Western doctors symptoms and conditions

Oh my god. I can't believe I have just stumbled upon all these women talking about the same problems. Feeling chronic fatigue, depression, listlessness, anxiety and insomnia, bloating and loss of a sex drive! (THATS birth control for ya! Ha!) I also experience aching muscles, headaches, and a brain fog that makes me feel like a fraction of my former self. All of these symptoms, among others, can describe Candida overgrowth.

I have had my Mirena for 2 1/2 years, and I never put together these symptoms and the IUD! Even though they started shortly after my insertion, I also had some serious life circumstances happen to me and assumed I felt crummy from that. Also, I loved not thinking about birth control and was convinced that the small progestin-only tips had to be the most gentle form of hormonal birth control out there. And no period! Sweet. I also worked in the field of sexual health and trusted my doctor completely. I recall in hindsight getting really sick right after it was inserted, and asking my doctor if I could be having bloating and intestinal problems from it, and she said it was unrelated.

I called to make an appointment to have the Mirena removed shortly before finding this site, because since I have discovered I have candida overgrowth, I have learned it can be onset by hormonal birth control. Candidiasis Albicons is the same yeast that causes yeast infections, and when the healthy flora of the digestive tract are compromised, it can spread out of control, becoming systematic. That's what happened to me. If this sounds all to familiar, please check it out and see if you have it too.

I am getting better already, after committing for the last two weeks to the candida diet, where my body is detoxifying and I am coming back to life. (Many western doctors know very little about this, so don't be surprised if they laugh you out of the room and prescribe prosac. Trust your gut, literally ;)

I don't believe the Mirena caused my candida overgrowth, only that its a factor in it, like taking antibiotics or heavy metal poisoning. I felt compelled to share my story, because I am starting to recover, and I can't tell you how good it feels to feel better after 2 1/2 foggy years. Don't give up on your health.

Also, I am writing because removing the IUD won't fix your problem completely, just like it didn't completely cause it, so if you have think you may have systemic candida, find out. You will need to continue treating it after you get the IUD removed, so you get the full recovery you deserve. Hoping for more healthy ladies!

I have had my mirena since April of 2006. For the first two years it was the most wonderful thing in the world ( no cramping, spotting or periods). But lately I have been feeling very horrible. I have no desire to do anything. I am very tired, moody, gained weight (just around stomach area), depressed, joint pain and sik to my stomach. After reading a lot of the posting on this website. I realized that a lot of the women feel just like me. Now I know that I am not crazy. I also scheduled to have mine's removed on August 1, 2008 (yay!!!).

Why do I think I landed here, I have been having very bad mood swings mostly relating to anger and dissatisfaction in everything and everybody. Put the mirena in April 2008, braved it out for 4 months with the
1. spotting and all the time kept thinking that my
2. fatigue and no interest in everything was due the stress of having 2 kids, work and the pregnancy weight that I have to shed.
3. I am hungry always (maybe since I am breast feeding the baby)
I had a copper IUD between my first and second son,
4. I don't remember how that was ( am I in a mental fog?). must have been better than this one. I never wanted anything hormonal. I don't want pills. Dont even know why I went with this then. I know the doctor convinced me saying it has very little hormonal effects

Yesterday, I just lost myself over a silly issue, now I feel I am going to lose my wonderful relationships with people. My 3 yr old asks me If I am not angry any more uh!!!. Why cant I call the doctor to get it removed when I doubt it could be the IUD.
5.I am lazy( another symptom).

Do I have to wait a little longer or take it out and maybe get my self back.?
(What a question to an obvious answer)
Confused!!! lazy!!

I'm 19 and i've had mine since 2006...i've had most of these side effects but i never thought it was my IUD!!! I've always had an anxiety/depression/insomnia problem but it has gotten WAY worse over the past 2 years...i just never put it together.And i have had TERRIBLE cramps for 3 weeks now and i can't take it anymore.I've tried 3 or 4 times to get it removed but my doctors kept talking me out of it and telling me everything was fine,but obviously it's not so i'm getting it removed for real tomorrow @ 12:45!!!!YAY!!!!!!

i want to start off with IM SOOOOO GLAD I FOUND THIS SITE!!!

i though.. well i wasn't actually sure what to think.. i got my mirena at the end of January 2008.. at first things were going good... yes my periods got longer.. 3 times longer then normal actually.. i wasn't too worried because the OB said that might happen at first. then slowly i started loosing my sex drive ( im only 25 that really shouldn't happen) started getting achy, especially in my joints, so i started drinking more water. then my clothes started getting tighter.. i cut out soda all together and started watching what i eat more closely..i have also had some pretty bad anexity attacks lately.. which i never had before i got this thing.. i dint know what to do i though i was going crazy.. i talked to my doctors and basically got nothing out of that.. im now in my 6th month of having mirena and i have gained almost 30 pounds!!!! yes i have been hungry all the time but i either restrain myself fream eating altogether or eat healthy snacks.. i exercise daily and still am unable to lose any weight.. the numbers on the scale just keep creeping up and up.. im am moody and easily worn out.. i have no energy at all.. which isnt good with a 3 year old that has more energy then the sun.. i had no idea that mirena could cause any of these symptoms.. but the more i have been reading about it and the more site like these i find, the more i realize that the most likely culprut of losing myself is mirena.. i have decided that on Monday im calling my OB and demanding she remove it!! i want my old self back again.. i wasn't perfect but at least ill be me.. thank you all for sharing your experiences, you made a world of difference!!!!

Hello again,
Sarah-thank you so much, once again, for your comforting words. It is amazing that after I read your post telling me that where I am in the process (and what I am currently experiencing) is normal, I actually feel physically calmer and less anxious! I feel now that I know what to expect. Do you have any idea how long that second "phase"--when your own hormones take over--will last? Thank you thank you for comforting me!

Silke-as I was reading your post, something struck me. You mentioned a few times that you feel like something is missing in your body. Ever since my Yasmin nightmare started I have been reading up on Eastern medicine (like Ayurveda) and Chinese medicine because I do not trust Western medicine at the moment. Anyway, have you ever studied it? There is an idea that your lifeforce, or "chi", runs through your body and that each of your systems are connected to each other, instead of operating exclusively from one another. If one system is sick, Western doctors simply provide a pill that will make it better, never thinking that it might not be treating the root problem. In Eastern/Chinese medicine, this idea of chi brings everything togther holistically. There are several different areas in your body that this chi may be centered. If one of the centers is "blocked," it can drain your life force from smoothly running throughout your body at all times. (Anybody who knows about Eastern and Chinese medicine...please feel free to chime in or say it better than me--the amateur!)

Long story short, there are ways to "free" this blocked chi. That might be the answer to what you feel like is "missing." I have a friend who struggled for a long time to heal from being on a terrible oral contraceptive (not Yasmin, actually) and she swears by this alternative medicine. She has an acupunturist and an herbologist and feels so healthy, holistically. So if you feel like traditional medicine, doctors, and tests are not working to help you heal, just google some alternative methods. They have been around a lot longer! I considered it for myself, but unfortunately I cannot afford it at the moment.

I hope everyone reading this is doing well today!
Best, Erykah

it is so interesting and comforting to read about all of the crazy side effects of this pill. I recenly, about 3 weeks ago, decided to go off of Yasmin. I originally went on to reduce menstrual cramps but after a year and a half I am back to where I started with the cramps. my husband and I discussed it and both agreed to invest in LadyComp (which will arrive next week!). Anyway, I'll start by saying that over the past 3 weeks I have been INCREDIBLY fatigued, have had daily migraine strength headaches, and my breasts have been very sore and swollen. I attributed it all to a chancge in schedule due to a new job, but it's been amonth on the new job and I still feel like CRAP! After reading all of these experiences I know that it must be my body adjusting to going off of the pill...which brings me to when I was ON the pill. I just thought that I had changed. My sex drive (which had never been very high) totally crashed and I felt uncontrollably moody. I have felt like a hypochondriac for the past year and a half becuase it seemed as though every day I had some type of new ache, cramping, mood, etc. I still don't know how much was caused by Yasmin, but I am anxious to get it out of my system and, hopefully, recover my strength, vitality and sex drive. Has anyone experienced this "coming down" phase? How long does it last? Please share your stories! Women need to know about this!
In my experience, Western doctors have discouraged my "instinct" and I believe that women are being told not to trust themselves nor are we encouraged to know and listen to our bodies. I'm tired of it.