few days before my period. The NR was great for keeping my IBS at bay. However, I gained over 15 pounds while on it. I had not changed my eating habits or activity level. The only thing I could associate to the massive weight gain, enlarged, swollen, and sore breasts was the ring. Even after hiring a personal trainer, eating healthier, and working out multiple times a week, I couldn't lose weight. I finally decided to take the ring out. After two weeks of being "ring free", people can see a difference in my weight- and I haven't gone to the gym to work out in over 3 weeks. Now I have to suffer through painful periods and digestive problems because I can't bare the weight gain that comes with the ring. If anyone knows of another form of BC that does not cause weight gain, please let me know.

I am 41 yrs old and have been suffering with very heavy, clotting periods for the past 5 years. During those 5 years, I tried several different hormone therapies to control the bleeding, but every one of them caused extended periods lasting 10-12 days with only a week or two of no bleeding in between. I went to the GYN and her recommendation was to try the IUD as a way to lessen the bleeding and help treat migraines I also have during my cycle. I had the IUD inserted on Feb 12, 2008 and have experienced the following ever since: very sharp pains in my abdomen, constant minor cramps, extreme bloating so that my clothes do not fit, nausea just enough to not want to eat, constant light bleeding forcing me to go through several pantyliners a day, and very sore and full-feeling breasts that remind me of the days of nursing my baby, night sweats which I've NEVER experienced before. I do not have any desire for sex, but that is partly due to the constant bleeding. I went to the ER for the sharp pains in the abdomen to check for IUD perforation, but all their x-rays and CT scans showed it was in place. The CT scan showed a small spot near one of my ovaries that was 'explained away' as probably a result of ovulation. In all my years, I've never felt ovulation to that degree, this pain was a stabbing feeling from the inside. I decided to follow the GYN's recommendation to keep the IUD in at the time, but I now have an appt in two weeks to have it removed. I thought I had researched all there was to find about this hormonal IUD before my decision to have it placed--if I had come across this forum at that time, I would have said no. I was a little hesitant to go this route, putting a foreign object inside my body, but didn't listen to my own instinct at the time. I wish I had now, and I will definitely share my story with others so that they will be well informed before making this decision. My next options (as I am finished with having babies) are either thermal ablation or hysterectomy--at this point, I would welcome the hysterectomy because it would make all this bleeding/cramping STOP!

Anyone know if yeast infections are a side-effect? I've been on the pill for awhile now and never experienced yeast infections before this. I'm 24 yrs old, eat healthy, exercise, drink plenty of water. My lifestyle/environment has been constant, only change is being on the pills. Seems like I have an infection every 3-4 days. I am in a monogamous relationship, but I still get them whether or not I have sex. Any help is appreciated

I was really relieved to read another posting from a woman who is also experiencing sexual side effects from Ambien. My husband told me I become sexually aggressive and kind of wild and I don't remember any of it the next morning. My husband loves it when I take Ambien and the unusual side effect has become a private joke between us. And I guess I prefer to have this side effect instead if eating in the middle of the night and not remembering it. I just think women who are not in a monogamous relationship should be careful and know that this is a potential side effect and be careful who they are around when they take Ambien.

I just want to mention that for those of you who react poorly to hormonal birth control, as I do, it is worth considering a non-hormonal IUD if you are in a monogamous relationship. For me, it was a godsend. Although most often given to women that have had children already, plenty of Dr's will consider if your experience with hormonal BC forms has been bad. Every pill, ring, patch, etc, I tried caused bad side effects, all of which have been listed and discussed already. The copper IUD, on the other hand, does not interfere with your body's natural hormonal cycle. There can be some cramping (sometimes severe, especially directly after insertion) and heavier flow, but to me, these are worth it. I take ibuprofen a day or two each month for the cramps but nausea, lack of sex drive, mood swings, anxiety/depression, breast tenderness, etc etc are a thing of the past! And it's good for 10 years! Good luck ladies.

Hello Ladies!

I can't believe that it has been almost 4 months since I stopped taking Yasmin! I originally posted back in April with a myriad of side effects and problems that I was having being on this Hormone+Anti-Inflammatory combination pill. The first month off was rough, and I still felt weird at times. The second month was better, and now after 3 (almost 4) months I feel 100%. I attribute my feeling of 100% to drinking lots and lots of water (about 2 Liters/day) and working out several times a week. Since I'm not on Yasmin anymore, working out is much easier because I don't suffer from all of the muscle pain and fatigue that I did before.

I made a choice to not go back on hormonal Birth Control Pills ever again. Of course, this isn't a choice that everyone can make for themselves. It is a lot of responsibility being in a monogamous relationship and not being on a hormonal form of bith control. But, it's easy to rationalize being careful and taking the proper precautions when you know that you are Healthy and Happier not pumping your body full of artificial hormones.

My practitioner agrees that hormonal pills are not for me- and even appologized for allowing me to suffer as I did. Because I brought this to her attention, she said that she is sure to ask each one of her patients on hormonal birth control specific questions about how they are feeling. I guess I just thought that I felt "normal" after a while because I didn't know any better. Afterall, I had been on some form of hormonal birth control since about 16 years old, so for the past 8 years of my life I had grown accustomed to feeling like shit.

The worst is over for me, and I'm just happy to be able to let you all know what happened to me and alert you of my progress. I hope that you all take care of yourselves- and remember to not suffer silenty like I did, and many do, for far too long.

Much Love!

I've never been on desogen but I was on several other birth control pills, Yasmin, Ortho Tri Cyclen, depo-provera and ortho Evra. All four created serious emotional and health problems ranging from pimples to severe nausea, to muscle aches and pain to EXTREME mood swings especially crying, anger and feelings of "neediness". Worst of all was the 20 lb weight gain and constant food cravings. In 1998 I got 2 shots of Depo Provera and immediately gained nearly 10 lbs per shot regardless of the fact that I was very active travelling all over at the time. After the second shot wore off and my body's metabolism returned to normal, the weight melted off just fine. I began taking ortho evra in 2001 because I established a monogamous relationship with a boyfriend. The effects were horrible, I began having terrible tantrums for no reason with him and that is NOT my style. I couldn't concentrate on anything without feeling emotional and irrational. Also within the next 3 months I gained 15 lbs and another 5 over the next month, and it would NOT come off no matter what kind of dieting or exercise I did. A year later, I quit the pill and suddenly my diet began to "work" and I lost 15 lbs immediately. I met my current boyfriend a few months later and decided that pregnancy was just not an option and tried ortho tri cyclen. Same results, horrible mood swings and creeping weight gain that happened WAY too quickly for the way I eat which is very sensible and low-calorie. I switched to Yasmin and immediately my sex drive was GONE. My boyfriend couldnt get ANYTHING to work down there, if you get my drift. In 2003, I finally made the decision to just give up on birth control and try pull-out, condoms, and ovulation monitoring methods. I lost 20 lbs within the first 4 months and another 5 later on and my emotions returned to normal.

I am just writing this to let you gals know that theres other methods besides stuffing synthetic hormones into our bodies that create BIG problems for our mental and physical health. Educate yourselves on other methods of birth control. Birth control pills aren't supposed to prevent pregnancy by making you a sexless, fat, emotionally labile and crazy woman that no man wants to have sex with much less spend time with. Hah.