Tubal ligation symptoms and conditions

I'm experiencing the same side effects. Within 10 days, my libido dropped and my weight increased practically by itself. It's a good thing I'm scheduled for a tubal ligation so I don't have to deal with hormone issues ever again. No wonder it's called birth control - if you gain weight, have mood swings, a lowered libido and other issues you don't exactly feel like having a lot of sex!

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.

Wow. I had Mirena insertedin March 2009, following two years of horrible periods following my third c-section. I would have a heavy period for an average of 10 days, then get two weeks off and start again. They originally tried giving me Depo Provera - BAD! I was losing blood clots the size of my fist for three months!

At first Mirena seemed ideal, though I don't need birth control - I had a tubal ligation with my c-section. The periods were just awful! They inserted the mirena during a D&C and hysteroscopy because I also had uterine polyps. My hair is falling out (my thyroid has been checked, thank you);I have acne on my face and back; I am growing hair on my face; I am irritable; my back hurts; I am bloated; I am gaining weight even though I am on a reduced calorie diet, gave up drinking wine AND run two miles a day; I have yeast infections; sex hurts and I bleed nearly every time I have sex; I have a low sex drive now; I bleed when I exercise or go for a walk; I have ruined every pair of panties I own, and I am still having 14 day long periods. No longer heavy periods, but 14 days of bleeding, then nine days off before starting again!

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and told him all of this: his responses were that the spotting and irregular periods are likely for the FIRST YEAR (WHICH IS NOT IN THE FINE PRINT INCLUDED WITH THE MEDICATION!!!) and that doctors can't find or treat the cause of heavy periods and bleeding, only treat the symptoms.

We need to band together to demand that women's health issues are taken seriously. It is not acceptable to have a doctor say that the cause of these problems doesn't matter. Treating the cause should be the primary goal, not peddling drugs or covering up symptoms! The New York Times ran an article yesterday recommending Mirena as a solution to heavy bleeding in women! This is not a solution. And neither is a hysterectomy - I am only 31.

I have always trusted the COPPER coil and have been using it for about 10 years now...I got it taken out to have a baby, and was planning on getting "fixed" so I wouldn't have any more, but my doctor said that Mirena was even better, so I figured why not, it'll stop my periods altogether. I've only had mirena for a couple of months now, and I have to say...what everyone says here scares the hell out of me. BEFORE mirena I was on medication for panic attacks and slight depression, and I had no sex drive at all. But so far, believe it or not, I find these things getting better! I wonder if mirena has opposite effects if you've already had the symptoms...I hope so...right now I feel great...I'm becoming me again, the panic attacks have considerably subsided and I feel like I'm digging myself out of the depression...I've been ecstatic! The only real side-effects I've had are cramping one random day and tingling once. Also, I'm not gaining weight, but not losing either. The only annoying thing I find is I have that thick brown discharge instead of a period for 5 or six days, but I'm wondering if my period will stop completely eventually (hopefully) but no matter what I'll take brown sludge any day over an 8 day bledfest.

However, after reading through everyone's comments, I find myself really worried, since I've only had mirena a couple of months and a few of you said that it took like 6 months or so for anything bad to start happening. If that's the case then where will that leave me afterwards? Will my depression get worse?? I don't know what to do, and now I'm pretty nervous.

I am not liking this pill at all. I had an IUD and decided not to go back to it after the birth of my 3rd and final child. I wanted to have a tubal ligation, but my son came early and it was not "preauthorized" through the insurance, so we did not do it immediately post-partum. Then with three kids, finding the time to do and recoup from the procedure- was impossible!
So this is the pill the OB/GYN put me on. The mood swings are HORRIBLE and the "spotting"... Hello---- spotting. Okay, I have a period 30 days a month. It is awful. I keep thinking it will get better, but my son will be 9 months old on the 17th. I don't think it is getting better. I am researching my options currently and hope to call and schedule a dr. appt. by the end of the week so I can get some relief!

Side Effects: hair loss, mood swings, decline in sex drive, headaches

Thank God for this site! I started taking Yaz around June 2008. I recently decided to stop taking the pill and had a tubal ligation. Around October 2008, I noticed that my hair in the mid-top was thinning. I've always had very thick hair. It could have actually started before then, but I didn't notice it until then. Now, I have a small bald spot in the front of my head which is very hard to cover up. I stopped the pill in April 2009. In addition to hair loss/thinning, my sex drive declined, I was moody, had headaches, extremely tired, and always had an "attitude". I hope the bald spots do not continue.

My doctor told me he thought I would be a good candidate for mirena because have had very heavy periods and extreme pain after my tubal ligation. He inserted it in feb 09. the last time my husband and i had sex, it left a scratch on the head of his penis. you can actually see where it cut through the skin. i am going to the doctor to have it taken out this afternoon, so we will see what follow up symptoms i have. I have been moody, tired, depressed, no energy, gaining weight for no reason.

I had my Mirena inserted 4yrs & 11mths ago. I believe this evil little device nearly cost me my life. A locum GP suggested it to me when I consulted her about tubal ligation. She said that as I was having heavy periods which made my varicose veins ache the Mirena may be a better option, so I went for it. It hurt having it inserted but the cramping after was a killer. My husband noticed a change in my mood within a week, at my six week check up he asked if it could be associated with the Mirena and was assured that it would be rare. The next six months I became more and more depressed to the point that I decided to commit suicide. Luckily my husband was one step ahead of me and I'm here to tell my story. Also have had migraines, weight gain, nausea, breast tenderness, but no period. I never associated any of these symptoms with Mirena (neither did my GP). As the five year life span was approaching I decided to go through the motions of having it replaced. Whilst looking on web for a local Gyno I started to read the horror stories. Today I had it removed, it was a little uncomfortable but I'm hoping it is going to make a difference to my long struggle to manage my depression.

I had Mirena inserted in May 04 and have been miserable ever since!
I had my 2nd child and did not want any more, I was scared to get my tubes tied because I had a newborn & a 4 year old to take care of.
Since I had Mirena, I have had severe back pain, weight that won't budge no matter what, severe constipation, swollen legs & feet, panic and anxiety attacks, moodiness, hot flashes, miscarriages, severe stomach cramps, depression, bloated stomach, almost constant nausea, headaches, you name it I have it.
My husband got a vasectomy 4 weeks ago and I can't wait until I can get this horrible evil thing out of me.
I didn't think it was the IUD until recently. My doctor played it up like it was a miracle contraceptive-even told me it was better than tubal ligation and vasectomy. ha!

c.

I had my Mirena put in on April 7th 2009, so about 3.5 weeks ago. Immediately I regretted my decision, the intense pain and cramping at insertion was not what I was expecting or bargained for. I had to sit in the doctors office for 45 minutes till I could gain my composure back and I have a high tolerance of pain. That night I could not sleep, I got 3 hrs sleep for the first two nights, only 6 on night 3 and it hasn't gotten any better since. Hot flashes, headaches, back pain, moodiness with my children and the constant bleeding since insertion combined with the insomnia is enough to make me have this thing removed. I called my doctor after another night of 3 hrs sleep last night and I am getting it removed at 1:30 today! I can not wait, especially after reading all of the stories on here I know this is the right decision for me. My greatest concern is now what? Will my insurance pay for me to have tubal ligation now after having paid for this only 3 weeks ago? That is the chance I will have to take. A mother of 3 little ones needs her sleep for her sanity!

I have had my Mirena IUD for a year and a half. Although I'd had a tubal ligation back in '05, my GYN recommended the IUD for the heavy (and seemingly never ending) periods I was having.
The idea of not having periods anymore was too good to be true but, admittedly-the Mirena has done wonders in that department. I feel normal again.
However, I do have some side-effects from it that are making me ponder the idea of getting it out: Weight gain (and unable to shed the pounds); fatigue due to insomnia; moodiness; feeling bloated; depression; muscle soreness/aches; almost non-existent sex drive AND a couple of times my fiance has FELT it during intercourse and it has caused him pain.

When I had this checked out, the Mirena was still in place. But I don't know...I think the long-lasting periods are almost worth dealing with compared to the other symptoms.

I had mirena put in October 2008, A total of 17 months. I am a 31 yr. old mother of 4. And I have experienced many side effects. First, of all the non stop bleeding for the first 15 months I bleed over half the month. And my periods prior to this was always short 3 days at the most. Now I would bleed 15 or 16 days at a time. I suffered hair loss, it has fell out in patches is some spots. But, luckily for me I have very thick hair so other people wont notice. But, I know its there. I have also gained weight about 20 pounds. I have lower back pains shooting pains in my lower back, I have had blurry vision at times. And that funny fluttering feeling in my stomach like a baby kicking, tenderness in my breast. But I will say that the bleeding is what that bothered me the most. I have had the brown discharge, the funny odor. But now after 17 months the bleeding has slowed down a little but its a very bright red color which is so weird. Looks like you just cut yourself, not like period blood. I have also experienced depression, and emotional rollercosters from happy to mad to excited to sad in 0 - 60 seconds flat. I was not like this before I had this inserted. Its just that I have 4 children and I went in to get a tubal ligation and i let my obgyn talk me out of it because my uterus is retroverted and supposedly I would have a greater risk of having a tubal done with complications. And she talked me in to this Mirena Now, I am second guessing myself. My breast hurt like Im still pregnant. But, I have problems with the patch, the pills so its like is there any bc that will work for me. And don't want to remove this without some other plan ready. I do not want to have any more children. But I am seriously contemplating TAKING THIS DAMN THING OUT!

I am so grateful to all of you for sharing your stories. I have had Mirena in for 9 months and before that I had the copper IUD (which incidentally fell out without me knowing it and I got pregnant and then miscarried--at which point my OB/GYN suggested Mirena instead of tubal ligation).

Over the past 9 months I have had itchy hive like bumps that randomly pop up on my arms, face, neck and chest. I have had frequent headaches. I have had decreased desire and enjoyment of sex. I have gained 10lbs, despite careful calorie counting, vigorous exercise, and concerted effort to lose weight. I am tired all the time. I am irritable, moody and depressed. If I don't exercise and get some endorphins flowing I can pretty much plan on feeling discouraged, depressed and not getting anything done the whole day. I have acne on my face worse than when I was a teenager.

I tried IUD's in the first place because I don't tolerate other forms of BC well (I've tried pills, nuvaring, mini-pill), and my doc assured me that the Mirena wouldn't cause these side effects, but last night I happened upon a WebMD reviews of Mirena and there were so many other women describing exactly the same problems as me--what a relief! I was all ready to head off to the psychiatrist, dermatologist, and marriage counselor!

I am going to get this removed ASAP so that I can be a normal person and ENJOY life again. I wish I would have looked up side effects before I had it inserted.

I am so glad that I found this site and to see that there are other women out there who are having problems with the Mirena. I thought it was just all in my mind! I had the Mirena inserted in February 2008. Started having problems with high BP when pregnant with first baby and when I went back on pill after his birth BP wasn't doing any better. After having my second child, I contemplated about Mirena vs. having tubes tied. My OB said the Mirena was the perfect thing for me and was pretty much like tubal ligation, but without the surgery. I had no problems when Mirena was inserted..just bleeding (seemed like forever for me to stop bleeding) and the normal dizziness. For the first three months, I never knew when my period was going to be, but I just kept remembering what my OB said "your periods will be like nothing after the first three months." My periods did get a little better...however not the "light" or spotting periods. After the first three months, I started noticing that my hair was starting to fall out more but thought it was part of postpartum. I started feeling really tired, skin started to break out, felt depressed, my mind was racing, couldn't sleep, had problems remembering things (simple things), migraines got worse and more frequent than what they used to be before, moody, agitated, had chest pains, nausea in the morning (at one point I thought I was pregnant again!), stomach pains, diarrhea/constipation, kept having vaginal discharge (like when you are pregnant), came down with bacterial vaginosis, UTI's were somewhat common,no sexual desire and my BP was out of control. Seven months after having Mirena inserted, I started having sharp pains near right ovary. I had problems with cysts in right ovary before and had them removed so when the pains started, I had a hunch that most likely it was another cyst. My OB closed her practice so when I went to new OB for annual pap, I mentioned all the things I was experiencing including suspicion of cyst. I told her I had been experiencing all symtoms since Mirena was put in. She told me that she has never heard of the Mirena to cause symptoms like these. Told me that perhaps I was still having effects of postpartum and that my body was trying to get "back to normal" and get used to Mirena. Had all these blood test done and everything came back normal. I did have a cyst on right ovary and was told that it should go away within 2 months. Just had a follow-up ultrasound today (2 months later) and cyst is still there along with other cysts on right AND NOW left ovary. Most of the time, I am in a lot of pain especially on the right side. I was told to just take Motrin for the pain, but that nor heat packs work at all. I am really considering to have the Mirena taken out. I REALLY believe that the Mirena is the cause of my cysts. Is there anyone out there who have gotten cysts while with the Mirena? And has anyone experienced having no problems with cysts after the Mirena was taken out? Since finding out that I have multiple cysts on both sides and knowing that my doctor will probably tell me they will eventually go away on their own (first one is less than 2cm and others are smaller), I don't know if it is even worth keeping the Mirena in. I hate having all these symptoms...I just want to be "normal" again. BUT, IT IS VERY COMFORTING TO KNOW THAT THERE ARE OTHERS WHO ARE OR HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME. Now I can tell myself that it is not all in my mind and I am not going crazy!

I wish I never had the mirena put in at all. I've had it for almost 2 years now after the birth of my third child. I let the doctors talk me out of tubal ligation. Boy am I sorry for that. It seemed ok for about a year. My periods slowed down, everything seemed kind of normal. But now I have irregular bleeding, like one woman described as old, stringy blood. My hair is SO thin I had to go out and get extensions, again, like another woman. I cannot lose weight no matter what I try, and I've always been very active and do some hard core work outs. Still, I'm not losing anything. I'm bloated. Headaches seem to be more present. I called my primary care and am making an appt for tubal ligation and removal of this horrible device. Perhaps some women like it. I cannot stand it and can't wait to have it removed. I just hope my hair grows back ok:( Good luck ladies!

I got my Mirena IUD inserted at the end October 2008. I had a tubal ligation with the birth of my fourth child so my IUD was supposed to combat my battle with endometriosis. Needless to say, I am not pleased. After insertion I spotted for about a month. Finally that ended and I was blood free for about one month and as of January 1st, I am bleeding again. Happy New Year!!!! At first, I didn't know where to attribute my horrible depression, severe acne, and migraine headaches but now I have an idea since discovering this website. I am 31 and have NEVER suffered from acne not even during those adolescent years. The spotting is the worst. It is this horrible dark brown color with a horrific smell!!! I was starting to wonder whether or not it was actually blood. I contacted my doctor's office and was told that this was normal. I was given an antibiotic because they assumed the smell was from some type of infection. Well that didn't work. My doctor didn't want to remove it thinking that eventually my periods and bleeding will stop permanently. That day has not come yet, and I don't know how long I can endure. I really just want it out. I am tempted to contact my family practitioner and have him to remove it. I just know, I want it out!!!!!! I am just grateful for finding this site and finally realizing that it is not just me. I am looking into some herbal treatments to try to ease my discomforts with my endometriosis. I don't think I want to risk dealing with any more IUDs, birth control pills, or shots anymore. It just seems like to much to loose at this point.

I had the mirena inserted back in March of 2008, so therefore I've had it in for approximately 9 months, going on 10. I actually wanted a tubal ligation, but my Dr. said I was too young and being recently divorced, I may want more kids. Well, I'm 37, 38 tomorrow and have 3 and the guy I'm with has 2, I believe that's enough for me! She still refused to do it, so I went ahead with the insertion. When I had it inserted, the pain in my abdomen was so extreme, I couldn't even walk!! It lasted for about a week or more, then things subsided. As the months went on, my boyfriend would say to me, "you're so mean, why are you so uptight, you need to go see a doctor, you're not the person I met a few years ago, what's up with you?" Well, I didn't think anything of it, I was getting my period very heavy for a few months, then it went to just spotty....NOW...I'm not getting it at all and I'm feeling the same way as all of you have felt. My breasts are sore and HUGE, they feel like boulders, like when I was pregnant. I actually took a pregnancy test and yes, it was negative, but I really feel pregnant. The bloatedness in my stomach, the constipation is unreal! Even my friends have said to me, "are you pregnant?" That's definitely a sign that something's going on inside my body. So, here I am, looking up side effects to Mirena AND this is what I found...all of you fine ladies having the same ones as I. That is just CRAZY!!!! I'm calling my doctor first thing Monday morning and scheduling for this damn thing to be removed!!!!! I'm done with the moodiness, the depression, the weight gain, the pain, the constipation.....I'm through with it and I DO NOT recommend any other woman to have or think about getting Mirena inserted before they do a complete search on what the side effects are with this IUD. I'm hoping after I have this removed that my life goes back to normal and my boyfriend, gets happy again, cause all in all, our lives changed when I had this inserted....everything went down the drain, even the sex life....I'll keep you updated after the removal....I hope you all the BEST of luck!
By - JerseyGirl

My doc put me on Femcon Fe after Mirena IUD removal.

The pills were just temporary to cover me between Mirena IUD removal and tubal ligation surgery.

I started Femcon FE on 11/17 and by 12/16 had gained approximately 10 lbs...10 lbs in 1 month!!! I stopped Femcon Fe on 12/16 and have lost 4 lbs of the 10 lb gain without any effort.

The other side effect was a nice breakout of acne all over my chin.

I am thankful that I do not have to take birth control pills any longer and will finally have hormones in my body that my body naturally produces.

I have been reading a LOT of posts from all of you here and on other Mirena forums and a lot of you are complaining about most of the same symptoms, however mine is a little different and I haven't really seen anyone talk about it yet.
I got my Mirena inserted on July 23, 2008 and it is now Nov. 15, 2008. I was fine the first 14 days, then I started bleeding vaginally and have not stopped since. Some days are lighter than others but still bloody. After 2 months I went back to the Dr. and she checked the strings and stuff and said everything seems to be in place and just fine and that I'd have irregular bleeding the first few months and maybe give it some more time, I agreed. Now 2 more months later no change and I am getting fed up, not to mention my iron counts are very low, I've been very anemic this whole time due to the constant bleeding from Mirena. I also have no sex drive, blurry vision, vertigo when I'm laying down, fatigued due to the anemia, depression and temperamental as well.
I am now trying to make an appt with my GYN to take this out as well as my whole uterus. Mind you, I am 42 and have 5 children varying in ages and I have had a tubal ligation, I am not using Mirena for BC, I was using it to help with my weird periods and heavy bleeding. HA

Has anyone else had this bleeding problem? If so, did it ever stop? and when?

On September 9th, 2008, I had the mirena inserted and it was horrible. My right ovary felt like it had exploded and a burst of burning pain radiated down my leg. I broke out into a sweat, felt dizzy, and nauseated. The doctor said they never had that reaction before and had me lay down until I felt better. The doctor wanted to do an ultrasound, right then, but the doctors that did the ultrasounds were not available, so she gave me a Motrin and told me to go to the emergency room if I had severe pain or bleeding. She sent me home. This THING is constantly on my mind since I had it put in. I hate it!! I am tired all the time, headaches, bloating, dry eyes, back pain, hair loss, constant feeling of being in a fog, cramps everyday, and the burning pain I experienced during insertion comes back more and more frequently. My ovary and leg hurt me so bad that I feel like I'm going to pass out. Two weeks after insertion I went in to have the strings trimmed and let the doctor know my symptoms-she looked puzzled and made me feel like I was crazy, but suggested that we have an ultrasound done, so she scheduled me an appointment for it-two weeks later. I had a follow up with the doctor one week after that and she said everything looked fine and to take ibuprofen for the pain. I went back three weeks later to have my strings trimmed-again. She was amazed that they seemed longer than they were the first time she trimmed them. She said that it was either "settling" lower, or it was falling out. She did an internal exam, but did not feel it, so she suggested that I at least give it another month before I consider taking it out. I agreed because I paid a lot of money for it and my options are limited. Since my last visit, I've been researching mirena a bit and was surprised to hear that so many women have been experiencing these side effects. I plan on having the mirena removed, but have been researching tubal ligation as my next step. Then I ran into something called tubal ligation syndrome, which has side effects that I am currently experiencing. I talked to my boyfriend about all of this last night and he has agreed to have a vasectomy. The bad thing about that is I have to wait for him to have it done and wait until his sperm count is at zero. That could take a month or more! The good thing is that I won't have to think or worry about getting pregnant anymore and I won't have some foreign piece of hormonal plastic in my body any longer. I will never recommend the mirena to anyone-ever!

Now that I have had mine removed and can think clearly again, I just realized that I had anxiety at work all year long and felt so overwhelmed with everything coming at me all the time, feeling like I had developed Adult ADD and scared I would lose my job because I couldn't keep up or kept screwing up little things with my foggy brain. WOW - it was this IUD messing up my body and my mind the whole time. Why won't doctors listen to us and hear our cry for help???

I had my Mirena IUC put in last October, yes it hurt but my cycle is MUCH better. I went from full heavy for ten days to three barely using a light tampon. Now though im to the point of no period and its scaring the crap out of me. I had perigard which made my period horrible and it had to be surgically removed. Mirena us much better but for the absence of my period. I love the fact of not taking pills all of the time, and not having to deal with birth control constantly. I personally at twenty seven am not ready to have a tubal ligation. I am curious though how i can get my period back..For my own sanity of knowing im not pregnant with baby number three..

Had Mirena "installed" because of heavy periods AFTER a tubal ligation. I'm 37 and feel 14 again with all the acne I've got now. Rather depressing. I just had it put in in August, so I'll give it a few before making a decision. I spot a lot, which is annoying. But the acne is the deal breaker for me. I'll go back to Yaz, which stopped the heavy bleeding AND cleared up my skin, if this doesn't clear up.

It was a painful insertion. No one forewarned me. Good times. I get more headaches than usual as well. Again, I'll see if these things subside. If not, I will have it removed.

I have had Mirena since may 2008 and I hate it! I have two children and dont want anymore, but because i am young i was urged not to get a tubal ligation. I really wish that i hadn't let myself get bullied into something that i really did not want. As with many of the other women on this page, i have experienced a lot of cramping and i bled like a stuck pig for the first month that i had the mirena. I have frequent headaches and nausea and acne like u wouldn't believe. and it's in the strangest places like behind my ears! my complexion has always been one of my better attributes, so i was kind of ticked when i started breaking out so badly! I was really excited about not having to worry about birth control for a while, but now i'm left wondering if it was really worth it! I was also diagnosed with an ovarian cyst in June, which has not yet corrected itself and may require me to have surgery to have it removed.

I had the Mirena inserted 8 days ago..I cannot wait to get this thing out...I fainted when it was put in it was soo painful..I am a healthy active woman..now I am constantly nauseous,non stop cramps,backaches, and heart palpitations..what is up with that?? I had been on the pill for 20 years and never had this kind of stuff..I am done..Tubal Ligation here I come. I now know why all my friends begged me not to use an IUD.