Mirena and 5 months

I had the Mirena inserted in spring of 2009, and I just had it removed this past Wednesday, Nov. 25 2009.
After insertion, I started getting the worst acne I've ever had in my life. I've gained about 30 lbs since the spring, whereas before I had it inserted I couldn't gain OR lose weight no matter what I did! I have gained 5 lbs in the last month alone, and all the while I've been really careful with my eating habits. I could have sworn I was pregnant, because I looked 5 months pregnant all the time. My skin did not get better over time, regardless of what I did to improve it. Also, my body could not produce lubricant for sex no matter how turned on I was!
My moods have been almost life altering. I felt hopeless and irrational. I thought I was losing my mind. I definitely think it would have destroyed my relationship with my boyfriend if I had kept the Mirena.
The first thing I noticed when I had it removed was that my body immediately felt a lot lighter. I didn't have that heavy feeling in my abdomen (I hadn't even noticed that it was there until it was gone!). My doctor started me on Tricyclen birth control pills the next day, and my skin has already improved. My moods are back to normal! I actually completely enjoyed my boyfriend's company rather than cry over something he said! My body is also reacting normal sexually.
I am so happy that I had the Mirena removed, and I cannot thank enough all the ladies who have posted on this site. I didn't connect my problems together until I searched for "Medical causes of weight gain". I feel so optimistic for the future!!!

I've had most of the side effects mentioned in these posts. But the biggest problem I've had is the massive mood swings I've had. I'm talking really bad temper tantrums. Has anyone else had this? My oestrogen level is sitting under 130 which is way below the normal 750 - 1400 level. I am only 35, but in a psudo menopause state. I tell you what, if I cannot conceive once this thing is removed, I will sue the pants off them! How can no one tell me that I could LOSE my ability to conceive if I use this? I used to have normal levels and now I'm menopausal? At 35? Do me a freaking favor. Take this thing off the market. NOW.

I have had mirena since oct 2007. i have had a lot of problems since. i have just recently the past 5 months or so, been able to loose any weight! i actually gained 15 lbs after i had it put in. also it had rejected itself the first time after about 6 months. and the main reason i started searching today on here is because for the past 3 weeks right after my last period, i haven't been able to find the string. i can completely feel my cervix because im short spaced. there is NOO string hanging out and i have had serious cramping. about a week ago i was standing at my microwave and all of a sudden i started having a lot of white/clear discharge leaking down my leg.. i wasn't sure what was up because i was also having some cramping. i figured i HAD to be ovulating. so i took an ovulation test and i was right! i was ovulating. 4 days later i took another test after the discharge went away and it was neg. i called my doctors today because ive been having a lot of bad cramping. she told me you do NOT ovulate while u have the mirena and the test should never had been positive. she said the string can go inside my cervix but it wouldn't cause any cramping but she said if the mirena was moving or shifting, she said i will get a lot of cramping and it can be dangerous. im nervous and she said if the cramping gets worse to go to the er. she said tomorrow i need to have a pregnancy test and an ultrasound done. i am nervous and i want this thing out of me!! when i touch my cervix, i get sharp pains. the same pains i had when i was dilating with my daughter. this sucks!! i will also agree with others.. the weight gain/hard to loose is deff something that has happened, still breaking out, more cramping when bleeding, mood swings, i STILL lactate after over 2 yrs of stopping breastfeeding, i still am VERYY sensitive and cry easily, my lower back hurts all the time, always tired/lazy, i feel pregnant still!!!! i prolly have every symptom u could think off. another thing i want to know is.. can the mirena make it so i can get sick more easily...? like lowering my immune system?? i get sick with a cold or nasel infection or fevers or something everyyyy month!! i am ALWAYS sick!! ive had strep throat prolly 6 times in the past 2 yrs. fevers prolly 5 times.. im sick as we speak with a nasel infection, wooping cough, diarea, sleepyness, head ache... and ive been sick since 10/20/09 and its 11/9/09 today... no fevers so i know it isnt swine flu.. but damn! im always sick!! ever since i had my daughter... which is also around the same time i had the mirena put in... welll... theres my story... mirena needs to be taken off the shelves and if anything happens to my cervix or makes it so i cannot have kids, so help me god ill sue the livin shit out of them!!! yaz got sued... mirena should be too!!!

Hi everyone ~ I am so glad I have found all of you. I have an appt today to have the Mirena placed. I highly considering canceling the appt now. I have read probably 98% bad and only 2% good. can anyone help me decide what I should do? I was having it placed for my heavy, painful menses, the birth control is/was a bonus feature. really? I shouldn't do this eh? someone please respond.

I don't have any new side effects; they're the same as everyone has mentioned. I feel so unhappy almost all of the time. I have experienced the fluttering in my stomach, which looks like I'm 5 months pregnant. Diet and exercise aren't working to take away the 20lbs I've gained. And the acne is annoying. Everyday I get a new pimple. I know that Proactive works because I used it prior to my November 2007 insertion of Mirena. After reading the comments listed on this site, I have decided to have it removed. I'm tired of being tired, sad and popping pimples. I also had a vibrating feeling in my right foot for about a week; Mirena related? Don't know for sure. Good Luck ladies! And thanks so much for your posts.

I just want to say how happy I found this site. I'm not alone! I thought I was going crazy or that my body was shutting down completely. I had my mirena put in Sept. 2006 and my body has become something I don't even recognize. I am extremely bloated all the time and it hurts every time I eat and use the bathroom. I keep on thinking maybe I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, but it doesn't make any sense because the symptoms showed up after I had the Mirena put in. I thought it might be food sensitivities so I got tested and have been trying to cut those foods out but it doesn't seem to be helping. I have tried all sorts of natural remedies but it never seems to go away.

I have gained 40 pounds since I the Mirena put in even though I have never have had weight gain problems before, I eat healthy and I am active. I also have a difficult time concentrating and focusing on anything. I also get dizziness, depression, irritability and mood swings. I also have been experiencing a sharp pulling or stinging in my uterus at times as well as joint pain (especially in my hips, knees) and painful intercourse with bleeding afterwards. My hair is also falling out and I have lost my desire for sex.

I've also noticed a drastic decline in my immune system. I have never been as sick as I have been in the last three years of my life. I seem to always be getting sick. For the first three months after the Mirena was inserted I had frequent bouts of yeast infections, bladder infections and still three years later I have these types of infections frequently. Not only this but I seem to catch everything that is going around when before the Mirena I hardly ever got sick.

Finally after reading the posts on this site I can trace all the changes in my body to when I had my Mirena put in. I am so upset that I have been suffering for 3 yrs with these side effects and it has taken until now for me to figure out that the Mirena doesn't just effect your uterus it effects your WHOLE body. I cant believe I trusted the doctor I went to when I had it put in that said that the hormones would only affect my uterus. NEVER, NEVER USE THIS PRODUCT!! It is coming out as soon as I can have it done! Please ladies if you know what it is like to have it removed let me know.

I'm 48 and got a Mirena put in last January at the suggestion of my doctor. I'd been having menstrual migraines and we thought that a steady dose of hormones might help with the dips and prevent my headaches. Well, it has helped some, as the headaches don't come every month anymore, however, I do still get them, so it hasn't really done what we hoped. Add to that my (growing!) list of symptoms and something has to be done. I am very active. I do Taekwondo 4x a week and was working out 5x a week this summer in preparation for my black belt test. You would think that I'd lose weight with the workouts I've done for the past 10 months, but no, my weight has increased over 10lbs! And it's not muscle, either: My breasts, waist, hips and thighs have all increased. I feel bloated, tired to the point of exhaustion even after 8 hours of sleep, and all of my joints are achy. The brain-fog has gotten so bad that I've had to go back on ADD meds to try to maintain my focus at work. I'd been doing my workouts for 3 years prior to getting the Mirena, and I never felt tired the way I feel it now! I'm seeing my doctor next month and this thing is out of here!

I've had Mirena since Jan. 2006. This is what's going on with me.

EXTREMELY bloated all the time, diagnosed as IBS. I’ve tried everything: herbs, teas, diet changes, prescription meds (currently on anti-depressant (for the IBS, not depression) and an anti-spasmatic pill), and non-prescription meds (currently taking beano before every meal and gas-x after the beano has not worked!)

Irritability

Tired all the time

Not motivated to do anything

Forgetful

Loss of concentration, I have the attention span of a 3 year old it seems!

Heart fluttering and dizziness like a panic attack. The doctor actually said it was panic attacks but I honestly don’t feel “panicked” when they happen.

Fluttering in abdomen as if there were a baby in there

Sometimes feel a pulling or stinging sensation in my uterus

Hubby can feel the strings and we think they are irritating his manhood

A lot of these symptoms seem like depression but all praise be to God, I have a wonderful life. I have the greatest husband and kids I could ever ask for. I love our life. I’m not unhappy at all. I didn’t consider that it may be the Mirena until my husband mentioned that he thought the strings were causing the irritation on his penis. I started googling Mirena to see if anyone else had this problem and came up with so many “other” symptoms of Mirena. I thought “WOW!! Maybe THAT’S my problem!” Maybe it’s time to make that appointment to get it out.

I had my son 5 months ago and had my Mirena put in at my 8 week check up. The day I got it in I hurt so bad and siting down was out of the question!It honestly felt like it was crooked or put in wrong. So I called my doctor office and of course like always no one ever called me back, but luckily the next day my body adjusted to it and the discomfort was gone. But I bled for oh my goodness, i want to say about 6 weeks after that! it was a drag! But now my periods are back to normal , I haven't noticed a difference in decrease yet ( sadly) in fact they may be a little bit heavier and longer. ( or it could just be that they seem that way cause I had a 9 month vacation! I also haven't noticed any horrible side effects other then just one. Sounds funny because im only 21 but i seriously feel like im going through menopause! Has anyone else felt this way?? I sweat in the middle of the night but am cold . Sometimes burning up hot when everyone around me is freezing cold and begging me to turn up the heat. Im boyfriend will probably tell you ive been mood swinging , maybe I have, i cant tell , right now im planning our wedding and raising baby ,I don't have time to tell, or know if anything ive been feeling is from the IUD or just stress from wedding planning. Now last week and the week before that i had a constant headache but again maybe be stress related. And as for depression, I was diagnosed with that when I was i think 16 and take zoloft for that so I don't have any problems with that. But I just want to know if anyone else is experiencing menopause like side effects?

Had my Mirena removed after 7mo of horrible side effects. It has now been about 5 months since having it removed and I was thinking about getting paraguard instead since there are no hormones (I believe it is the hormones that cause the effects). Any of you out there use paraguard, please let me know how it is... getting it in about a week.

I have had Mirena for 2yrs now and have been lucky enough to not have any side effects...at least I think. I am 23 and have never had a child and was suggested to use Mirena due to my horrible periods. I literally went to the ER a few times due to the severity of the pain. Now that I have it I do not have that sever pain anymore.

My question to you ladies is...Iv noticed, before but now more recently, that during intercourse if my partner goes too deep I get a sever pain. Also I will experience cramping the next day and begin to bleed. Almost as if the intercourse began a menstrual cycle. This happens even after I have a "regular" cycle. Has anyone else experienced this?

Oh!!!! I thank God for finding this site. I have been so down and out for the last 4 to 5 months. I'm 48 years old and had my Mirena put in March 2009. It was very painful for me but I quickly got over that with minimal spotting. Since the insertion I have gained at least 10 pounds. I don't weigh myself but I go by how my clothes fit. I consider myself an athlete who is a decent runner. I've completed 12 marathons to date. I know how to work out and how to eat. But for the life of me I can't get rid of this. My breasts feel like they did when I was pregnant - tender and larger. Then I started having stomach problems. Terrible bloating and pain. I went back to my OB and they did a pregnancy test which of course came back negative. I went to my family practioner who put me on prescription Zantac for my stomach issues. With all this going on within a 7 month span, I knew something was wrong but until this morning I didn't know what. I called my OB and talked to the nurse and she said that the weight problem I'm having is just because I'm getting older. HOG WASH!!!! She can't tell me that what I'm feeling is normal. I can't live like this anymore. I will just have to use some other birth control.

Ive had Mirena since April 2006, and had loved it, but for the last 4-5 months I have a foul odor and discharge that is driving me crazy. I can only blame it on the mirena. Thinking about having it removed, but don't wanna be back to taking a pill daily or end up pregnant.

I have had Mirena for 1 yr and 5 months. The insertion was not painful that I recall, although I have had 4 kids, so I hear that may make a difference.
I loved this IUD for the first 9 months or so, then started noticing things that I didnt know were attributed to Mirena until I started reading about others experiences. Bleeding and spotting were minimal at first, no biggie.
I stopped having my period at all around 6 months...haven't had a period in a year..and had spotting maybe 3 times total. Since about 9 months into Mirena....I have had cystic acne. (which I didnt know existed until mirena) I had never had a blemish on my BACK in my life! Also on my face, around hairline, and in my ears, on my neck, and hard to get rid of. I have noticed little cyst like nodules in my neck and the back of my head, behind my ears, like swollen lymph nodes but they come and go...never noticed this before. Have had a intermittent mysterious sharp pain in my side, like a side stitch, comes and goes, and feel it during sex. No doctors had a clue about it. I have been very tired lately the last 3 months and I am on a stimulant for ADHD, so I should not be tired! (also why I haven't gained weight like others) But most markedly, I have always had a history of migraines, and had auras about 6 times in my life. Normally I would have 3 migraines a month tops.....then after about a year, I would get them several times a week...NOW I HAVE HAD A HEADACHE for 21 days straight, with only about 4-5 headache free days in there. Severe enough that I am taking painkillers and went to the ER, and they did a CAT scan and so nothing. normal. So. What could it be???
I got fed up this morning...after waking up one more day with kids I cant take care of properly or enjoy.....so I took out my IUD all by myself.
Couldn't leave the house to go somewhere with my head throbbing.
Dont want to pay anyone to remove something that has already cost me so much. Just looked at the diagrams, and found the string, pulled gently and viola! It was pretty darn easy! No pain, no discomfort at all. Not a drop of blood yet after 7 hours. Head still hurts but the relief I feel is great. I know I made the right decision to take it out and I wont use a hormonal BC again. I am looking into Essure now.
It works for some people, sure, but don't forget it worked fine for me for almost a year before I realized what harm it was doing to me.
I cant wait to have my skin back and my body back to normal.
Be wary, but it did its job. But I have read hundreds upon hundreds of negative reactions to this. Class action lawsuits getting ready. So be careful,

Like most everyone else on this site, I wish I had read this first.
I had Mirena inserted in February 2009. At first I thought it was te best thing I had ever done. It was for the first 5 months. But then it started. Headaches, BAD acne (never had any before, now I have huge cyst type things in my ear lobes and all over my face), bad cramps, gained 30lbs right off the bat and now have been on Weight Watchers since June and have only lost 5 pounds. No matter what I do. I was going to stick it out and just see. But, thank you to those who have posted to this site. I guess the side effects don't just go away like I have hoped over the last few months. Sounds like they get worse. Thanks for helping me make my decision to get it removed. Oh and I'm one of those people who NEVER experience the bad side effects. I use to brag about that. I never even read the Mirena side effects because that's not something I ever had to worry about before.

Hello, my name is pam. About 6 weeks after my son was born I had made the choice to get the mirena iud. Well for 7mon after i got it I bleed. Also, new things started happening. I went to my doctor and discovered that I had an awful yeast infection due to the iud not being set right. He gave me one round of meds just for yeast infections. I went back for a check up and it hadn't cleared a bit. Got second round of med. Then about 2wks afterward I got a call from my doctor. He said that they found yeast infection, staff infection, and a strep infection that I am still having problems with after the level 4 anti-biotic that he gave me. I have headaches, body aches, no sex drive what so ever, mood swings that would send anyone away, and I am also on anti-depression meds ever since Ive had the iud.

I had my Mirena inserted in May 2009, I no longer have my period. No mood swings, no cramping, no bloating, no headaches other than when my 2 year old has her tantrums. I love it. I wear a panty liner just in case, however I still haven't spotted. Did it hurt when it was put in? Of course, you’re having something shaped like a T put into you cervics which should be tightly closed. The pain after the procedure was like period cramping. No weight gain no breakouts. I absolutely love it.

I have had Mirena for 18 months now. I love it. I have had no side effects that you all are describing. I have 4 friends that switched and all love it and only one had to have a follow up to have the strings shortened.

As far as the weight gain, ladies, let’s be honest. We are not 18 anymore and as we get older it is only going to become more difficult to keep weight off. Blaming it on a B/C....lets think about that last chocolate bar we ate because we were busy carting the kids off to a sports practice HMMM....
With any drug comes side effects, headaches, nausea, and some other terribly worse, but lets again be honest, all of these were pointed out in the literature available.

I just thought I would take the time to write my support as this does work and work well for some women, just not all, same as any other form of B/C.

I had Mirena placed March 11, 2009 after being post partum for 1 and a half months. It was great. It hurt a little and I cramped for about 48 hours after it was placed.

Now my problem: The first day of my last period was 8/19/09 (5 months into having Mirena) I haven't bled a tiny tinge since that day. So I have been without a period for nearly going on 2 months now. October 11th will be two months no period. Anyways about 4 days ago I took a pregnancy test which was negative. Today I began horribly cramping but still no period. I don't know what to do or who to turn to. I am getting this thing removed hopefully within two weeks. The nurse has to return my phone call within 3 days. Gotta love the military...ehhh I want this out now I feel like I am DYING...the pain hurts from my pelvic bones all the way up to the top of my tummy. I am nauseated and have taken all the pain medication that I can. I might go to the ER I am hurting that badly....I just feel as if I would feel better if I had a period...the pain is like labor pains. Anyone had anything like this happen before????

I had to re-add my original post as it was deleted.. did not realize that personal information (e-mail) should be put in the post. It has now been 3 days since I have had the Mirena taken out. I feel about a 20% increase in my energy.. My hair is no longer falling out in the areas that I would normally be able to gently touch and pull out about 30-40 hairs..and my skin already is starting to calm down even though that was not really that bothersome to me. I must say that my OB is wrong. It was the Mirena. I did not expect my hair to stop falling out so soon, but I am certainly not complaining. I will continue to monitor and advise through posting so hopefully that will give some High expectations to others who were having the same problem.

I have to say to the ones who are noting that they have not had any problems with Mirena that I too did not have any real issues for over a year. I got it in 4/30/08. Maybe 2 months later I noticed the hair and skin being oily.. was no big deal to me.. felt I could deal with that. Then I noticed fatigue and heart palpitations that I forgot to mention as a side effect (every now and then maybe 5 months later). And then around the same time I noticed my feet tingling and my hands on one occasion turning bright red with my veins bulging.. at that point I started to research Mirena.. read some posts.. but didn't think that was my problem. June of this year is when I noticed and nickel sized bald spot on the right side of my head. Because my hair is long and pretty thick I could Hide it and thought I had better get this out of me. I couldn't right away because I have a high deductible on my insurance. Well I just got it out this past Thursday because I found 2 more spots that could be considered 4 because of the pattern of balding.. so Please pay attention to your body. I do agree with my OB that it is probably not the medication.. I think my body was reacting to having the actual device in it and was recognizing it as a foreign object and was trying to fight it off..causing an autoimmune response. As I mentioned.. my hair is no longer falling out.. the only thing that changed was me taking the Mirena out. Please pay attention to your bodies because I don't think the side effects happen all at once. I am just happy that it seems that it has compromised my hormonal balance and hasn't caused any thyroid issue.. but I have a doctors appointment with my PC to get further testing done just to be sure. If any of my symptoms reappear or my hair begins to fall out again.. I will update. !!

I'm having facial flushing, I'm 33 years old and not close to menopause but I get extreme migraines that last 3 to 4 days and bad facial flushing and sweating. I have had the Mirena in for a little over two years.

I had my baby girl in March 2009. Six weeks later, after consulting with a good friend and my OBGYN, I had the Mirena put in. I have not had a period since before I was pregnant, which is nice, but I am still breastfeeding, so I am sure that plays some role. Over the last four months, several things in my life have changed, but I chalked it all up to being a new mother. I think my husband literally thought he had just lost his wife and best friend to motherhood.
- I am tired all the time, regardless of what time I go to bed, and speaking of going to bed...That never happens before 2am! And there are some nights I can toss and turn until 4 or 5! Even when I do sleep, it's never very restful. I chalked this up to being a new mother, and having a baby that didn't sleep thru the night, but she has been sleeping thru the night for almost a month now, and still, I get no sleep.
- I have been having a lot of lower back pain, which I blamed on my mattress. After some careful thought, I realized, I have had the same mattress for over 2 years now and never had any problems! In fact, it's the best mattress I have owned to date.
- Moodiness....don't even get me started on this one! I can start an argument out of thin air! And still think I have just cause! My husband and I are going to Jamaica next week for vacation, and I got mad at him because he wants to take some scuba diving classes. Now, how I managed that one, I have no idea. I will be cleaning the house in pure silence, and just have constant angry thoughts running through my head.
- As I said before, I am still breastfeeding, which is also a great way to burn calories. I have consistently lost baby weight over the last 5 months up until about a month ago. My weight just froze, and then started going back up. I put on 5 pounds in less than 2 weeks! Nothing has changed! I have started working out and keeping a closer eye on what I eat, but it hasn't had any effect. (My best friend had her Mirena put in 6 months before me, and she gained 40 pounds in 6 months. I am nipping this one in the bud!)
- Water retention! Now this one, I have never paid much attention to. I don't really keep an eye on my water intake versus out take, but I did one day last week. I had lunch with my sister, and drank literally about 5 glasses of tea. Any normal person would need too pee most likely prior to leaving the restaurant, right? Well, I left the restaurant, went to the grocery store for about 1 1/2 hours, then drove 45 minutes home, all the time never even having an urge. It wasn't until after I had gotten home, unloaded my daughter and all the groceries, when I finally made a trip to the bathroom. That same night when I was getting ready for bed, I noticed my lower abdomen was swollen up like I was about 4 months pregnant again!
- Sex drive....Let's just say I would rather lay in a bed of nails than have sex, and I used to be a very sexually active individual. And, it has definitely taken a toll on my marriage!
- Absent mindedness....One of my best qualities that I "used to" possess was organization. I prided myself in it, and over the last few months, my husband tells me I am just all over the place. I can't think straight, I jump around in conversations, my memory is shot! I will start doing a load of laundry, walk away and wash some dishes, then 10 minutes later realize, that I never finished loading the washer or put the detergent in!

Now, if all of this isn't enough, my OBGYN tells me that there is a small chance that the Mirena can get displaced, and if it gets too far gone, have to be removed surgically, but she said in all her time as a Dr., she had only seen it happen one time! So, I thought great! The chances of it getting dislodged are slim to none right? Well, I was talking to one of my girlfriends from high school the other day, and hers got misplaced! Now, she might be pregnant!

I realize that the Mirena affects everyone differently, but after finding this website and reading posts for hours about all the terrible things women are going thru with this BC, all my symptoms seem to make sense, and I don't feel like such a crazy beast any more. I wanted to share my story in hopes that it may help another woman who thinks she has just gone nuts! I had my Mirena taken out yesterday. I was in bed by 11pm last night, still didn't get the most restful sleep, but it does take a few days to get the hormones out of your system. My lower abdomen is already noticeably flatter, and I just feel an overall sense of relief. I just wish I had researched this birth control before I went out and spent the money on it. There is an old saying that really rings true for me in this case, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!"

I had mirena put in in Oct 08. My symptoms are: dizziness, sweating, nausea, (these symptoms can be mild and brief (seconds); or last a few minutes. I had severe dizziness in May and June of 2009. I also get acne on my shoulders, neck, face, and my T zone is very oily (especially my forehead). I am using good acne products to try to combat this problem, but I continue to have a problem. Some of my acne is like welts and I even have this going on on my scalp. I wrecked my car in December 2008. At that time I was very foggy headed. I blamed the foggy headedness on being stressed and overworked. I am 40 years old. My children are 10 and 13, therefore I know my symptoms are not post pregnancy. Today, I questioned if I wasn't going through early menopause. My doctor said this mirena would be wonderful and that after six months I would not have a period anymore. I have a period every two weeks. My periods are very light, but I still have them every two weeks, and they last for two weeks. I have been wondering if my body will adjust, and if I will eventually get to this heavenly place of now periods and bliss?

Well, I've finally figured out how it is that Mirena works as birth control: if you're not having sex, you can't get pregnant. The first few weeks after having it inserted (about 2.5 months ago), I was fine - spotting pretty regularly, and having significant cramping, but nothing I couldn't handle. Then slowly I began having other side effects: dry, brittle hair that falls out in handfuls, dry skin, irritability, depression, fatigue, lack of motivation to do anything physical, extreme bloating through my mid-section (I am too terrified to get on the scale to see how much I've gained, but it's been about 4-6 dress sizes), swollen hands, migraines, and no sex drive. I mean, ZERO. My husband and I had a very active sex life which has now gone down to a couple times a month if I'm not too tired at night. I was a runner up until this summer (used to do 4-6 miles three or four times a week) and now I can't go more than a mile without becoming completely exhausted. I absolutely intend on getting it out, but ironically I'm so brain-dead tired all the time I can't seem to remember to make the phone call.

I did my research prior to getting Mirena, and read page after page of women who had extreme side effects from the hormone, but somehow assumed I would be one of the blessed few to escape them. That was big, fat, giant mistake. Bad pun intended.

I've posted here before right after I removed my mirena. Well it's been 27 days since I've had it out. At first I felt great. I had a period two days after I removed it. That period lasted a week long. Right after my period I CRASHED MAJORLY!!!! I had severe depression, severe anxiety and really bad leg and joint pain. All of that lasted about a little over a week. I got put on clonazapam and 20 mg. of celexa. So far I'm doing pretty good. I still get a little leg and joint pain, but not as bad and it doesn't last as long. I feel 90 % better and am expecting my second period on the 9th. I really hope I don't crash again. It was awful!! While on the mirena I had high blood pressure, fast heart rate, low grade fever, joint and leg pain, anxiety and depression, bloating like I was 4-5 months pregnant, nausea, heartburn, headaches, body aches (like I was sick), carpul tunnel syndrome (which I only get when i'm pregnant just like the heartburn) and more! Everything went down or completely away within a couple of weeks of having it removed. All except my heart rate. I am on a low dose of beta blockers to keep my heart rate from going over 100. Just like many of you I have been tested for many things like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and so on. i have also been suspected of having hyperthyroidism, but with negative results from blood work. We are experiencing a major hormonal imbalance from this mirena. I just hope and pray our dr.'s will do their research and realize we are all right about our experiences and something can be done about this IUD. There is hope. Your bodies will regulate. It's only been about 4 weeks for me, but I am feeling better so far since my crash. Don't hesitate to tell your dr.'s about any depression and anxiety you may be experiencing as those are very serious side effects and can be treated even if it's just temporary to get you through the crash. I also take a one a day multi vitamin. So maybe that will help to.

Seriously this is ridiculous. I have been dealing with all of these same issues and have been debating on whether to see a counselor because I feel like I am losing my mind! My boyfriend tells me I have mood swings and my mom says she cant even talk to me anymore. I had an acquaintance at work tell me that she hopes that I am okay because I look so down. I am anxious and depressed - have to self talk just to get out of bed. During the month if I am not cramping - my breast are almost to sore to move. I read someone on hear define a side effect of vibrating sensations throughout their body I get that for at least a week and a half every month. I would describe it as how you feel when you first are coming down with the flu....kinda achey. I was actually off for a week a few months ago due to extreme vertigo. I wondered if there was a correlation...from what I read I guess so. I have severe lower back pain -sometimes to much to stand straight and walk. I am so frustrated because I was told no side effects. I had Norplant back in 1991 and gained 70 pounds in 5 months. Well I am up to 19 pounds with Mirena - it hasn't been quite a year. I told the doctors that I had significant weight gain with Norplant and developed a blood clot while using the pill. I was assured no such side effects with Mirena. Mirena was a great choice for women who cant take anything else! I feel so misled!

This website is a joke! After I had my Mirena inserted 4 months ago I started reading on the internet about possible side effects. I was furious with myself that I hadn't Read up on this before the appointment. There were so many horrible reviews involving hair loss, weight gain, acne, and mood swings! I was so scared and actually thought about removing the Mirena that week. I then found multiple reviews on websites not owned and operated by other drug companies that are trying to scare people in order to prevent the sale and use of the Mirena and the side effects listed here were a 180 degree difference. I have not experienced any weight gain, in fact, I recently was able to shed 5 pounds from picking up running again (so it is possible to LOSE weight on the Mirena as well). I have had zero hair loss, have not had a pimple anywhere or any random hair growth. My live in boyfriend and I have discussed if we've noticed any mood swings or changes and my mood which is usually optimistic and positive has been the same since I had the Mirena inserted. My periods are much lighter and although they can last an extra day or two more than what I was used to, they are light and I have not had any cramping. I'm writing this review not because I absolutely love the Mirena, I think it's a fine form of BC but who LOVES their BC, isn't it all kind of a pain. The Mirena is by far the most convenient form of birth control and I don't worry at all about missing a day and the chance of getting pregnant. I'm writing this review because I encourage everyone to talk more with their doctors about the side effects and look around on the internet for REAL websites.

I'm feeling the same as many of you ladies on here- it's certainly breaking my heart for all of you too. If we had known then what we knew now....
I got my Mirena about 6 months after the birth of my daughter and then spiraled into some serious depression. I'm so horrified now thinking back about how angry and ungrateful I was to my husband- I returned everything he gave me for Christmas in an angry huff. My behavior was awful AND it wasn't me. Over the next two years I had serious mood issues felt pregnant all the time (I even took to buying those dollar store tests so I could relieve my suspicions each time but not spend a fortune). And then there were the headaches. I had always had hormone related headaches (a few a month) so they weren't really new to me, but it got to a point where I was having so many I went to a neurologist for help - he asked me to chart them, I fund I was having 14 to 16 days a month with pain. I think the "off" days were just off because I was still under the influence of the pain drugs from the day before. My husband and I were planning on a third anyway- and suddenly I really wanted this thing out! I took it out, here I am, 9 months later- headache free!!! 9 months of no headaches and the "freedom" came within days of removal. I have now been trying to get pregnant for 9 months too- my period returned immediately after removal (the one perk I loved of the Mirena was no period) unfortunately, I can't seem to get pregnant. This, from a woman who seemingly got pregnant just by her husband looking at her. Literally, 3 cycles pre-mirena, meant 3 pregnancies for me. We had to be seriously careful- I'm terrified that this thing has now caused me to be infertile. I have been tracking my cycles watching for my ovulation and I can't find it despite having a regular 28 day cycle. Don't get Mirena- it's just not worth it

My hair is thinning. I can't lose wait, but I have not gained either. The periods are light after 5 months, almost nothing. I don't even wear a pad.
The sex drive is fine and pain free. I do feel the stomach flutters every now and again. No mood swings. Tender breast sometimes. The side effects mentioned are scary. Not sure if I want to wait for them to show up. But I don't want to be bald either.

Hi everyone, I had my mirena put in feb of 2008. Around June 2008 I started having dizzy spells, and headaches. Went to ENT and ruled out inner ear problems, went to neurologist and he said it could be migraines. I never had them before but have a family history. I have in the last couple months been having really bad dizzy spells and nausea, like 4-5 times a week. Has anyone else had any of these problems? Not sure if its the mirena or not, but have been to just about every doctor and no one can figure out why i have been so dizzy and nauseous> Any suggestions?????

LADIES.... PLEASE HELP!!!

I had my Mirena removed 6 weeks ago. Unlike most, I didn't bleed right away. It took me 3 weeks before I bleed and it wasn't heavy. I felt better knowing it was out of me but still was EXTREMELY TIRED, brain fogged, depressed. (The only side effects which have diminished were the irritability, greasy hair/skin, and acne.)

It's now been 6 weeks since it was removed and for the past 2 weeks I've been experiencing horrific anxiety and panic attacks. I'm afraid to leave the house... can't focus. Wake up anxious. Don't want to go anywhere or do anything. I'm also depressed about this. I'm still very very very tired all the time. AND THE MENSTRUAL MIGRAINES ARE STILL HERE.

IS THIS ANXIETY THE "CRASH"??? Can it happen so late? My body seems to be "behind" the norm by about 3 weeks. So really this is about the 2-3 week mark past my first withdrawal bleed.

I'M SOOOOOOOOO SCARED

Oh yes, and I forgot to mention:
In the morning when I go to work, about an hour into my shift, I am drenched in sweat! So much so that I have to go to the bathroom and use toilet paper to dry my back, neck and cleavage otherwise it will soak my shirt. My legs even sweat. And this is EVERY morning at work. I just started to think it was hot flashes! It's been 5 months since I had the Mirena inserted and I had never experienced this before in my life! I sweat in places I never have while playing sports.

Have had the Mirena for a year due to needing some hormone therapy during menopause.I am 54yrs old and had my last period over 2 yrs ago-look physically like I am in my 30's. Had a breast reduction and weight reduction surgery over 10yrs ago VERY successfully lost 10# off my chest and 168# off of my body. SINCE having the Mirena I have gained over 30# and gained 2 cup sizes in my breasts! HELP!!! I have been treated by my regular doctor for mood swings with WellbutrinSR, Lexapro, Lamictal, Topamax and others-nothing has worked more than to ease some of the edge. I have gone from a size 2 to a size 10-12 in 9 months and am desperate for an answer! I feel as if all of the previous progress I had made with the weight reduction and breast reduction is all being undermined! I had a tummy tuck last September 08 and I swear my stomach was flatter before I had the surgery! I look pregnant! The surgeons have done a CT scan and can find nothing to indicate the surgery went bad. I don't know what to do as my OB-GYN tells me that "this IUD" is my best bet for hormone therapy and that it is ABSOLUTELY NOT the cause for the weight gain or breasts. Has anyone else "my age/menopausal" experienced this? Most of what I have read has been very helpful BUT all but a few are pre-menopausal and way younger. PLEASE let me know your thoughts!!

I am 26 years old, 5’6” and weigh 112 lbs. I have had the Mirena in since June 2008. Where do I start? This IUD was suggested to be by my OBGYN after the birth of my second baby. I really trust my OB so I agreed to have it inserted. I made a quick decision with LOTS of emotions behind it (I got pregnant with my second baby when my first was only 5 months old…so I was a little freaked out by the thought of getting pregnant for the third time in the near future). I can only take one other hormone-based form of birth control (the pill with NO estrogen), so this seemed like the answer to me. I was given a Mirena pamphlet from my OB, and it did NOT list several of the side effects that I have experienced over the last year. The insertion was indeed pretty painful. To me, it felt like I was having pretty strong contractions. It took about 20 minutes from start to finish. I had cramping and steady bleeding for the first 3 months. I then had no period for about 6 months, which was nice. I did, however, completely lose my sex drive. I am always tired, moody, irritable, and emotional (all of which are not common for me to experience on a regular basis). I have trouble focusing and thinking of the right word I want say. I have mild but annoying acne on my face and neck, eczema on my hands, elbows and a few spots on my legs. I have knee pain when I run/jog, and I just don’t feel like myself. I am in perfect health otherwise, and no history of the above symptoms that I listed. Currently, I have a normal period every month that lasts a week (before they only lasted about 4 days), then a week after it stops, it starts up again. I called my doctor and they say that’s normal. After intercourse, I have cramping and bleeding (that’s a fairly new symptom). So imagine having sex when you don’t feel like it whatsoever and then knowing that you will have cramping and bleeding afterwards…sign me up!! My husband has been so patient with me, but has finally had it. He wanted me to look into it and make an appointment. I am so thankful that I found this site. I was so worried when I didn’t have a sex drive and I felt myself blaming my husband for things that I assumed he was thinking. I have been praying about it and know that God led me to this site to see what other women are suffering from and going through with this IUD. Aside from all of its nasty side effects, I wanted to let all of you know what I have discovered could happen to an unborn baby if the mother has an IUD. First of all, if you become pregnant, you need to get down to your doctor right away and have it removed. However, there are no guarantees that during the process of the removal, they won’t bump the baby causing either a miscarriage or birth defects. That just breaks my heart. To me, it’s not worth it. The other thing that worries me is that, after getting it removed, are my chances of having a perfectly healthy baby in the future lessened because I had a foreign object inserted into my body? No one can say for sure. It’s just something that time can only tell. I really would discourage with all of my heart, NOT TO GET THE MIRENA or any form of IUD.
Anyway, I have an appointment scheduled on August 18 (wish it was sooner). My insurance doesn’t see this as an emergency or life-threatening, so I have to pay my full detectable of $200 to have it removed. That kept me from doing it a few weeks ago. I now know that you can’t put a price on the happiness of your marriage, your health, and the health of the baby that you could very well become pregnant with. I wish you all the best and will definitely update you on the removal and how I feel. God Bless. SAO

I've had the Mirena since Aug. 2006 - three years now. I considered having it removed because of intense irritability, depression, suicidal thoughts, and lack of interest in sex the past 5 months. I went to my doctor's office this morning to have it removed, but kept an open mind to alternatives. I'm 39 years old, and the doctor indicated that at my age, some of these issues are normal. I found a list of Menopause side effects, and many are similar to Mirena's side effects! At any rate, I asked if there is a way to offset these side effects so that I can keep the Mirena. She gave me an estrogen patch called "Vivelle", and I'm hoping that will help. Has anyone else tried estrogen therapy to offset Mirena's side effects? I still have the Mirena and will follow up in a few weeks.

This is my less than 24 hour update from yesterday since I had my Mirena removed. I had my yearly appt. yesterday and explained to my dr. all the problems I've been having over the last year. I thought he would try to talk me out of having it removed but he was very sympathetic and removed it without question. So, I'm definitely relieved about having it out. I'm sure it will be a while before I will be able to notice any changes that I can directly relate to the Mirena coming out. But, I can tell you that my husband and I can already tell the difference during intercourse without the Mirena. It is so much more comfortable so, we are very excited about that! I requested Yaz for birth control since I've been on it before and never had these emotional issues while on it. He also gave me a brochure and DVD on the Essure which is the in-office permanent sterilization procedure. So, I'll be doing research on that to see if that will be a good thing for me to do.
Another thing, too, during my gyno exam, he found a lump in my left breast. I have never had any problems and definitely no history of any kind of cysts. I'm not blaming the Mirena but all of this is just way too coincidental. Now at 35, I'll be having a mammogram and ultrasound to determine what this lump is. I'm just praying hard that it won't be anything and definitely trying to stay positive. I'm just very relieved to have the Mirena out and I will stay posted as to any additional changes in the future.

I've had my mirena for over 3 years now and fortunately have not had the negative experiences primarily posted on this website. In fact, I'm writing so that women who are considering getting a mirena won't feel that the experiences posted on this website are the experiences of ALL women who have the mirena.

I had mine put in shortly after the birth of my 2nd son. I had cramping for about 24 hours but nothing intolerable (and certainly nothing compared to labor!). For the first couple years, my periods were soooo light and very infrequent (every 4-5 months). More recently, I've been having a lot more bleeding (every 2-3 weeks) and that's what's brought me to this website. The periods are still so light with little to no cramping, but are now lasting several days and are much more frequent so I'm not exactly sure what's changed.

Nonetheless, I've found the mirena to be an EXCELLENT birth control method and would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone looking for a carefree bc experience. I was on the pill for many years prior to becoming a mom and for 2 years between the births of my sons and I don't have any of the moodiness or PMS symptoms I always had with the pill. I also was able to lose all my pregnancy weight (mostly due to LOTS of exercise!) while on the mirena.

Good luck to you all- I definitely appreciate that everyone's experience with a medication is unique.

Wow. I am completely amazed at the posts that I read. For about 3 years now I have been extremely fatigued, having hot flashes, night sweats, nausea, bloated stomach ( i look like I did when I was 5 months preggo with my 3rd child!), cramping, discharge, pain. The doctor upped my antidepressant hoping that would give me more energy because I have had blood work done twice and all came back normal. I know that something is not right with my body, but it seems like the doctor plays it off as me being a mother of three, etc etc. when I was reading these posts I felt as if I could of wrote them myself. the doc says to wait until next week until my blood work comes back (again) to see where we should go from there. doesn't think any of the symptoms are related to mirena, but now I finally feel validated in that all of these "mysterious" symptoms that I have been experiencing for the past couple years aren't just "in my head:. Thank you to all who wrote in. I am going to have the conversation with my husband asap to talk about having it removed. I am very fertile though, and while we want another child, am not sure if we can do it financially right now. Anyone have any alternative BC methods that have worked for them? Oh yeah, already got pregnant while using Nuvaring...so that's out!!

Wow, thank you all for your postings. I just wished I had found this before I had Mirena put in. I had it placed in Feb 2009, it's been exactly 5 months. I have been extremely tired and agitated. I didn't really associate this with the Mirena until reading the other posts. My hair comes out by the handful (with root attached), I never have solid stools, I have gained about 10 pounds even though I have been trying to lose weight through a diet and exercise program. All the weight is in my stomach and people keep asking me if I'm pregnant. I started to wonder if I could be seeing as I was crying all the time, extremely moody, and that I look at least 4 or 5 months pregnant. All pregnancy tests have come back negative. I got this put in the day before my fiance and I got engaged ( not knowing at the time) and last week we were about to call of the wedding because of my emotional state and constant conflicts. I have to wonder how much of this is caused by the Mirena. I have already made an appointment to talk to my doctor after reading what all these other women have been through. It's just so tough because with any type of birth control their are side effects so I don't want to make it out to be like this is the worst thing ever, it may be exactly what someone is looking for, but just be informed that there are some side effects because I like a lot of other women on this post was lead to believe that there were no side effects or very little side effects.

Wow. I have had a Mirena for over a year (had it inserted when my daughter was 6 months old and now she's almost 2. Although I've been feeling depressed and moody pretty much ever since, it's gotten WAY worse over the past 6 months to the point where I am fighting with my boyfriend all the time, I cry for no reason (or, at least, no good reason) very frequently, I have odd acne (which I chalked up to Rosacea post-pregnancy) and the skin on my face (especially around my eyes, nose, and forehead) itches every couple of weeks, in some cases actually flakes. I don't have a period so I can't really tell if these symptoms ebb and flow monthly. Although my sex drive is OK, it's definitely not what it used to be (we used to have sex pretty much every day, now it's more like twice or three times a week), And, I weigh as much now as I did just post-delivery - I lost about 20 pounds and then gained most of it back. I feel like I look 5 months pregnant again.

But, it never occurred to me that all this was a result of my birth control. I figured the skin was a post-pregnancy hormone thing (maybe that's why I'm still losing hair all the time, thankfully I have thick hair to begin with), thought I was just unable to lose the baby weight due to lack of willpower or too little exercise (although I run several times a week, work out, go hiking, and don't think I eat more than I used to), and chalked up the moodiness and depression to just plain going crazy.

I have an appointment to have it removed on Thursday. I hope it doesn't hurt but quite frankly I don't care if it does - I am just hoping that all these symptoms are in fact associated with the Mirena and that I can go back to normal!

Thanks to all of you for sharing your stories too, and good luck.

I forgot to mention:

UPPER LEG PAIN AND LOWER BACK PAIN.
both really bad until i would say the 4th month it slowed down- cramping did a little bit too- but after about 5 months now- the cramping has gotten worse.

I am literally in tears after reading all of this, I'm beginning to think that Mirena ruined my life and I didn't even know it.

I stumbled upon this site while searching for Mirena side effects related to periods. I had mine inserted in October 2007, at my 6 week checkup after my daughter was born. I had severe cramping and irregular periods for about 3 months, but after that, my periods have been completely regular and pretty much the same as they had always been before my pregnancy and Mirena. But, just now, I've started my period 2 weeks early and was slightly curious if it may have anything to do with the Mirena. Apparently, it may. And now I see that having an early period is the least of my worries.

I've been experiencing so many of these side effects without even realizing they were side effects! I had put everything off on stress, disliking my job, then losing my job, the fact that "pregnancy changed me," and numerous other things. Now I feel sort of stupid for not even thinking that it could be Mirena.

I had my daughter in August 2007, at 23 years old. Mirena was put in during October of the same year. I was overwhelmed with motherhood and suffered from post-partom depression and severe anxiety attacks. I thought that this was what was causing my complete lack of sex drive.

Seriously, the thought of sex physically made me ill. And on the rare occasion that I did give in and have sex with my husband, it was so painful that I would cry. For a long time I thought that it was just because my body was not finished healing after giving birth. I had been told by several people that it isn't uncommon for sex to hurt for up to a year after giving birth. A year passed, and it still hurt. Now it's been almost 2, and it still hurts. I've probably had sex a total of about 10 times since I started Mirena. It's been 21 months.

On top of this, I've also had serious rage issues. I fly off the handle over the smallest things. For the longest time, this rage was directed mainly at my husband. Everything he did was wrong, hurtful, stupid, or just plain irritating. I'm even getting angry right now, just thinking about him. I left my husband 5 months ago, because I simply could not stand him anymore. But when someone asks me why we're getting a divorce, I really can't come up with a good reason. Sure, he made some mistakes, and did some stupid things (don't all men?), but he never really did anything terrible or life altering. He was always faithful to me, was generally a good husband, and loved me unconditionally. So why can't I stand him? Why don't I love him anymore? I can't logically explain it.

So now that I don't have him around anymore to be angry at all the time, I'm starting to direct my anger at my daughter. She'll be 2 in August, and has started that "terrible 2's" phase. I'm very quick to just completely blow up and yell at her for the littlest things. I've been starting to think that I'm just not cut out to be a parent. I love her with all of my heart but I have no patience with her at all. If this rage issue is, in fact, caused by the Mirena, I have to admit that I'll be somewhat relieved.

Other than anger, I'm pretty much emotionally dead. I've cried ONE time since my husband and I split up (well two now, since reading all of your posts actually made me cry). I'm jobless, husbandless, living with my mother, and pretty much have absolutely nothing going well for me in my life right now... and I have not cried. I don't even feel very sad. There has seriously got to be something wrong there.

I'm constantly tired, and if given the chance, will sleep 14-16 hours at a time. I don't feel like doing anything. I thought this might be signs of depression... but again, I don't feel sad. I can't keep up with my daughter. She's so full of energy and I often have to get help from my Mother. I'm 25 years old and I'm so tired I have to get help from a 48 year old woman!

I get headaches almost daily. Migraines weekly. I've got severe anxiety about just about everything. I freak out about driving, being around groups of people, anything new, anything fairly difficult, or anytime my daughter is with a sitter or relative. Even when my husband has her, and he is a wonderful father, and very responsible with her. If I had insurance, I would probably already be on anxiety medication.

I've started getting acne, which I never ever had. Not even as a teen. Now I get those really deep pimples that never come up to the surface, and they ache very badly.

I haven't had a lot of the physical side effects that have been talked about here. No weight gain or loss (120 lbs pre-pregnancy, 145 lbs at 9 months, 125 lbs now). No hair loss. No bloating. No breast swelling/soreness. Normal periods until just now. No pains or flutters or anything. Really the only physical symptoms I've had are the headaches, acne, and tiredness (all of which I attributed to stress) and the pain during sex.

Do you ladies think that my symptoms are all the cause of Mirena? Does my story seem to fit the bill? It seems to all fit, to me. But maybe I'm just looking too hard for an answer. Please give me your opinions! I need to decide if I should start saving up some money to get this thing taken out of me!

I am relieved to find that I'm not the only one feeling these side effects!

On January 30, 2009 I had my Mirena put in (about 4.5 months after the birth of my son). The doctor never went over the side effects just touted it as the best thing since sliced bread. It was more painful than labor, delivery or the healing afterwards! I bled so much it looked like the linens were from a child-birth and that was just putting the dang thing in! The doctor had to waste one before she could get it seated correctly.

I bled for three months after insertion non-stop. Sometimes it was very heavy and sometimes it was lighter - but it was always there. I cramped all the time.

Since then I have stopped bleeding all the time but I start bleeding/spotting again at the drop of a hat. If I twist, turn or bend the wrong way I start bleeding. Sex makes me bleed. I think I am single-handedly keeping Always and Carefree in business at this point. I have been bitchy, cold, no sex drive, reclusive, back pain almost all of the time, bloating, unable to lose weight, short tempered and maybe worst of all I SMELL! I am a very clean person. I have only ever had one single sex partner (my husband). Since the Mirena was put in, I feel goopy, gross and wet all of the time and there is a smell which I cannot describe except to say "dirty" or "used". I may also be keeping Summer's Eve "personal" wash in business too.

At this point, I am very seriously considering having the Mirena removed. I thought a lot of what I was feeling was in my head or not related but apparently I was wrong.

I have been on Mirena for 6 months now. I am 35, with a 1 year old and a 3 year old. I am so happy I found this website! I thought I was going crazy! I too have had terrible low back pain, migraines (never had them before), fluttering (feels just like there's a baby in there), hungry constantly, and worst of all, EXHAUSTED all the time. I thought I had some terrible disease until I found out all of you wonderful ladies have the same symptoms. Thanks for making me feel normal.

On the other hand, it is a very convenient birth control, you don't have to think about it. My insurance covered it 100%. Although I had daily bleeding for 5 months, it's finally stopped and I have not once had an actual period, which is wonderful. We are discussing getting my hubby "fixed" so I can get my energy back. I miss the old me!

I got mine out 9 days ago. I think I'm in the crash phase. Or everything just came down at once yesterday. I was super crabby.
I'm feeling better. my boobs are about half the size (I DO miss those), my stomach isn't bloated beyond belief, I can "feel" a little more. it doesn't hurt to have sex and I'm a little less foggy in my thinking. I hope it keeps getting better. I miss my sex drive.

My husband figured out that it might be Mirena making me nuts (and boy I thought I was going nuts). The only thing I could feel was anger, my sex drive dropped below zero, I put on about a million pounds, stomach looked 5 months pregnant (I've always had a big butt, buy my waist was always small) my boobs got huge and were painful about half the time, and I was absolutely EXHAUSTED almost all the time. I could sleep for days if I could found the time.

Jan 28, 2009 by pancake, #38448
I have SLE,and i have mirena for 4 years. My skin go worst,redness on my face, neck,arms and back. My doctor for lupus is confused because the test results is good and he doesn't know why the skin is like that. I am thinking to take out mirena,but my gynecologist said that mirena have local effects and it is not because of mirena. I am confused.
19.6.2009
I need to tell you that redness was because of mirena. I taken out my mirena 5 months ago and the redness disappeared. My gynecologist still claim that it is not because of mirena. I would never ever put mirena back in my body. Good luck!

Just want to survey everyone and ask for responses for the following 3 questions:

1. how long did you keep your Mirena and if you no longer have it, why did you have it removed?

2. how many of you had your thyroid checked? who's came back abnormal? what were the levels?

(I'm a medical student doing research on this one since I believe the levonorgestrel affects our thyroid hormone. My TSH was elevated to 5.2 which is considered "subclinical HYPOthyroidism". This was mid cycle when my natural progesterone AND synthetic progestin were cumulatively high. When I had it rechecked 6 weeks later (around my period when any natural progesterone level is gone) it was normalized at 1.5. So I think that the P+P screws up our thyroid and can throw us into a high TSH and "hypothyroid state". The opposite effect may be true during menstruation and we can become HYPERthyroid for a few days... hence the really bad anxiety?!)

3. where is everyone from? perhaps we can have support group meetings?

I had my Mirena put in back in June of 2008 right after I got married. I, too, was lead to believe that the effects of the progesterone were purely "localized" to the uterus and would not cause any symptoms at all.

Since then I've experienced SEVERE migraines and dizziness, loss of libido, greasy skin and hair, weight gain (size 6 to size 10/12), numbness/tingling in my feet, crying, irritability, and SEVERE brain fog. For the migraines, I went to a neurologist who wanted to prescribe me topamax and said the only major side effect is cognitive difficulties! HA!!! I already have the worst brain fog, can't remember anything, am tired.... rather..... exhausted all the time, and can't function.

This Mirena surely works well as birth control, seeing as I have NO SEX DRIVE at all! LOL. But seriously, it's great not to have a period, but I knew something was wrong when I was needing medication (antidepressants for the mood swings, provigil for the fatigue, botox nerve injections for the menstrual migraines) for this medication IUD!

Since no OBGYN believes me when I say I think it's the Mirena, I've began to think I was crazy and this was all in my head. So I started on the internet and all my symptoms sounded like MS. So I had thousands of dollars in testing including a full body MRI/MRA. Negative. Had ENT see me for the vertigo. Lots of tests. Negative. Anemic? No. Thyroid? Normal.

HOW MUCH MORE DO WE HAVE TO SPEND ON HEALTH CARE TO FIND OUT WE ARE "FINE" WHEN WE FEEL THE WORST WE'VE EVER FELT???

Then I found this site!!! I think it's the Mirena now! So I want to get it out. But then on the other hand, I feel SO GUILTY that my husband paid $900 for it and I only kept it 1 year. That's expensive birth control! But then again, all the tests, doctor's bills, and feeling lousy cost more! (Not to mention that my doctor cut my strings too short so we can't "check" them each month so to be certain that my IUD is in place he makes me get an ultrasound every 6 months for $250!!!)

My ONLY FEAR is that I will have this out and the symptoms WON'T go away and it was NOT the Mirena after all. Then I will have gone through the pain of putting it in, taking it out, and the cost of "throwing one away" and then what am I supposed to do? I'm 29 but in school and can't get pregnant for a few more years. I don't want to go back on the pill because the mood swings were terrible. But I never had migraines or anything on those, so why is the Mirena causing problems?

Any feedback or encouragement would be helpful right now. I need advise!

I started the depo shot in June 05. Had it for 6 months, blead the hole time and gained 35 lbs. So in Dec 05 we took it out, decided to try for a baby - which we didn't conceive till jan 06. after the baby was born in oct 07 I had the mirena put in. I have been feeling fine until the past maybe 8 months and it just keeps getting worse. I am so tired all the time that I just don't want to do anything and it is really difficult for me to even take care of the house and kids. My acne is awful. I have the worse headaches ever. I've recently developed more symptoms. - feeling nausea, really bad dry eyes, stomach spasms. I do have a light period every month but i actually look like i;m 4 or 5 months preg.

This post is for the ladies who wonder will they feel better or notice any change after having the mirena removed. This is my own personal experience . I've had it out for about 2 weeks now after having it in for 3 1/2 years. I feel Great! I couldn't have a panic attack if I wanted to. I have had more energy, haven't had a headache. I have a returned sex drive. Sadly my hair is still very thin and patchy. The big kicker is I've lost 4 lbs as of today. My stomach now looks like I'm 3 months pregnant as opposed to 5 months. The big difference is noticed in my face and waistline. I don't feel so hungry all the time now and feel motivated to keep this going. I haven't had one heart palpitation since either. Yes I still yell sometimes, but not out of anger or rage. It's now to be heard over the yelling and screaming of my happy kids who used to cower because of my yelling that was so mean spirited and full of frustration from being so tired and feeling ill most all the time. I just worked last night 13 hrs got 5 hours of sleep today picked the kids up from school, played with them and cooked dinner to boot. I would have been in bed 2 weeks ago waiting for my husband to come home and rescue me. This has been my experience thus far and I keep posting to give those ladies hope that they can feel better once they get mirena removed. I hope others will have a positive experience with removal like I have had. Good Luck and Happy Recovery.