Thank you to all of your courageous women who have posted your ex...

Thank you to all of your courageous women who have posted your experiences with Mirena. I'm so glad to know that I'm not alone. I've had my Mirena IUD since September 2002 (5 years) and it's been a nightmare. I've experienced extreme mood swings as many of you have mentioned. I don't even like who I am anymore. I didn't gain much weight but I have severe cramping, spotting for weeks at a time and the worst temper tantrums. My sex drive increased (ten fold) but was painful at times due to Mirena. My partner could feel the strings and I had to go back to the doctor to have them cut. Now he only feels them in certain positions. If he even comes close to my cervix - it's the worst pain and brings on cramping (again). I went to my obgyn but was told that as we age our hormone levels drop severely and that's why I have mood swings. She recommended that I take prozac to help me cope. She denied that it had anything to do with the IUD. I thought I was going crazy - I have all of you to thank for helping me understand that it's not in my mind - it's in my cervix. I'm having it removed later this month but fear for what other options are available to women for birth control.