I am 42, no children, never pregnant.
I had Mirena inserted about 7 months ago.
I thought I finally found THE REMEDY against heavy periods and condom use.
Since then I've had practically constant spotting. My period (heavy, as usual) followed by spotting. The first couple of months continuous blood loss, the last 2 months it was 3 weeks of bleeding (1st week heavy), only 1 week not.
Because of all the blood loss, there is no doubt I have am low on ferritin, thus and suffering from an iron deficiency. I am tired and lack energy. There is no drive to take any action whatsoever. Could be lack of iron, could be Mirena...
I wear contact lenses and had a left EYE that showed bubbles, the surface wasn't flat anymore. My eye was irritating. Not suspecting/thinking of any relation to Mirena, I went to see 3 different ophthalmologists, 5 visits in total. I took every kind of medicine you can imagine against viral and bacterial infections (as heavy as Prednisolone) etc. They only made things worse. None of the ophthalmologists actually found the origin of my "bubbles". Finally, triggered by the fact that my eye problems started at about the same time as I had my Mirena inserted, I started to do some research on the internet and found a website describing scientific research on mice that stated that sex hormones influence the surface of the eye... All of a sudden all became crystal clear to me....
My THROAT is sore. Like having acid reflux. I went to see my doctor, had and echo done, went to see an ENT-specialist to looked into my throat with a camera. No one found anything special (except a red throat). I am practically sure that this phenomenon has to do with Mirena as well as I also have this problem since I have Mirena (and not ever before...).
I have all kinds of strange pains in my MUSCLES and JOINTS, especially in the lower BACK (which is hurting a lot like a hernia - I never have had back pains in that area before) but also my elbow and fingers and thumb. Sometimes my right leg is just paralyzed for a 10 secs and I am hardly able to raise my foot to walk. I feel like an old woman.
I feel SWOLLEN in my stomach, sometimes have slight pains or a weird feeling. I have the impression I can feel the IUD, especially at some movements.
I've had very sore BREASTS for some time (weeks in a row), but that's over now.
I sometimes suffer on and off from CONSTIPATION, which is very unusual (especially with my healthy diet (practically vegetarian, regularly organic food, lots of whole-wheat items, fruits and vegetables).
I always had some ACNE but it has gotten significantly worse.
I SWEAT at night and more easily during the day, something I never used to.
I lack sex drive and for the first time in my life I experienced intimate dryness. This is the best birth control I've ever experienced, because I have no LIBIDO at all...
Overall I am not feeling good / active / in good physical shape with my normal energy/drive. Also my MOOD has not been so optimistic as usual.
I am definitively going to have this Mirena taken out. Toooo many problems with this type of "birth control". It coasted me a lot of money and time, months of health problems. Back to condoms again. Something I am not looking forward to... but I do look forward in getting my libido back...
The thing that really makes me angry is that it is still is up to the women to stuff themselves with hormones. Why, in the last 40 years or so that the birth control pill exists (and I've taken it for 15 years or so, bloating me and killing my libido...), medicine never has come up with birth control for men???
I've had it with hormones. No more for me. I eagerly pass my turn is to the other 50% of the population. Let the male gender be suffering from lack of libido for some time (so women can make fun of them faking a headache...) and the rest of the side-effects of hormones. Women have enough problems with their period already... There's no justice in the way nature has arranged things and (male) scientists have only made thing worse.