I have had the Mirena for four months. I am 45 years old and fin...

I have had the Mirena for four months. I am 45 years old and finished having children. I cannot take the birth control pill because I'm a smoker. I talked with my physician about a tubal ligation versus Mirena. She actually recommended the tubal ligation but I was afraid of the general anesthesia. However, after the side effects I have experienced, I will be calling my physician soon to schedule a tubal ligation and have the Mirena removed. I have always been fortunate to have three, light days of a period each month. After the insertion of Mirena, I have 20 days or more a month of spotting which necessitates the wearing of a mini pad daily. I would rather have three days of light bleeding every 25-28 days than 20 days of pesky light spotting. Also, my knees are killing me. I feel like I'm 95 years old. I can hardly walk up and down steps without pain. This was not an issue prior to the insertion of Mirena. Within the last couple weeks, I've noticed an increase in acne. I have NEVER had acne problems so the three or four zits on my face now is very unusual and I can only attribute that to Mirena. I guess I need to overcome my fear of general anesthesia and get those tubes tied and end my birth control woes!