Tampon symptoms and conditions

I have had mirena for almost a year now! I received it after my first child. Not ready for another one so why not get a birth control that i don't have to worry about taking a pill everyday or getting a shot. I wish now i would have gotten on the pills. Apparently with the Mirena my periods are suppose to be not that heavy anymore. Ten months later i am still having to use a pad and a tampon at the same time when i start my period!! Seriously i am only 23. And this is the first month my cramps are bad like contractions bad!! The first thing on my to do list next week is to see if they can find out why i bleed so heavy. Oh and my face is now an acne town!! Never been this bad before!!!!

I hate this thing and can not wait to have it removed!!! I'm 45 and thought this was a great choice for me with menopause on the horizon. NOT! I had the very painful insert on Aug 4th 09 and have been bleeding ever since. 2 weeks of bleeding straight, I'd rather give birth to a razor blade! Then spotted for two weeks. Went back to have a recheck on Sept. 3rd and have had a tampon in all day and night for a month! I 'm now worried about TSS and I'm now also 10 pounds heavier, have experienced tingling in my arms, pain across my shoulder blades and I cry, a lot! I called my Dr. and she said this was normal and would subside! WHAT? Sex is not even an issue because who wants to be down in the red zone! I'm having it expelled on Tues. the 6th and can't wait to lose the symptoms and be back to normal. I look forward to having sex again without towels down like I'm house training a puppy. Good Luck to all of us and yes I think we should sue!

I'm 24 years old and have never had a child. I've jumped around to different birth control methods.
I was on Depo-provera which made me gain mad weight, stop having my period all together and loss of sex drive. Then I decided to try Nuvaring...another poor mistake. I started having my period again and lost the Depo weight (plus some) but I became a loaded gun waiting to go off! I was biting everyone's head off and felt extremely bitter. It never stayed in place though and I felt like I was always fooling with it.
My next great venture (with which I'm still experiencing the "joys" of) was Mirena. I went to have it put in while on my period, a rather light one. The insertion wasn't agony but was no pic-nic in the damn park either. Afterwards I reinserted my tampon as my Gyno said was fine to do. I was in a world of pain by this time. I only walked a block before stopping at the nearest restroom and realizing that I was covered in blood and the pain was getting worse with each passing moment.
My boyfriend came to get me and I spent the rest of the evening crying, in pain and in the fetal position. It got better after a few weeks just in time for my check-up. The Gyno went on about the pain being 'normal' and that 'it would fade over time'.
Well, it's been 2 1/2 years and it still hurts. Sex in certain positions kill me, my hair is thinning, I've gain all the Depo weight back and just to remind me the bastard is there I feel stabbing pains randomly that last from a few seconds to a couple of days. I can still feel the string but c'mon....what's the freaking deal??

Wow, to hear that it was not all in my head and I am not the baby that I thought I was. I had my mirena put in July 29,2009 and did it hurt. My ob/gyn asked me if I had taken some ibuprofen before hand. Of course, no one told me too so I had not. So, I cramped all evening in pain. I had plans to run some errands after the insertion and did but had to do child birth breathing just to make it to the next light. I even went so far as to pinch myself hard enough to leave fingernail indentations on my forearm several times to take my mind off the VERY PAINFUL cramps. After about two days of cramping, I thought that I was in the clear. Well, come to find out that I should have bought stock in Tampax since I have pretty much have been wearing a tampon every day since insertion. Now, that it has been two full months, I am considering having it removed. I have already had my children, my husband is "fixed" and I have no reason for birth control. I just wanted to have lighter monthly periods not lighter DAILY periods. As to the weight gain, my doc told me that that would not be an issue. Well, I work out four to six days a week and have gained weight that I can not lose( also in the belly) since the insertion. What is up with this thing??

I really wish I would have found this site before making the decision to have Mirena inserted. I had it put in yesterday, September 24,2009. It was the most painful things I have experienced. My Gyn had told me that I would have "period type camps" for a couple of hours after insertion. Well I spent my entire day on the couch with a heating pad on high and 800MG of Motrin. None of this touched the pain. I ended up having to take a sleeping aid so that I could go to sleep and hoped I would wake up the next morning feeling much better. Well I woke up this morning and the cramping was not as bad, but still more than "period type cramps". I also noticed that I was having very bad lower back pain. I was cleaning my house and every time I moved the pain would be stabbing. I have not spotted at all yet, but I know it has only been a day. Today I was working and noticed that my right arm went numb from the elbow to my finger tips and my eyes seem very tired.
I am a little upset because the Mirena booklet did not discuss any of these side effects. And also my Gyn had made it sound really promising because I cannot take regular birth control pills. I think I will be calling them on Monday and asking to have it removed. I really wish I would have done more research before having this done.

I have posted a couple of times previously about negative side effects, i.e. migraines, weight gain, acne, chin hair, eczema, lower back pain, no sex drive...and the list could go on. As a mature 36 year old woman I have educated myself over the past couple of years and can really only attribute all these issues to having the Mirena inserted 4 months after the birth of my daughter 3 years ago. Although at this time my doctors will not openly acknowledge these side effects, I am confident that one day they will. I encourage women to report adverse side effects to the FDA. It onlt takes a minute or two. Who knows, it may be the hormones or it may be the silicone plastic? It has to be something. It should also be acknowledged that some women, my very best friend for one, have had wonderful experiences with the Mirena. I really think it may just depend on the woman and her own body. I am having mine removed tomorrow after researching all of this for about 8 months. All I can say is, thank goodness. I am also scheduled for the Essure(permanent birth control). Food for thought for the older women in the group. Whatever each of you decide, realize you are not alone and you do not have to continue to feel the way you do if you believe that the Mirena could be making you feel so bad. Take care.

well, I made an appt to have it removed on Thursday afternoon (it's Tuesday) but my back was so bad today I decided enough was enough and pulled it out while I was in the bath a couple of hours ago. It was really not painful at all just a little fiddly getting a good grip on the strings, it wasn't even as uncomfortable as pulling out a tampon!
Anyway I took two paracetamol just in case and had a nap. 4 hours later my back pain has completely gone and I don't feel down in the dumps any more hurrah!!! I just hope my other symptoms disappear as quickly as they appeared. I will never have this again.

I have been on Mirena since September of 2006 (6 weeks after my youngest was born). I can't ever remember to take the pill, I've always had really heavy (super tampon and overnight maxi) periods for 7 days with really bad cramps, and I'm not sure if I want any more children. I had seen the commercials, read about it, and decided this was what I wanted. Well during the settling period (about 9 months - 1 year) I experienced the cramps, bleeding and bloatedness. However I've now had it for three years with no problems, that I thought anyways... until this month. I haven't had a real period (other than spotting for three days or so) for over two years now. Well this month I started spotting and didn't think anything of it. Then it slowly got worse. Luckily I had an appointment with my Dr. coming up (this past Monday), so I figured I'd talk to her about it then. Well, when she checked she said that it looked like the Mirena had come down a bit, as the strings were several inches longer than they were on my last visit. She has now scheduled me for an ultrasound this Friday to see if they can find out what's going on. It's been two weeks since the bleeding started, and just as I think it's gonna stop, it gets heavy again and I pass more clots. After reading everyone's posts, I'm a little scared. I start to think about how I've been over the past couple years and wonder if maybe some of my moodiness and irritability has been because of this little thing. I'm usually one of the most laid back people, but I do tend to snap at my children and boyfriend a lot. I know now that I also have the side effect of the lack of sex drive. I had trumped that up to having a little one, but that's probably not really the case. I hope I will find out more tomorrow. Just on another note, my boss also had Mirena put in. I'm not sure that she had any side effects, because she never mentioned any to me, except about the discharge because we both had that. Anyways, she had hers out in March and she just found out she is pregnant (but only a few weeks along).. but she's been bleeding, so she's going in twice a week to make sure her levels keep going up. Anyways, I wasn't aware that the way Mirena worked was just by self aborting the embryos. I don't like that idea at all, so after I figure out what's going on with me, I need to really sit down and weigh all my options because right now my side-effects aren't near as bad as anyone elses on here. Anyone know of another IUD that doesn't have the side effects like this one?

I got the Mirena inserted about 5 weeks after having my baby and have had hell ever since! Almost immediately after having it inserted I had a feeling like something was in my vagina, kind of like feeling a tampon in there so it was tough to get the thing off my mind. I also started having panic attacks about something being in my body (the Mirena) and it freaking me out. After only 2 days of this I had enough, I could tell my body was telling me this wasn't right. I had it put in on Mon the 3rd of this month and taken out on the 5th! I felt great until Thu morning (the 6th). I got flu like symptoms that hit hard. Nausea, no appetite, diarrhea, which soon led to weakness, tiredness, and off and on anxiety also bleeding like a period. I was so ill that I could not care for my kids (the new baby and a 3year old) only lie in bed miserable while others cared for my children. I made a Dr. appointment the next day and she said it was just the flu so to eat when I can and call on Mon if I still felt sick.
On Mon I still felt sick, I went back to the Dr. and this time she ordered blood tests and thought it may be from the IUD but could not confirm and had never heard of effects like this before from the IUD. She said to just keep doing what I was doing. The sickness lasted until the following Wed then let up although there was still some depression/anxiety feelings on occasion then all of the sudden on Sunday night I got nausea again and have been "sick" again ever since. This whole time (except the 3 or 4 days I felt OK in there) I have not really been able to eat much and have lost 11 pounds- not healthy! I have also had to pass off my kids to others to have them cared for while I can't which is totally depressing in its self. My husband is at his wits end with me pretty much disabled for no apparent reason so it is certainly putting a strain on our marriage too. I know my friends and family have tried to help as much as they can but I also know they are getting tired of the situation too. ANYONE ELSE HAS THIS EXPERIENCE? HOW LONG BEFORE I GO BACK TO BEING NORMAL??? I just really want my life back and of course I would never recommend the Mirena to anyone and if I could go back in time and not get it I SO would!!!

has anyone had a weird tingling, or just a a weird feeling in your vagina? I have not seen anyone else in the other few sites ive been to with the same problem. just wondering if it is really from the mirena. just want it to stop happening, it is really annoying. thank you.

I've had mirena for ten months now and it's the only birth control that i didn't have these mental breakdowns with. but the physical side effects are more annoying than anything. I had my period when the doctor put in the mirena and it never stopped... i had my period constantly for 7 months. and i'm STILL spotting. not only that i have this constant discharge that my doctor seems to say it's normal. well it doesn't feel or smell normal that's for sure. i have to use a tampon and change it at least twice a day to keep it under control. i'm embarrassed by it but it's the ONLY birth control that doesn't screw up my emotional system. condoms don't even work because i usually have an allergic reaction to it, even sheep skin! i'm so pissed off about it. my doctor says i'm fine and it's normal but i'm not gonna do this for the full five years...

I have been on birth control for over 5 years now, and have never had so many issues like I have with Femcon FE. I was on Yasmin for 5 yrs and loved it. Didn't gain any weight, my breast got larger, and helped reduce my heavy periods the reason I first went on BC to begin with. Well, Yasmin is no longer covered by my insurance so I had to switch. I switched to Femcon. I have cramps, nausea and fatigue. I can't get out of bed in the morning, i just want to sleep all day, I feel like I am pregnant. Besides the fact that I am spotting so much I need to actually wear a tampon, because it is so often and so gross. I have anxiety and stressed out and this medication is not working. I have 3 more pills left and then I am suppose to get my period but after reading a lot of these I wonder if I will even get it now. I am going to switch to Cryselle I tried that once and liked it but I am never putting my body through this again. I feel like I am an old lady when I am only 24 and I am tired every minute of the day. I could fall asleep in the middle of work if I just put my head down. The worst was last night during the night, I felt like I was getting a UTI it was burning feeling. I never get UTI's haven't since I was a young child, and have not done anything different to cause myself to get one. I do think this was a side affect, because today I am fine and don't feel any burning and don't feel like I have to pee.
I would not recommend this at all. Try Yasmin, Yaz, or Crysell. I know those are 3 good ones you don't gain weight, the hormones don't drive you crazy and they seem to work well.
Good luck, get off this horrible drug today!!!!

This is absolutely NUTS! I had the Mirena inserted August 2007 because I was SURE I didn't want any more children but because I was only 26 they refused a tubal and suggested Mirena (which they talked about like it was the best thing since sliced bread). Well I fell for it, insertion wasn't horrible, hurt for a split second and a bit crampy for a while but nothing major...then I bled for 5 or 6 days HEAVILY. Then it died down to an annoying amount, just enough to have to use a tampon...for 3 MONTHS STRAIGHT! I was just about fed up and ready to have it removed when I stopped bleeding and haven't bled since (with the exception of very rare barely there pink spotting after sex a few times). Ive loved not having my period and none of the emotional ups and downs that I had always had with the pill or the patch. Everything was fine until about the 1 year mark, when suddenly one night I thought I was having a heart attack, no joke! my heart was beating really fast, and hard, my left arm was tingling, my chest felt tight....only to have every test in the book come back completely NORMAL. Talk about feeling delusional! I quit smoking, quit drinking, started eating like a health nut and exercising 6-7 days a week...and it seems I gradually feel worse and worse every day. I've noticed the past few months several things, bad acne on my back, sometimes on my shoulders and chest as well, which I have never experienced in my life, I'm "fuzzy" on my back, face and chest (blond but like peach fuzz), i've notice dark hairs on my chin that i pluck but seem to return right away, and sudden bouts of depression and mood swings that are very uncharacteristic for me. Looking back there have been several times where i was really tired, dizzy and nauseous and bought and took pregnancy tests thinking I HAD to be pregnant only to have a negative result. I don't think my sex drive has been affected though I've always been more like a male in that regard (lol) so if it has I guess it would just be more along the "normal" lines now than lacking. We have decided we want to try to have another baby but I've read on other sites the horrible side effects (like the "crash") after removal and how horrible your periods can end up being and now I'm petrified to get it taken out as much as I am to leave it in!

For all of you who have had it taken out, how long did you bleed, how badly and did you experience the "crash" emotionally?

I am SO glad I ran across this site.I am not crazy! My Mirena was put in about 3 months ago after my gyno finally put it together that my birth control pills were causing menstrual migraines. I will say the Mirena helped with the headaches, but lately I have not felt like myself. I have gained 10 lbs. in 3 months (even though I have been eating well and exercising more to avoid this side effect), my hair is oily, I have little dry itchy patches on my skin, fatigue, joint pain, no interest in having sex (after we do have sex sometimes I get horrible cramps and pain, like when the Mirena was inserted) I am super moody, and have anxiety/depression/anxiety problems, bloated almost constantly, and I feel like I can't focus or concentrate on anything! I called my gyno this morning because I do not want to feel like this anymore, and told her about all my symptoms. The only thing that makes sense to me is that Mirena is causing all my problems, since I never had any of them until I got it put in. The gyno tells me its not Mirena, that it definitely does not cause all that, and to get my thyroid checked because that is my problem. However, after reading all these stories, I am convinced that it is Mirena, and I am definitely getting it out. There is no way so many women can only have Mirena in common and have the same problems, even if they are not listed as side effects on the Mirena brochure.
So I am definitely getting it taken out, but I am curious about experiences after having it removed. How long till you feel like yourself again? Do the side effects go away quickly? Does it hurt more or less than getting it put in? Does the weight come off easily?
Hopefully this post helps someone as much as the other posts helped me. Thank you all for taking the time to post.

I am 32 years old and I have had Mirena since Oct 2006. I did fine with it at the beginning, but now I am not doing so well. I still have Mirena in me and I am scheduled for it to be removed in a couple of weeks. That's the soonest they could get me in. I cannot wait to get it out of me. I pray I will start feeling better because I cannot go on feeling as bad as I do everyday of my life. My symptoms are very similar to others that I have read. I gained weight right after I had it put in me and I have always weighed in around 125 lbs then I put on 15 to 20 lbs. I didn't realize this was the reason I gained. Not only did I gain excessive weight, but I also developed an eating disorder with all the weight I gained. I could not keep the weight off me and now I battle bulimia. Which is a horrible disease that has about destroyed my life. Although bulimia has been a battle for me I have started to over come it and I am doing 10x better than I was 2 yrs ago. As far as the Mirena goes I have dizzy spells everyday. It's not a couple of dizzy spells a day it's several. My hair comes out in hand fulls. My completion is not as pretty as it once was. I now have a little acne when acne was never any problems for me. I am tired and moody. I cry easy and I get depressed and down on myself. I do not have a period anymore but I will spot a little blood. It does seem like I have more discharge now as well. I get very bloated and my body aches. I hope I will start feeling better and getting my life back to where I want it. I want to feel good again. When I had Mirena put in me it was painful. I hope it is not as painful to have it removed as it was having it put in. I hope everyone who reads this feels better or starts to feel better. I am glad I found this site and that I can relate to several. I wish the best for everyone, because we all deserve to be at the top of our game unfortunately Mirena has brought several of us down. I pray for all of you.

I am 25 years old and have been on nuvaring since July of 2007 (so 2 full years now). I didn't really start to notice any symptoms until June of 2008. I didn't have any of the weight gain (I actually lost weight--probably due to a battery of other side effects I'm now noticing-- I was 125 in college and am 114 today).

In June 2008 my periods started to get REALLY BAD! I mean I would put a tampon in and an hour later be leaking like a river. I was at a movie one night and actually had to tie my sweatshirt around my waist and run to the bathroom because I had bleed through my jeans SOOOOOOO bad. For the last year I've had to change my tampon every 2-3 hours and always, always, always use super sized pads to make sure I don't bleed through any more clothes! I've noticed clotting the past few months as well. Before that I had NEVER passed clots during my period.

Since April of 2008 I've been in a serious relationship with a loving man who recently became my fiance. We are deeply in love, but I have ABSOLUTELY NO DESIRE to have sex, none. This is worsened by the fact that sex causes me UNIMAGINABLE pain and burning to the point I try to avoid it at all costs (we've tried condoms, water based lubes, silicon lubes, gels, you name it, all to no avail!). I went to the OB/GYN in February of this year (2009) to tell her about my painful sex experience, because this was something completely new to me. She said I had vestibulitis (very similar to vaginitis) and gave me pills and creams to take everyday twice a day for the rest of like forever to try and help me. From reading some of these posts I'm thinking that getting rid of the nuvaring might just help more than those pills and creams (and the nuvaring probably gave me the damn vestibulitis to begin with!). I am also hoping to get any of my sex drive back at all. Please!!

The past two weeks is where the headaches, neck pain, dizziness, fatigue, nausea have really started to become noticeable. I almost couldn't finish making the bed yesterday and I've had a headache and neck pain for the past 8 days straight! I am constantly tired and have realized looking back that I've been constantly tired for pretty much the past two years. I've also realized that I've had some mild depression for the past two years as well. I pretty much haven't wanted to get out of bed or eat anything for the past few months and have no desire or energy to do pretty much anything.

I also think I have the mood swing issue. I cry, and I mean to the point I can't speak, over the stupidest things. And the crying comes on with no warning. I can be talking and fine one minute and a sobbing mess the next. I get really angry with my fiance for what seems like trivial things a lot lately. I get very irritable really easily and it seems. This is strange for me because in the past I have normally been able to stay pretty stable and even keel emotionally.

I took my ring out today, even though I really have like 10 days left for this month. Back when I was 19 and started on the Pill I did so because my cramps and periods were so bad I missed class or work. I am hoping that the next couple months aren't quite that bad, but I'm hoping to detox my system of this ring and start over. AND GET MY LIFE BACK!

I started the ring because of it's easy "put it in and forget about it for three weeks" convenience. When I was younger I was always forgetting to take the pill. I am not sure what kind of birth control I'll go back to when in a couple months, but I know it isn't going to be this EVIL RING!!!

I just started my second pack of pill yesterday and I don't know if I like these pills. I am taking zoloft also for anxiety and my side effects are horrilble. I have had a hard time falling asleep (I literally have to lay in bed with my eyes closed for hours before falling asleep), I have terrible nigh sweats and wake up drenched in sweat, I sleep all day long, I have horrific nightmares which I never had before, and massive headaches.
I am not sure if I want to stay on the pill, I know it is only my second month and it takes a couple months to regulate but the side effects are ruining my social life. I feel like a zombie.
About the third week in my first pack i started spotting (or what I thought was spotting). It lasted 8 days, and my normal period was only 6 days. I bled just as much as on my normal period and has severe cramps as well. The only reason I got my 'period' was because I was about an hour off on taking my pill the previous day. It is pathetic.
Has anyone else had these symptoms? Or have any suggestions on better birth control pills.?
Oh and I am 18 years old.

I understand there is a lot of negativity surrounding this drug, and although I read a lot of similar stories before filling my prescription, I started taking Yaz. Since I have started my period, I have suffered extreme back pain, moodiness, cramping, bloating and a flow so heavy I would go through a super tampon almost every hour. So when I was 14 I started on Alesse. It helped a little with the bleeding and did nothing for my pain. I am now 20 years old and just switched to Yaz. My life has changed. For the first time in 8 years I feel no cramping, bloating, nausea, back pain or diarrhea that was associated with my period. My flow is much lighter. My moods are completely stable and my sex drive has improved. Not to mention my skin is in perfect condition. I have the energy I have always wanted at this time of the month and finally I can get myself out of bed (I have missed school because of my pain). For some, this drug may not help. But for others, like me, it can change your life. I am so happy...maybe it has something to do with actually having PMDD symptoms. If you do not have PMDD maybe this drug will backfire. I don't know. But for now, I am so grateful for Yaz.

I'm grateful to have found this site. My doctor put me on the ring because I was having such intense premenstrual headaches on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo. The depression has been almost crippling since being on the ring. The first month was fine. The second month was bad. The third was so horrible I thought I was going to leave my husband because I felt so hopeless and alone. I took my ring out on Sunday. I don't think I'll be putting a new one in next Sunday. Doesn't seem worth it. The depression isn't even premenstrual anymore; I have it during my period too. Oh, and the periods are SO heavy. The first three days, I'm changing my tampon every couple of hours and have to wear back-up panty liners. And, I got a migraine this month right before my period.

Question to the others: Does anyone have neck pain? I had it on Mother's Day so bad and couldn't figure out what I'd done to injure it. Looking back at my calendar, I was premenstrual then. Now, I have the exact same neck pain, and I'm menstruating. I'm wondering if this has anything to do with the ring.

I am so glad that I found this site! I have been on the NuvaRing for about a year and have noticed side effects that I couldn't pinpoint the cause of.

I'm a very petite girl. Only 5 feet tall and usually about 94 lbs. Well since going on the NuvaRing my weight has gone up to 112! Not a big increase to the average person. But I am so small boned and so short, that all of this extra weight went straight to my tummy, butt and thighs and now I look so un-proportioned that it's ridiculous! 18 lbs. is a HUGE amount of weight for me to gain.

I've also had terrible headaches that (if I don't take anything right away for them) sometimes cause me to pass out or vomit because the pain is so intense. I have crazy mood swings that go up and down minute by minute and this has caused many fights between my fiance and I that start over stupid little things.

Also, my periods are alot heavier since I've gone on the ring. I used to have to change my tampon once every five hours or maybe even every six and never, ever leaked. Since going on the ring my periods have changed drastically and now I'm lucky if I can go two hours without leaking through a tampon! When I have my period I'm on constant guard.

Lastly, my sex drive is non-existent. Completely 100% gone. It's awful! I never, ever feel like having sex and that is NOT the normal me. Normally my sex drive is through the roof, but since going on NR I've noticed my sex drive drop more and more every month, every week, every day. This has hurt my fiance because he thinks it's him, which obviously it never was. Now after finding this site at least I can assure him of that.

After all of these side effects I decided to go off the NuvaRing. It's a form of birth control that I don't feel is safe for my body and is damaging to my relationship. I was on Ortho-Tri Lo before and will happily be going back on it again. After all I've gone through with NuvaRing, taking a little pill every day doesn't seem like that much of a hassle anymore.

I have had the Mirena since Feb. of 2007. I still have heavy periods that last approx. 10-12 days and my cycle is every 26 days. I do have the bloating and extreme fatigue as well as the "lazy" feelings. I have no cramping, no back pain, or headache. It was a piece of cake to have inserted...it was done during my 6 week post partum pap smear and it was painless. While it sucks to have my period for ½ the month (which does nothing for the sex life) and it sucks to be bloated and feel tired, and it sucks when we DO have sex that we can both feel it for the first 30 seconds or so, AND it sucks that I can't wear a tampon with it...I'd much rather have this than have to take a pill (I'm not a good pill taker) and it does prevent pregnancy, and it doesn't have NEAR the side effects of estrogen based BCP's. That being said...I am almost 42 years old with a 3 yr old and an 18 month old and that in itself makes me extremely tired. Also, to bond...I didn't think they would put the Mirena in someone who had never had children??? At any rate...I have really had no problems with it, but I am considering having my husband get a vasectomy so I can get this out of me and maybe the fatigue will leave, and hopefully the periods will get shorter and less heavy. I am also considering an endometrial ablation as well...but knowing my luck, I'll probably still have periods considering I'm in the 10% of Mirena users who still have a period after a year of use. Girls, you just have to accept the fact that we are women with crummy hormones that will give us headaches, and hot flashes, and back aches, and acne, and cramps, and bloatedness, and tender breasts, and a myriad of other symptoms for our entires lives. It's just the way God made us.

My experience with Mirena has been awful. I had it inserted a little over a year ago (2 months after the birth of my younger son). Since then I had cramping ALL the time, significant hair loss, periods every three weeks, then every two, then every week and a half. They only last three days on average, but I go through a heavy tampon an hour. I lost a lot of weight while on Mirena, but I don't know if that can be attributed to it-just diet and exercise. I had severe bloating, depression and mood swings, complete lack of sex drive (very much unlike me), here's the kicker. When I went to get it out (last week), they couldn't find it. So after 3 ultrasounds, 2 xrays, and a CT scan, they found it. It's perforated my uterus and is floating around in my abdomen. The evil thing has gone rogue!!! I'm scheduled for a laproscopic surgery next week to find the damn thing, followed by a more in-depth surgery to remove the evil.

If you're thinking about getting it---DON'T!!!

I've been taking Balziva for over a year, and I don't know what the heck these people are talking about! I think that before taking the pill they had serious menstrual and emotional problems. Before birth control I had long, heavy and painfully crippling periods. I do not have that anymore. My periods last about 4-5 days which are not painful and moderate flow at best. Actually, until recently, they had been so light that I couldn't use tampons and a panty liner was sufficient. Maybe the last couple times have I been heavy enough for a tampon (perhaps because my body finally adjusted after the last few years of birth control.) I was a moody person before birth control so I'm definitely now blaming that on the pill. I still get extra angry/moody that week, but I did before the pill too. And the only time I spot between periods is when I miss a pill, which only lasts for a couple days.

The only side effect that I could say is caused by the drug is the loss of sex drive. But again, that may not necessarily be the pill. It could be my place in life. I'm a college student with an extremely busy schedule - full time school loaded with too much homework and I work as a flight instructor (tell me teaching some new by how to land is not stressful!!) Oh, and I lost the closest person to me two years ago which I still haven't accepted and basically closed my heart after that. I don't have trouble losing weight as long as I watch my diet and exercise. I don't really think that Balziva has caused any negative side effects, at least nothing that could be explained by something else in my life. I gain weight because I let myself go on break. I lose weight because I eat right and exercise after that.

I originally started YAZ about two years ago primarily to help with irregular or extended periods. I went off for about 8 months and had very light if any periods until about two months ago when my symptoms started back up. I went on YAZ for a month and my first week on the white or placebo pills the bleeding was extremely heavy. I'm sorry if this is graphic but I went to sleep for 5 hours with a tampon in and woke up soaked in blood. I freaked out and went to the ER and was told this is a normal side effect of this pill. Just prior to this I experienced:

terrible migraine headaches
brain fog
loss of focus
inability to think and communicate clearly
increased sensitivity to sound
terrible anxiety around people
mood swings- I didn't realize this until reading everyone else's posts

From my hospital visit I also learned my blood pressure was extremely high which could be a result of this pill.

I am so thankful to everyone on here that were so brave and kind to share their stories. I hope my post will be just as helpful.

thanks,

S

Back in February, I experienced a similar bleeding. It started mid pack as well. I had gotten my period the last week of January (all normal). About a week or a week and a half later, I started bleeding again!!! I got worried, so I went to see my doctor and she said, "oh don't worry, it's normal, it's probably just your pills... keep taking them for a few months just to confirm it's the pills and if the same symptoms occur, then we'll switch you to a different brand..." Can you believe that??? If they're all ready causing me ANYTHING... take me off of them... don't wait til... "oh just keep taking them and if they kill you... then we'll know it was the pill..." Ridiculous! I already changed my doctor! Anyway, I bleeding for 2 weeks. Then I continued the pill. The next month, my period was what I can say "normal", but the following month, I didn't get my period at all practically. I just noticed some spotting, so I got a tampon in just in case.. for my whole 'period week', i just kept spotting on my tampons. As if it wasn't a real period. I don't know what's going on. And honestly... I don't believe these doctors anymore with their "the symptoms will only last 3 months... or it's nothing serious... it's normal..." bull crap!!!