Natural progesterone symptoms and conditions

I cannot contribute - in the same way as other posters, I can add a side effect of getting of all birth control pills-- health. The pill seems to act by mimicking the first trimester symptoms of pregnancy in many ways - explains many of the symptoms. Can you imagine being 1st trimester-pregnant for years? I cannot understand why women will use un-natural, non-organic foreign substances in their bodies with possibly deadly side effects - yet swear by organic soy milk, veggies what have you -seems a bit schizophrenic. Better to wait for the man who would love you fully and not ask you to hurt yourself so he can use you for sex. We become just like the men here, this is so sad to me. Instead of being "liberated" we, (not the men) become slave to the pill. And then we don't get he freedom or the man. Try organic sex, in the ways God intended, much healthier.

Just want to survey everyone and ask for responses for the following 3 questions:

1. how long did you keep your Mirena and if you no longer have it, why did you have it removed?

2. how many of you had your thyroid checked? who's came back abnormal? what were the levels?

(I'm a medical student doing research on this one since I believe the levonorgestrel affects our thyroid hormone. My TSH was elevated to 5.2 which is considered "subclinical HYPOthyroidism". This was mid cycle when my natural progesterone AND synthetic progestin were cumulatively high. When I had it rechecked 6 weeks later (around my period when any natural progesterone level is gone) it was normalized at 1.5. So I think that the P+P screws up our thyroid and can throw us into a high TSH and "hypothyroid state". The opposite effect may be true during menstruation and we can become HYPERthyroid for a few days... hence the really bad anxiety?!)

3. where is everyone from? perhaps we can have support group meetings?

Please help me. I have had the Mirena for a little over a year now and I have been miserable ever since. I just yesterday one of my very frequent depressive states. I has become so bad that I often think about hurting myself. I am very petite, 4'11 to be exact and I have never weighed anything over 115lbs. I just recently went to the doctor and I weigh 147lbs. I have always eaten healthy and I couldn't explain my weight gain. It has become so depressing I refuse to take pictures and I no longer want to look in the mirror. I have horrible headaches and my periods are longer. I am now going through a divorce and I don't have a job or health insurance. I really need to take the Mirena off but I don't know what to do!! Every day that passes by I keep getting more and more depressed. I am afraid for myself...help me

Hi Everyone! I am a 40 year old mother of 6 that has just had her second Mirena IUD put into place on April 10th, 2009. On Easter Sunday (April 12th) I woke with a lot of joint pain, back pain, breast pain, severe nausea, headache, dizziness, faintness and extremely low blood pressure (87/54). My first Mirena was placed in October of 2001, 6 months after the birth of my last child. All went pretty well with no real bad complaints the first time other than the normal cramping and bleeding. I didn't even have headaches or moodiness (my doctor thinks it was because I was breast feeding at the time and the body produces a lot of natural progesterone during this). Things took a turn for me in 2003 though and have progressively gotten worse since; I have had so many crazy ailments (everything from muscle spasms, thinning hair to stabbing pains behind the eye) , that even I was beginning to think it was all in my head! It all started with an ovarian cyst that had to be surgically removed in Dec. 2003, from there I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and an extremely high heart beat rate in Sept. 2004 (on meds to current date). I get sick very easily now and I had gotten strep 3 times in the winter of 2006, so I had to have my tonsils and adenoids removed in March 2007. I have now been diagnosed with Raynauds Phenomenon and Glaucoma and suffer from an array of symptoms. My most recent mammogram showed that I have a lot of breast cysts now as well. I have been tested for MS, Lupus, Lime Disease, RA and many other things; everything comes up negative. Due to the current symptoms and symptoms I have had during the first Mirena (never made the connection until now) it prompted me to do some research. What I found was just shocking to me! The Mirena is made with a synthetic progesterone (progestin) called levonorgestrel. If you research this, you will find a huge list of possible adverse side effects; many of which I have suffered from. I have read many different sites and posts from countless people that have been affected by the Mirena. Most of these stories have a huge similarity to each other. I am now 10 days into these symptoms; yesterday I went to my Dr. because the symptoms were not getting any better and I wanted to discuss the possibility that most of my problems since 2003 may have been caused by the Mirena. My doctor did not confirm my suspicions, but she did not deny that it could be a possibility either. What occurred to both her and I was that I had left the first Mirena in longer than suggested; it should have been replaced around late 2006 to early 2007, but I was sick and had other surgery, so I just kept putting it off. Due to this, the effectiveness of the hormone progestin was wearing off over the past year or so; in the past 6 months (until now) I have been pretty much symptom free (that was why I had the Mirena replaced). The fact that my symptoms are suddenly back and in full force only 2 days after the insertion of the new Mirena, strongly suggests that the Mirena is responsible for most if not all my ailments. Over the last 6 months, even my blood pressure had gotten better and I had to lower my dosage of meds to compensate for the change; now my blood pressure is jumping all over the place again. I am now considering having the Mirena removed before it causes any other symptoms and completely ruins my life! It horrifies me to think that the Mirena is still on the market considering the potential it has to cause havoc on other peoples lives as it has mine.

Thanks for the update Davenport 4! Today is day 3 following removal for me, and I have a few things to report. First, the morning after removal, I swear it felt like my back "unlocked." Felt good to be able to stretch again. I still have back pain, but have begun to stretch my back to help strengthen the muscles, and today, the pain is almost gone. I'm also still experiencing swelling, but it seems to be improving little by little. I continued spotting, but I would likely have had more spotting anyway since I was at day five of my period when it was removed. And I also have flu-like (well, more like hay fever) symptoms and constant headaches, still a bit fuzzy and lethargic, but definitely more energy. I've begun running up the hill with my dog every day. Still need the occasional nap, but have slept soundly throughout the nights. I've continued to do more research, and was frustrated when I kept reading about the benefits of progestin treatment...I hate being one of those who it doesn't seem to help. The synthetic progestin used in the Mirena is Levonorgestrel. All synthetic progestins produce side effects, including weight gain, headaches, and there's some concern about it's effect on bone density loss. Even Mirena acknowledges that they're not sure how or why it works. I feel like a lab rat. There are natural progesterone treatments available, and micronization (crystalizing progesterone) appears to help absorption; however, even natural progesterone has side effects. These are hormones...not nutritional supplements. From what I understand, some of us are more sensitive to hormonal imbalances by introduction of external hormones, and it's just a matter of finding a doctor who's willing to work through natural options. Think I'm going to try a diet high in natural progesterone (broccholi, for example) and exercise to combat this crazy time of life. Will keep checking back.

Thank God for the internet or I would have thought I was as crazy everyone else. I too have experienced the horrid hair loss and no one can tell me it is due to pregnancies as I have had thick hair following both my children's births and now 4 years after my last child was born I have had major hair loss (have had iud for 2 years), and all this time I have been having nightmares of waking up completely bald, and it's the Mirena. Have had terrible headaches and depression, mood swings too. I would rather be pregnant til I croak than keep this thing in one more day.

I agree with goodyearchic I too have had my Mirena out for 3 weeks now and I would like to say to anyone doubting whether they should get theirs removed- go for it. I feel much much better, my spots have gone, my mood swings and craziness have disappeared and I feel fantastic. Whether it is psychological or not I don't know all I do know is that having the Mirena was one of the worst decisions of my life.

Sarah,
I live in the US. I totally understand your fear about taking hormones. For me though, the natural progesterone has made a huge difference. I don't know how long you have been recovering from Yasmin, but rest assured that as time goes on, you will get better. Two years ago was when I was at my worst. I checked this forum several times a day. It made me feel so much better to hear from other women going through the same thing as me. I don't think I've checked this forum for over a year until today, if that's any indication of how much better I feel. You will too. I also take a multi vit., fish oil & magnesium too. I think they help as well. Do what works for you. Wishing you wellness!

-Tiffany

hi tclark,
your story sounds very similar to mine,are you in the states or the UK? it is so hard to find a doctor that specialises in hormonal disorders and especially one that will believe that yasmin has caused these problems in the first place! The natural progesterone sounds good but i am just sooo worried about messing with my hormones now i feel too scared to try anything in case i make my anxiety and panic attacks worse again,it was such hell the 1st time round.

sarah

IF YOU'VE EXPERIENCED ANXIETY WHILE ON YASMIN, PLEASE READ THIS:
I started Yasmin back in Feb. 2004, and started experiencing extreme anxiety & panic attacks a few months later. I didn't put two and two together until October 2004, when I finally discovered this website. I was so relieved to discover that Yasmin had caused my anxiety (also some depression, and some OCD tendencies), and that I was not just losing my mind. I stopped Yasmin immediately, thinking the problem would just go away, but unfortunately, it got worse before it got better. The first three months off Yasmin were hell on earth. The anxiety was unbearable. Then after three months, the anxiety got significantly better. (FYI - it takes 3 months for a BC pill to clear your system. Coincidence? I think not.) After that, I still had some anxiety, usually really severe around the time of my period. I tried anxiety programs, relaxation CDs, deep breathing, etc., some of which helped, but the anxiety never completely went away. I resorted to taking Xanax as needed. I know my story is very similar to many of yours, so I wanted to share with you what I've learned since then:
As time went on, my anxiety got better & better. I usually just had it around the time of my period, and in some social situations. Then, this past Spring, a dear friend of mine (who I met on the forum, by the way) found a doctor who did some tests on her hormone levels & discovered that she had no progesterone. He told her that her own hormone imbalance coupled with the hormones in Yasmin, caused her to have her anxiety problems on Yasmin. He prescribed her some NATURAL PROGESTERONE (not the synthetic stuff), and she started feeling so much better! Seeing her drastic improvement, and admitting to myself that after two years my anxiety wasn't completely gone, I went to the same doctor. He did some blood work & guess what? I had essentially no progesterone as well. He put me on natural progesterone too. I am taking 100 mg. in a capsule form each night. I cannot tell you the difference I have felt. I feel normal again. Think about it - the hormones in Yasmin obviously caused our anxiety. Doesn't it make sense that the problem is inheritently hormonal? I have been helped so much by the ladies on this website, so I wanted to share my story so that if just helps one person, it's worth it. Go to a doctor in your area who specializes in natural hormone management & see what your levels are. In my case & in my friend's case, our anxiety disorders have been the result of a hormone imbalance, one made significantly worse by Yasmin. I hate to see so many people resort to anti-depressants & anti-anxiety meds, when it may be that all they need is to balance their hormones. Best wishes to all of you. Please hang in there, life does get better!