Pregnancies symptoms and conditions

I am soo glad I am not crazy. I am almost in tears, because I can not believe that so may women are experiencing this. I have had it for almost two years now and in the beginning I just had heavy cramps and a lot of bleeding. I was told every woman's body is different and this will take some time. I went back within 4 weeks to get it out and my doctor encouraged me it would get better. It did and I loved it. Never had a problem. Until recently, I went to the doctor thinking I was pregnant, I had ever symptom that a pregnant woman experiences and I they told me it was in my head. I am constantly tired, bloating, sick, dizziness, headaches (which they told me contributed to my sinus - then I started seeing an Allergist who kept me on Antibiotics. It got really bad they did an CAT scan on me and still nothing). I thought I was going to lose it, I had mood swings, memory loss, attention span, worst than my 5 year old and the list goes on. I am so hurt now, because I am no good with the pill (2 pregnancies from the missed pill) and loved the convenience of the Mirena, but my life is worth more than convenience.
Thank you ladies for sharing your story! But remember please go with your gut feeling. Now that I recall I went twice to get this removed, the doctors will tell you anything. They are new to this product also!!!

I think I know how Mirena works now.. You don't get pregnant because you never want to have sex!!.lol.. At least that is my experience. I had it put in about 4 months ago, and have completely lost my sex drive. I have tingling in my arms and hands all the time now, my whole body aches, and I feel flutters in my stomach as if I were pregnant (even though I'm not).My breasts also hurt like heck! I feel confident in its effectiveness but don't want these side effects anymore!! I also was told that using Mirena is like always having an abortion.. does anybody know if that is true?? I wasn't informed this when I had it put in... I was just told that the hormones stop you from getting pregnant, If any of you ladies have any answers to my questions that would be great!!

23th
2009
10:36 PM
MIRENA is the worst thing EVER!!!!!!
I got Mirena as my husband and I were lacking in the sexual side of our relationship because we both HATE using condoms.I have a 31/2 year old son and we have decided that for now we are happy and would like if we didn't have anymore children right now so I talked to my doctor about Mirena.
Let me start by saying that my labor 6 hours with NO pain meds was nothing compared to the pain I had when they put it in. Then the bleeding started right away I was bleeding for 8 weeks then had 1 week free and now have been bleeding for about 8 weeks. I had 2 ultrasounds to make sure it was in proper and everything was "fine" my doctor says everyone's body reacts different.
The symptoms I have are Occasional Cramping,
Sever bleeding,
headaches,
irritation in my legs (same symptoms as RLS),
Depression,
no sex drive,
back pain
Weight Gain (17lbs in 2 weeks)
and the weirdest symptom is hard to explain but its the same feeling in my body as if you were to touch a 9volt battery to your tongue! Every now and then I have little shocks and its so annoying. I have had mine in for 17 weeks and I have an appointment in 8 days to have it removed...Back to condoms it is

I have had the Mirena in since I was 12 weeks postpartum. My daughter is now five months old. I have had so many side effects that I also thought were due to just having a baby and the life changes that follow (plus my kids are 12 months and 1 day apart so who knows what's out of wack once you've been pregnant for two years straight!). I've had some headaches, sleeplessness, so many pregnancy symptoms I took a pregnancy test and had the doctor do one, incredible moodiness, I hate being touched (I felt this way with both pregnancies), no libido...all of these have made in incredible strain on my marriage. If things don't improve between us a few months after I get this hell-stick IUD removed we're going to couples therapy! I was diagnosed with depression at 14, but it has been under control since then. However, since Mirena I have been incredibly depressed. I have been on birth control since 14 due to terrible periods/cramping etc and never had an issue. I am going to switch to the copper/hormone free IUD and just pray my periods have changed now that I've had two children. Wish me luck!!!!!!!!!!!

Like almost everyone else on here, I seem to be having a really bad reaction to this birth control pill! I started taking it shortly after I gave birth to my third baby because there is absolutely no way I can handle any more kids right now! Soon after I started taking it I noticed a lot of weird things going on with my body. Just walking up the stairs gets me out of breath and causes my heart to beat rapidly. Sometimes it starts to beat like this just from driving! I am also constantly nauseous (like morning sickness nauseous), have daily headaches, have no sex drive, and have acne! Up until I started taking Yasmin my skin was like porcelain and I could literally count the number of zits I got on one hand. Now my face looks like a freakin pizza!

I also go through phases of being really depressed and really angry. These mood swings are even worse than the ones I had during pregnancy! I have 3 healthy kids, a beautiful home, an amazing husband, wonderful friends...but I still cry all the time and want to die. I know that I am extremely blessed so there is absolutely no excuse for me to be feeling this way!

At the time I had passed all these things off as my hormones trying to adjust after being pregnant, even though I have never had any of these problems before when I had my other two babies. I also noticed that this was the first pregnancy where I wasn't able to shed any of my baby weight. It seemed no amount of diet or exercise could get it off, whereas with my 2 other pregnancies all I had to do was eat healthy and use the treadmill everyday and was back to my normal size before I knew it!

Now I realize that none of these things are due to having my baby at all but due to Yasmin! However, I have never used birth control pills before so this is my first experience with them. Is it possible that this is just a brand that reacts badly with me, or do all brands have side effects like this? I'm trying to decide if I should switch to a different pill or just stop taking any all together and just be extra careful with my husband! Regardless, I will definitely no longer be taking Yasmin!

Did anybody gained a lot of weight with the patch? I have used it for about 12 mo and gained a lot of weight... I felt like a balloon... I took the patch off to try to get pregnant and it took me 18 mo to get pregnant... After my two pregnancies I want to begging using some bc again... not sure what to do.. Any comments on the weight gain anyone???

I had my Mirena in for a little over a year and had if removed on August 18th 2009. I suffered from most of the side effects that are listed on Mirena's website. I have also noticed, that between the time I got the IUD inserted til now, they have included many more side effects on their website. Good for them. However, I just read something on their site that I wanted to point out to all of you ladies using or thinking about using this form of BC. Here is the link if you want to read what all they have to say. I am just glad they are putting more and more side effects on their site to inform women.

******

What if I become pregnant while using Mirena?
Unfortunately, no birth control method, not even tying your tubes, is 100% perfect. If you do get pregnant while using a birth control method, there can be risks to you and your baby. Here we talk about the risks of getting pregnant while Mirena is still in place.

About 2 in 1000 women using Mirena for one year may become pregnant. One risk of getting pregnant using Mirena is called ectopic pregnancy, when the pregnancy is not in the uterus. It may occur in the fallopian tubes. Signs of ectopic pregnancy may include unusual bleeding or abdominal pain. Ectopic pregnancy is an emergency that requires immediate medical attention and often surgery. Ectopic pregnancy can cause internal bleeding, infertility and even death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you think that you're pregnant.

There are also risks if you get pregnant while using Mirena and the pregnancy is in the uterus. Severe infection, miscarriage, premature delivery and even death can occur with pregnancies that continue with an intrauterine device (IUD). Because of this, your healthcare provider may try to remove Mirena, even though removing it may cause a miscarriage. If Mirena cannot be removed, talk with your healthcare provider about the benefits and risks of continuing the pregnancy.

everyone has their own opinion about mirena but i am here to assure you all that your not crazy. Im currently 19 years old and had mirena inserted October of 2008. Its been about a year and im going nuts. For a long time i had no answers to all of the crazy side effects. I didn't want to believe it was this wonderful easy convenient birth control. Im a college student and i just didn't want any unplanned babies. well its made my life worse. I smoke cigarettes so my doctor told me this was the best option and so i was all for it. Slowly but surely i started losing hair i didn't notice for awhile because my hair was thick in full well i can wrap a standard pony tail four frekin times around my pony. Its about half of my usual hair now. NOT ONLY is it falling out but its very dry and splitting all it does is tangle. Im very healthy young and i take vitamins daily to try and slow this process but it does no good. Since February of 2008 ive been having these terrible episodes were i get worked up for no reason. Ill be sitting in class and all of a sudden i feel like ive run a marathon. My heart races my palms sweat and a tremble. I get so freked out i have to leave class because i fell like im going to die. The worst anxiety attacks and i have to control my breathing or they just last longer. My face is so oily and so is my hair. I usually only washed my hair every other day so i don't strip the natural oils out but now its become a everyday thing which just contributes to more hair lose. I use to break out only around my period now i don't go a day without acne. Im even getting it in my scalp and back. If I don't eat on a schedule i feel like im going to pass out i get severely hungry and weak. I have pains in my uterus and ovaries sometimes and though they don't last long they are painful. I never feel like i want to have sex ever and if i do theres no telling when its going to hurt. Im very dissatisfied with mirena i loved it at first but not enough to go bald. ITS MADE MY LIFE SO STRESSFUL I FEEL BALD AND UGLY AND THAT LEADS TO DEPRESSION.

LOWER BACK PAIN
STOMACH PAIN
NO SEX DRIVE
ACNE AND OILY SKIN
DAMN NEAR BALD
PAIN IN UTERUS/DURING SEX/ANYTIME
EXTREME ANXIETY
DEPRESSION

I am a 21 year old female and just started taking paxil for anxiety & depression. My mother is on the same thing (heart problems run in the family), and I have only been on it for 2 weeks so far, but have experienced many side effects. They have included: Dry mouth, headaches (only a couple slight ones and this wasn't bad since I do get migraines now and then), urinating more frequently--especially the first few days but this has already gotten better-- strange, vivid, night-marish dreams, flu-like symptoms (I missed 2 days of work last week due to this, and it is hard to know if it was the meds or not since the flu is actually going around!), a very itchy rash on my left inner wrist that came and went the same day, mood swings--which I also had before-hand, however-- More hungry but also get full fast, so I eat more often but have smaller portions.

The plus-side so far is that my boyfriend and I both notice I am happier. I feel more like I use to and it's nice. I just don't know yet if it is worth the side effects now and when I need to get off of it.. I am concerned also about getting pregnant and what will happen then if I am still on the paxil. I have read about a lot of health problems with pregnancies and birth with women who are on paxil even during the first trimester, yet you are not suppose to abruptly stop taking it. Has anyone else gone through this I can talk to or who can post about it?? I'm nervous that I am just too young still to be on it and I do want a family.. also has anyone heard of paxil causing infertility? I have been looking for more info but not found what I'd like...

Thank you, C.

wow I thought that everyone really enjoyed the Mirena I know that i do. I actually do not get a period at all just thee occasional spot here an there. I Never got half the side effects that everyone else has gotten on this page..lol so I am thinking that this is another "Med" that has different side effects for everyone boy am I sure thankful that i didn't read some of the articles in this site or I would have never got it!!!! I am 22 a mother of two and my husband and I wanted to wait for a while to have another. Since the Pill didn't do its job and thats how I got baby girl #2 so I turned to the Mirena. Other then the uncomfortable insertion I was fine I bled for a few weeks after I had it put in but I absolutely love it. i have had mine for about a year..In fact a year next month and I AM NOT HAVING MINE REMOVED...lol I just have to say to everyone out there you cant be sure what its like till you give it a try...

I'm feeling the same as many of you ladies on here- it's certainly breaking my heart for all of you too. If we had known then what we knew now....
I got my Mirena about 6 months after the birth of my daughter and then spiraled into some serious depression. I'm so horrified now thinking back about how angry and ungrateful I was to my husband- I returned everything he gave me for Christmas in an angry huff. My behavior was awful AND it wasn't me. Over the next two years I had serious mood issues felt pregnant all the time (I even took to buying those dollar store tests so I could relieve my suspicions each time but not spend a fortune). And then there were the headaches. I had always had hormone related headaches (a few a month) so they weren't really new to me, but it got to a point where I was having so many I went to a neurologist for help - he asked me to chart them, I fund I was having 14 to 16 days a month with pain. I think the "off" days were just off because I was still under the influence of the pain drugs from the day before. My husband and I were planning on a third anyway- and suddenly I really wanted this thing out! I took it out, here I am, 9 months later- headache free!!! 9 months of no headaches and the "freedom" came within days of removal. I have now been trying to get pregnant for 9 months too- my period returned immediately after removal (the one perk I loved of the Mirena was no period) unfortunately, I can't seem to get pregnant. This, from a woman who seemingly got pregnant just by her husband looking at her. Literally, 3 cycles pre-mirena, meant 3 pregnancies for me. We had to be seriously careful- I'm terrified that this thing has now caused me to be infertile. I have been tracking my cycles watching for my ovulation and I can't find it despite having a regular 28 day cycle. Don't get Mirena- it's just not worth it

I'm a 35 yr old stay-at-home mom of two who was diagnosed with mixed connective tissue disorder over three yrs ago. But since I was 18, I've had scleroderma & rheumatoid arthritis when I was 23. I never took any drugs for either one up until May 2008. Although the worst things I've gone thru over the yrs were weight loss, stiffness and limited flexibility. The most dramatic change was my facial features. I've had old friends from high school ask me if I had plastic surgery! Other than that, I was able to get pregnant twice and have two beautiful boys. When my rheumatologist diagnosed me with MCTD in 2006, two yrs after my first child, it was very upsetting to know that lupus and sjogren's syndrome was added to the mix, literally. She wanted me to take prednisone and plaquenil. I said no way. I told her I wanted to try for another child and didn't want any drugs to ruin my chances. She assured me that I could take both even while I breastfeed! So I left and ended up with my second boy in 2007. But admittedly, both pregnancies took a toll on my body, the first one with MCTD and then the second one, I had gestional diabetes. A few months after birth, I felt the arthritic flares and the fatigue and sluggishness coming on strong. Without doing any research about either drug, I did consider taking it after I stopped nursing my second child and thought okay, two children are it for me and now it's time to take care of me. I was given prednisone at 5mg daily May 2008 for that entire month. I was very scared but I did it. I just didn't do it consistently. I would skip a day or two..or three...or four days at times before I would take it again. The rheumatologist didn't give me any warnings about side effects, skipping the dosage or tapering off. After I ran out, I decided I couldn't go back on anymore. It did ease the stiffness in my joints and gave me more energy but the mood swings, faster heartbeat and more than normal anxiety did not help. In the next two months, I experienced serious cases of heartburn and acid reflux and a series of episodes when I would gag on a bite of food and had to jump a few times to get it down. I felt a rush of such fear every time it happened that I knew it was the absolute worse feeling I ever experienced in my life. Then the worst happened last August when I fell asleep one one night after having a chocolate chip cookie. I woke up and couldn't swallow. I started drinking water but it was coming back up and out of my mouth. I panicked and screamed for my husband to do the Heimlich on me but it wasn't working. We called 911 and I started downing another glass of water. By the time they got there, I felt the cookie go down. It was something I never wanted to go through ever again. I saw a holistic chiropractor who specialized in kinesiology and other little rituals. He discovered a problem with my adrenal glands and digestive system. Soon after, I saw a gastroenterologist, had an endoscopy and Barium swallow and the diagnosis was esophagitis. It significanty showed how thin it was getting and why I had trouble swallowing. As of last November I was scheduled to have a three hour endoscopy to have a tube go down my esophagus to widen it enough to be able to swallow again. I was too scared and so it didn't happen to this day. You see I like to go the natural route but it is an expensive one at that. It really is my gut instinct that tells me that drugs like prednisone are killing more people than helping people live. But I look back to the fact that I still didn't know anything about it, not like I do now, thanks to the internet and websites like this. Then here's an absolute doozy for you! I was fine for a few months, up until a few months ago in February. My knees were in pain and stiff as a board, my arms were not happy as well. I couldn't take it anymore so I actually went back to my very first rheumatologist in March, who I saw when I was 25 yrs old. He did x-rays and then pushed for the prednisone. I broke down and decided to take it again. This time at 10mg a day. Now I know this is nothing and so was the 5mg from last yr but being only 102 lbs at the time, my body was telling me that it couldn't handle it anymore. I took it consistently this time and for almost two months. The last two weeks though I started to skip again. I also decided that the RA was too old school for me so I went to see yet another RA at the end of April, the one who diagnosed me w/MCTD three yrs ago. I figured the first one never changed so maybe she got better this time around. She took me by surprise when I told her I was taking pred and that she wants me to stop!! She specifically said, "it's an immunosuppressant, that wouldn't work for you."! What a joke!! So she just said to finish it off and start on plaquenil, another drug I dreaded to take. Again, no explanations about side effects or tapering off, I had like three pills left and just stopped. As for the plaq, talk about short-lived. I took maybe three or four and that was it too! I was angry by all the RAs and how they operate. Just take this and don't worry about nothing else. I'll see you in a few months. Then you go home and forget about it. It is highly unlikely with what came next for lil ol me. The first week of May, a pain started in my right ankle. It was more like an annoying sore pain so I tolerated it. By the end of May, I was hobbling on a cane and watched my foot go from normal every morning to an inverted position, w/ the sole facing my left foot. It was swollen, painful and I couldn't put any weight on it. After thinking I was going through an arthritic flare, I said to myself that this was no ordinary flare I've had in the past. I thought of prednisone and how it started after I stopped taking it. The plaq was not in the picture since it takes months for it to take effect. THAT'S WHEN I FINALLY SAT MY ASS DOWN AND STARTED SURFING. After a good three sleepless nights of reading pages and pages of info about withdrawal symptoms, tapering off and stories much like the ones I've read here, I flipped out and went on a mental rampage. I put two and two together about the link between my esophagus and stopping the pred last yr. I have no doubt that the pred f'd it up! Now after seeing one orthopedist (who didn't deal w/the foot/ankle but didn't know), having an MRI which showed torn tendons and ligaments and then being sent to a podiatrist surgeon (BIGGEST MISTAKE TURNED INTO A BLESSING), who decided to take the conservative approach by having my foot casted in a straight position. It was a procedure that I had to be knocked out for since I couldn't bear the pain of anyone moving my foot. That was June going into July. Removal day was the 23rd and lo and behold, hello inverted foot again. Not only did the cast feel loose but I felt my foot turning in it! The blessing was that I didn't have surgery and I didn't have it w/ this damn doctor! He then felt I needed to see a neurologist to rule out whether I may have lesions elsewhere in my body that could be the cause of my foot inversion. I said sure I will see one but I'm not coming back to you! I went to see the doctor I was supposed to see in the first place, an ortho surgeon who specializes in the foot & ankle. But boy he threw me for a loop! Not only did he roll his eyes at the idea that prednisone was involved in this injury, but that MRI don't tell the truth and so I don't have anything torn!! Based on my autoimmune history, he wants me to see a rheumatologist to rule out arthritis as the culprit. He also thinks seeing a neurologist will be a waste of time. He also mentioned the possibility having RSD/CRPS. Google it, it's not GOOD! I honestly hope that's not the case since I'm not in any pain other than the stiffness and non weight bearing pain I'm already used to. This ortho is supposed to be one of the best in the nation and I don't know if I can trust him either! All I know is the prednisone should be BANNED. BLACK BOX THIS BITCH!!! If I had the power and money to go after the makers of this drug, I would run them down for every dollar. I have my 22 month old who was just diagnosed w/PDD recently and I get angry w/the memory of that RA trying to get me to take the pred and plaq before I got pregnant again! My almost five yr old is wondering why I have to walk around in crutches every day and that I can't go outside to play with them anymore. It's been almost three months of this ordeal and it's starting to really depress me, my husband is trying his best to take care of me and the boys as well as my mother and mother-in-law. I have a great support system but I still long for leisurely walks by myself and taking the boys out on my own. I can only go outside in a wheelchair after my husband carries me down three flights of stairs in a no elevator apt. bldg. Life has changed drastically! I'm trying to stay sane everyday for my boys' sake and for my husband's. I do want to mention one last and most IMPORTANT THING. A website: ****** I started taking it two months ago and it has helped me tremendously so far, regardless of my situation. I developed an enlarged thyroid nodule back in February which needed a sono guided biopsy to see if it was cancerous and it turned out to be benign with normal thyroid function as of last month. As for my foot, I don't know what I may have if it's not arthritis related but I hope that LDN is working on it as of right now. For all autoimmune disorders and some cancers, anyone here should take a look at the website and read more about it. Thank you for letting me share my story :-).

I started the nuvaring back in Nov 2005, Dec 2005 I found out i was pregnant. Since then I delivered that baby in aug '06, tried to get pregnant again but it took 6mo of trying but finally worked, delivered baby number 2 in jan of '08, and then had an IUD inserted but within 5mo of that was pregnant again!! I delivered my 3rd daughter just 2mo ago on June 6th '09 Now I have 3 babies under 3 and my doctor is completely at a loss for what might work for me. So we decided that I would go back on the IUD and also use the NUVARING as a backup since the IUD was non hormonal. I started the NuvaRing and I am due to get my IUD inserted this fri, but tonight i finally said enough is enough and took out the NuvaRing. I put it in on the 22nd of July but will not be going back for month number 2. I am so short tempered with my 2 older daughters all of the sudden, I was steadily losing weight and now im at a standstill, my husband and i were having sex once a day and now i barely want it once a week, and i was having severe pain in my right calf, and headaches that were unbearable, and most importantly and most obvious is severe severe depression. I am constantly questioning my self worth and whether or not my husband loves me and if im a bad mom and so on and so on... Im really scared now because i am so afraid the IUD wont work again and I honestly don't think i could handle yet another pregnancy. Being pregnant every other 9mo for 3 yrs has taken a major toll on my body and emotional level alone, i don't need my birth control to do it too... So i guess my question is, are there any other forms of BC like The IUD that are non hormonal and could possibly be taken along with the IUD? I just don't trust only one since 2 of my pregnancies were conceived while on bc... any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

I have had my Mirena since 11/2008. I had it put in 2 months after my 2nd child was born. The insertion was easy and painless. I got a little crampy the first week and then after that all hell broke loose. I had a continuous non stop period from November 08 to June 09. I called my doctor several times and they put me on a hormone patch to try to stop the bleeding. It didn't work. I was told that the bleeding should stop by 6 months so I figured I would put up with it until then. 6 months approached and still bleeding, 7 months still bleeding, 8 months still bleeding. Finally at 9 months the bleeding stopped and I was thrilled. My excitement didn't last long. After one week of having no period and being excited I started developing what I thought was morning sickness. My breasts hurt, morning sickness (day and night), bloating, exhaustion, and so on. I thought for sure that I was pregnant. I made an appointment to see the doctor who informed me that my Mirena was still in place. She also did a urine pregnancy test and blood test, which both came back negative. She had no answers for why I was experiencing the symptoms. Now 3 weeks later, I still am having the side effects. My gut is telling me that it is a new side effect from the IUD. I believe that my body is now confused with the loss of a period and it is acting like I am pregnant. I have taken 6 pregnancy tests at home over the last several weeks, terrified that I am pregnant because of how I am feeling. I have had enough and called the doctor today to have it removed tomorrow. I am not going through the symptoms of pregnancy as my pregnancies were rough. I had morning sickness with both my children morning, noon and night the entire time and it was awful. I am definitely not going to put up with the feeling of being pregnant and all the nasty morning sickness feelings without the reward of an actual baby at the end. I would not recommend Mirena to anyone!

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

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

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

I am a 48 year old woman, 5'1" (now 145 pounds). I had Mirena inserted almost exactly 5 years ago, and am scheduled to have it removed in 2 weeks. I gained 25 pounds over the course of the last three years; prior to that, my maximum weight for my whole (non pregnant) life was 123 (I was at 120 when Mirena was inserted, four years after the birth of my second child). I have always been very healthy, never abnormal blood tests except during my two pregnancies was tested as pre-gestational diabetic and had to watch my carbs.

I never put it together with Mirena until just recently, when I started doing research on hypothyroidism after a friend told me that my symptoms could be due to that problem. Depression, hair loss, acne on my back, and the terrible weight gain. I went to see my G.P. who referred me for blood work. I hoped to see evidence of low thyroid function (actual TSH value, 3.12 -- I was told this is normal on a range of .4 to 4.5). I also discovered that I now have high cholesterol (269 triglycerides, 251 total cholesterol, 46 HDL, and 151 LDL). My fasting (14 hours) glucose # is 99 (I was told this is normal on a range of 65-99 mg/dL), and my vitamin D, 25-OH is 21 (also was told this is still normal but low on a range of 20-100 ng/mL). I tried to give blood six months ago, and was turned down because of anemia, so I've been eating a lot of spinach, greens, and more red meat than I normally would, so I was interested to see if I am still anemic -- the red blood cell count is 3.8 (told it was normal on a range of 3.8-5.1 mill/uL). I mention these specific results because although I was told they were normal (except for cholesterol), when I physically went to the doctor's office and requested a copy of the results and did some research online I see that my thyroid IS actually low-functioning -- according to guidelines revised six years ago, anything over 3.0 is considered hypothyroid and should be treated. Plus, isn't a fasting glucose of 99 pretty high? Yet my doctor's only suggestion: diet and exercise. Good grief, I've been on a diet since I had my first child, 13 years ago. True, I don't exercise regularly (I'm a teacher and mom of 2; I never seem to have the me time.) I guess I have an excuse to get a gym membership now.

Also, for the last year I've had increasing pain in my shoulder (I couldn't lay on my side, for example, and lately I can't reach behind me or over my head). An x-ray turned up mild bone degeneration, but not enough to cause the pain I've been having. I was referred to an orthopedist, who today diagnosed a shoulder rotator cuff injury (I've had no injury; he says it is a common degenerative complaint in the over-40 crowd). He gave me a cortisone injection and I'll be on PT for a while to see if the pain goes away. If not, I'll have to have an MRI and surgery to correct the tear.

I'm posting all of this in case it might be useful to someone out there who might be going through the same thing. I had a thyroid test done about six years ago at my OB/GYN, and it was normal then (though I don't have the number; I'll get it in 2 weeks at the OB/GYN). It will be interesting to learn whether my thyroid level has gone up since Mirena. Also, although my research suggests that the effects of these synthetic hormones do not wear off for some time, possibly even years, I will finally feel like there may be hope if my symptoms improve over the next few months when Mirena is gone. If so, I will share it with you.

If you are reading this, perhaps you have a similar story. I wish I had been more aggressive about checking out the possible causes of my many symptoms, but I let them go for years because, I guess, I just figured I'm a healthy woman who is no longer young. (Oh, one more thing: for the first year or even two years that I had Mirena, I had incredibly heavy periods. The blood flow was similar to that during the day or two after the vaginal births of my daughters. Don't know if that's significant, but it took a couple of years for my periods to get fairly normal on Mirena.)

I was just prescribed a 5-day course of Zithromax Z-Pak for Strep throat. Within hours, my throat started feeling better. Within 24 hours I was back on my feet;however, I was left with a terrible side effect --- silivia the consistency of foam --- yuck!!!!! The only relief I get from this is when I sleep. Hope it disappears after I finish the course - in 3 days. The last time I experienced this foam like saliva was during my 4 pregnancies. I know for a fact I'm not pregnant again. Has anyone experienced this problem after taking Z-Pak? If so, how did you get relief? Did it disappear after you finished the course?

Wow, I'm a bit fr***ked out after reading all these posts. I must be one of the lucky ones, as well. I had my Mirena put on 1 year ago after my first child. It did not hurt and I have had very few of these complications listed. However, I have suspected that my weight gain and inability to lose was a side effect of Mirena. This is what brought me to this site. I've gain 15 pounds and no matter how much I exercise or stage myself...it stays! I also notice now that I read....that I have had a lot of hair loss. I now have a few questions:

I lost my milk supply after going on Mirena and my Dr. assured me this wasn't the cause. Anyone else experience this?

Also, I'm concerned about the effect this will have on my next pregnancy. What has been your experiences once you've started trying again? I was told I would have no problems and should go off 1 month before TTC, but now I'm pretty worried!!

I am a 38 year old female on Lisinopril for approx. 2 months on and off. I am in excellent physical shape and ideal weight with a family history of hbp. I immediately noticed negative side effects from this drug. Extreme fatigue and confusion the first day I took this pill. The first month it was in combination with water pill and that was a disaster. I could not stop craving salt. I stopped taking this on my own and went back to the Dr. She then prescribed the Lisinopril w/o the water pill and the salt cravings were not as severe but I was constantly hungry! Yesterday I decided to not take the pill and see how I felt and of course I was NOT tired or having any unusual hunger issues. There was an immediate difference! I also have the dry cough which until now I thought was something I had p/u from one of my children and could not shake. This drug is ridiculous. I have taken meds for bp on and off through 2 pregnancies over a 10 yr. period and the pills are worse than being pregnant as far as exhaustion and cravings!!!! This is very scary and I know hbp is deadly, but there are other meds which do not come with all the negative side effects. I will keep experimenting until I find one that works for me. This pill is headed for the trash!!

OK, So me and my husband decided to get Mirena b/c we got married in 05, a year later had our daughter, and a year later had our son. I feel like for us, if left to our own discipline, will just keep having child after child after child. Seriously, for us, it doesn't take long to get pregnant. I sympathize greatly with women out there who long to have babies but can't, I do... but I am just not one of them. Both of my pregnancies were so pleasant! No morning sickness with either child, about only 20 lbs of healthy weight gain, etc. For me, being pregnant is a blast. However, the aftermath that pregnancy has on my body is not so pleasant. I can safely say that I will NEVER wear a bikini ever again and I'm surrounded by friends who "bounce back" so quickly and are in bikini's two months after having their baby. In 05, the year my husband and I got married, at age 22, I was hospitalized, put on life support and had liver damage. I was jaundice, and my liver enzymes were through the roof. My doctors almost put me on a donor list. They couldn't figure out what was wrong with me but eventually concluded that I picked up a virus from a recent missions trip to Macedonia and that it would eventually flush itself out of my system. It did, to the glory of God. I get blood drawn yearly to check liver enzymes, and since I've been pregnant (thank God with healthy pregnancies and deliveries) I just figured I've been healthy. My husband has since graduated college and is starting a small business, and with a 2 year old and a 4 month old and the economy, we just DO NOT want more kids right now. Getting on Mirena seemed to be the best option for us. I read the pamphlet, asked around, and made my decision fairly quickly since my husband and I were already back at "it" 7 weeks after my son was born. Not smart, I know, but what can I say. I can say this: Mirena has not effected my sex drive. :) Insertion was not fun! I had bleeding for about 2 months, but my son was also exactly 8 weeks when I got it so my body wasn't exactly acting normally anyway. I heard to expect bleeding. No big deal. It eventually went away and now I've had it for about 3 months. The first couple weeks I was a BEAR! Has anyone seen the SNL skit for "Annuale," (or something like that)? That's exactly what I felt like. But that went away. My son is four months old and I feel like I am gaining a lot of weight. My husband and I picked up everything and moved across country for his job and that's been stressful, so I figured weight gain was due to that. I haven't had any depression or laziness, but I always feel exhausted. I figure it's from having a toddler and a newborn. I'm sure that's part of it. But I have a membership to Lifetime and I had a session with a trainer and they gave me a nutrition regimen and core exercises b/c my belly just doesn't seem to be going back down. I'm a petite person, but I have A LOT of body fat, since during my hospitalization I had severe muscle atrophy. This is not healthy! Mainly I don't want any more kids, at least for a while, b/c I want my health back! I want to be around for my kids! Lately I've been experiencing twinges and pains around where my liver is at and I can't seem to lose ANY weight. I feel like I'm only gaining. I know excess weight, especially in your core, carries with it a lot of health risks. I finally googled weight gain and liver side effects with Mirena and found this website. Reading all your posts I'm strongly considering getting Mirena taken out and making an appointment with an OB-GYN and a hepatologist (liver doctor) just to make sure everything is OK. I need to lose weight! But I really don't want to have any more kids! I'm afraid to get off of it. I'm afraid to stay on it. I don't know what to do. Any suggestions??

Hello Ladies!

I had my Mirena put in on 6/2008 after giving birth to my second kid on March 2008. Since then I was diagnosed with post-partum depression. Which came as a surprise to me since I didn't get this with my first baby. Doctors do say all pregnancies are different, therefor I figured my doctor was right. FOR A REASON HE'S A DOCTOR! But then I started getting severe head-aches, I have lost most of my hair, mood swings (which are the worst) and this stiffness on my upper back that won't go away even with 10 Excedrins. I have tried everything to get ride of this pain but everything is just temporary. I have had a dozen anxiety attacks. Like many of you ladies out there I blamed my job for stress, my husband for mood swings, and my kids for headaches. I had suicidal thoughts for no apparent reason. My life is great. No money problems, my husband and I have been together for 5 years and I have a great paying job but I am still not happy and I am on depression pills. I also had memory lost and I am only 26 years old. I was uninterested in hanging out with friends, having drinks, talking to anyone or going out at all. last but not least I have been wearing prescription glasses for a whole year straight because my sight is foggy. THAT' IS NOT A COINCIDENCE! After reading your comments, I have decided to have this monster taken out. I had to beg my doctor to do it since he insisted I was wrong about the mirena and that I am only depressed. Well, I know my body better then anyone else and I know for a fact it was THE MONSTER making me feel like this. I finally had it removed today and I already feel a little better. I am getting cramps but nothing major. I forgot to tell you I also gained 15 pounds out of nowhere because I eat like I did before my pregnancy and after dieting and exercising I couldn't loose the weight. I am hoping this will help you all and I will post my post-mirena symptoms in 2 weeks.

I had the Mirena fitted in January, after a termination. I have 2 children, Iw as very sick during both pregnancies. Doctor refused to refer me to be sterilized, supposedly at 35 I am too young!!!?? After recovering from the termination I felt great! Loads of energy, great sense of relief....able to get on & move on!

BUT In recent weeks I have noticed

weight gain
bloating
headaches
tired
restless
hot
am experiencing terrible sweats at night, waking up wet!
I am told I am very moody too.
Do feel a bit despondent.

These last few days I have also noticed that I am short of breath! I saw my dr who sent me for a chest xray, which was clear. He said that anxiety is a common reason.

I have NEVER had reason to feel anxious! Have no idea why I do...

So I started doing some reading & I am shocked to see that all of the above & more could be caused by the mirena!

I will be getting this removed as soon as possible! Hubby will have to have the snip!

Another update:
I had my 2nd Mirena in for 14 months and had it removed Valentines day.. 12 days ago. In the first 5 days my energy is back to normal.. if not above, my mood is euphoric compared to angry and sad all the time.. joint pains are gone. My appetite is half of what is was and I'm not craving junk food and chocolate anymore. i used to hide in the pantry and eat peanut butter & chocolate chips most of the afternoons. Since the Mirena was removed, I've lost 5 pounds! My sex drive was nil for the last 3 years (with 2 pregnancies and 2 mirenas) and now I make my husband come home early for an afternooner, and today i needed it twice! No more dryness.. exactly the opposite. Can throw out the lube..lol. Never needed it before Mirena and don't anymore. I fell out of love with my husband when we were married in 2005 and have been angry with him and unattracted to him since. The last few days, I just look at him and I get turned on. I can't believe we payed thousands of dollars on marriage counselling, and our biggest problem was this stupid IUD! I'm so happy to be alive again!
I owe it to everyone here who has shared their stories.

I am a 25 year old with Factor V Leiden and was told by doctors that the Mirena would be the best birth control for me since I can't take BC pills anymore. I had the Mirena inserted Nov. 2008 and am having it removed next week. I have had a horrible experience with it. My obgyn told me that the chance of experiencing any side effects was rare since the hormone stays in your uterus. The insertion was extremely painful which I expected since I have never had a child. In the past 4 months I have gained 15 pounds despite regular exercising and eating a low calorie diet, I have a constant stinky discharge, acne across my chin and sides of my face, my hair is falling out, I have no energy and am incredibly tired all the time, have been experiencing nightmares, and have sharp cramps that make me double over in pain. I am a newlywed and have never had any psychological issues. Now I am in therapy for anxiety and depression and after reading all the posts, I now am convinced that this is also a side effect of the mirena. I used to have a healthy sex life and now I have no desire to have sex or be touched by my husband with is causing tension in our new marriage. I was trying to stick out the side effects to see if they would go away since I paid so much money ($600) for the mirena. When I spoke with my obgyn about my side effects she said they were not caused by the mirena because the hormone is directly in your uterus. I am so frustrated! I feel like I have been lied to by my doctor. I am hoping that after removal of the mirena I will feel like my old self again!

There are simply too many posts here to read but I did read MANY & many of the replies to some posts. I have found so much comfort in all of your comments. I wanted to reply to several of your posts but time doesn’t allow for that! So I’ll post my own. Forgive me for the length – I have so much to say about this. For those of you who have only just recently had your Mirena inserted and are concerned about the elongated period, mine was the same in the beginning.

This April will be 2 years that I’ve had my Mirena. I’ve experienced the whole gamut of side effects along the way and at different intervals or times. The very first was the incredibly long period. I had bleeding for roughly 25 days out of each month the first 5 months. My dr. told me that might happen but would eventually give way to short & light or no periods. He was right. I haven’t really had a period since those first 5 months. Just the occasional light day. I’ve been loving that!

I do recall in that first year, some days of cramping, and sharp pains. Again, those eventually went away after some months. I’ve experienced the opposite of many of you when it comes to weight gain. I’ve actually lost 15 pounds since being on it. Why? The nausea. Nausea that lasted all day. It began somewhere around the 5th month after insertion (and right after the periods stopped) and has subsided in the last 3 months. So the nausea affected me for about a year (some weeks worse than others). It felt like the morning sickness from my pregnancies. I had an extremely suppressed appetite for that year I had nausea on Mirena. This was a side-effect I was willing to deal with – I hate to say it but the weight loss was a pleasant surprise, when I was expecting weight gain, which I knew could happen. But the other stuff I’m about to mention….I’m DONE!...

The cystic acne has destroyed my face – specifically my chin & jaw line & in recent weeks has started to creep up my face and is now on my back & shoulders. I have what looks to be permanent scarring. I’ve had clear skin my whole life & didn’t develop acne until mid-way thru these last 22 months on Mirena. DAILY. I haven’t had a clear-face day since the acne began. I didn’t make the Mirena connection to my cystic acne until recently. I didn’t know it was a side effect.

Fatigue, lethargy & insomnia. These have been with me for about the last year. Totally Mirena’s fault. I’m a slug. I used to workout before Mirena & now have no energy to do so. And here’s the worst side effect of all and I’m a complete idiot for not making the connection to Mirena before 2 days ago: Emotional imbalance and depression. I’ve spent the last 15 months an emotional basket case. Extreme highs & lows. COUNTLESS days of crying for no reason. COUNTLESS days of being a tyrant to my husband & kids. Moody. Mean. Short-tempered. The tiniest thing sets me off. I can’t handle the most basic of life duties without freaking out on my family or falling apart in front of them. Everyhting bothers or irritates me. The sound of my family’s voices – that’s awful! I constantly lock myself in my office away from them all. I can’t handle the slightest noise sometimes. THIS HAS BEEN EVERY DAY for the last 15 months! Like someone else posted, I wish I could wear a sign that says, “I’m so sorry for the person I’ve been these past several months”. I’ve told my husband a hundred times since I’ve had Mirena, “I don’t know who I am anymore. I think I’m going crazy. Something is wrong with me”. MY GOD!!!! I didn’t realize until a couple of days ago, when I started to cruise the Internet about more info on Mirena, that Mirena was to blame for what’s happened to me!!! I’m so angry. I’m so sad. I feel like I’ve lost nearly 2 years of my life. It sounds dramatic but it’s so very true – I’ve been that bad….my emotional well-being. I’m calling my doctor first thing Monday morning to make an appointment to have this godforsaken thing removed from me. I can’t wait to be “me” again. I’m so very sorry for all of you going thru what you’ve gone thru, as well. I know how you feel. It’s awful and I’m sorry.