Mirena and estrogen

Wondering if any of the other women are experiencing leaking, clear fluid into their panties every morning. I have had my Mirena in for almost a year since the birth of my twins and every morning since I had it inserted when I first wake up and usually after I stand up a get a gush. I spoke to my doctor and he said it was because I didn't have enough estrogen to he put me on a patch for that. I feel like a true chemistry set these days. I am tired, feeling depressed, a TON of my hair has fallen out all round my face and my face broke out horribly. I am considering having it taken out but don't know if I should blame all these side effects totally on the mirena or if some of it not the hair portion is due to being a first time mom to twins.

Please let me know if anyone else is suffering from the morning gush. The best way to describe it is like the clear fluid that weeps from a wound.

My son was born March 2007, when he was 8wks old, to much of my surprise I found out that I was pregnant again. Mirena sounded perfect!!!! I had it placed 7 weeks after my 2nd son was born in Jan 2008. I had what I still assume is normal with any type of birth control method, irregular bleeding,cramping,some slight mood swings. That all seems normal to me when you mess with you body like that. Aug 1, 2008 I woke up at4am with awful abdominal pain sooo bad that I turned to my husband and said that I think I have to go to the hospital. I decided that if I could fall back asleep then its probably nothing major. I fell back asleep (or passed out, I don't know) The next morning I was hurting so bad I couldn't lift anything, couldn't stand up straight, felt weak and felt as though I had rocks in my stomach but had an empty feeling at the same time. The pain was all over my abdomen, stabbing, shooting,pinching. I also had pain aroung my belly button and a noticeable discomfort about my pevic bone. Finally I called my husband to come home, went to the hospital, they took blood, cultures, did an exam and did a ctscan. All normal! WHAT!! Aug 11th still having pain and now having MAJOR HOT FLASHES. I find myself getting so hot and irritated that I cant be around the babies because I am afraid I will yell at them. If I get in a little disagreement with my husband it will most likely end with me saying I want a divorce (I noticed another lady with that same problem) Today I had a ultra sound done and it came back what my (new) doctor says is normal. The problem with that is that one of my ovaries is split and is NOW shaped like a horse-shoe. I was pregnant for almost 2yrs straight and had lots of ultrasounds NOT ONE TIME did anyone say anything about a odd ovary. I'm just going to make a educated guess that it wasn't deformed till after the Mirena. Now I am wanting to remove it but feel like I should get every test known to man first to rule out any other possibility. I really don't want to remove it. I am afraid of getting it removed and even more of getting pregnant when I already have two 10 months apart and still in diapers.
My biggest question is wanting to know if hot flashes are related or if I might be having something else going on. Am I the only one with he hot flashes? I have them all day long!!!!!!!!
Also I noticed after reading other post that some other things may be related like, piercing headaches, itchy flaky oily scalp, weight gain, ear drainage, lower back pain, oily skin, increased smoking, in-grown hairs in inner thigh area, joint pain, fatigue, decrease sex drive.

Endo Cancer?

It has to be listed and discussed.
All you ladies out there that have had the Mirena removed:
Are your periods lighter than they ever were?
Are they still?
What is the time frame of having the IUD removed & your return to what is a normal period for you?

If you're still experiencing a "light" or "lighter" flow than what is your norm after having the Mirena out, get yourself to the doctor's office (NOT your Gyn), tell them you were using the Mirena & ask for an ultrasound to measure and look at your uterus. Chances are, like me, you'll have an unusually thickened endo lining. Not just thickened, but irregular as opposed to smooth.
What does this mean? Well, you shouldn't have a THICK lining that keeps growing or stays the same.
I was normal before insertion. (u-sounds done 2 weeks prior)
At about 10 days after removal, u-sounds showed an irregular thick lining measuring at 10mm.
At almost 8 weeks after removal, u-sound test showed the lining to be at 13mm.
NOTE: The "C" word starts getting used if you head toward the 15mm range.

Has anyone in your GYN office addressed this side effect with you?
Mine certainly didn't. Not one word. They didn't even tell me what to expect after my insistant demands for removal. (I called them after to report severe bleeding and clots of tissue, to which they responded was "normal".)
Ok....so if I had a heavy bleed, one would assume that the lining would be completely shed. So, why, after two cycles, and only 21 days of actual Mirena usage, is my endo lining growing like a banshee?

"Unusual thickening of the endo lining" or what others have called
"Estrogen Dominant Condition"

There is a connection, although it's not talked about or addressed specifically in the Medical Forums or Mirena's own website, of the effect that this device has on your hormone levels and what it does to your body after it's been removed.
I had a normal lining, proven by ultrasounds prior to the insertion that progressed to 10mm a week after removal of the device and progressive thickening of the endo lining up to 13mm in the 8 week followup ultrasound.
So, a quick summar of what happened to me after removal of this device (after only having it in under 21 days):
* irregular complex cyst (gone within 6 weeks)
* thickened uterine lining (deemed abnormal) measuring at 10mm
* increase in lining thickness, now up to 13mm (6 week's time)
Note: at around 15mm, the "C" word starts getting used

Was any of this discussed with you by your doctor? Certainly not mine.

This will be submitted to the FDA, to be included with my initial report. Please submit your own reports! This cannot be ignored.

Hey all,
Just had the Mirena put in last Wednesday. Did not hurt at all (I was SOOOO scared that it was going to!). In fact, I literally didn't realize that she had already put it in. I had a TINY bit of cramping after. Nothing like pmsing or anything. And that was for like 20 minutes a little after I got home. I took some IBProfin and had not had any cramps since. Very minimal bleeding. I am breastfeeding so I am not sure if that plays a role with the bleeding.

So this leaves me with one question (well, just one that I want to post and get responses to)....

For all that had problems with the Mirena, did they start from the beginning? From the moment that it was inserted? I wonder if there is a link...well, honestly I am kinda hoping there is a link. It would ease my mind a bit and it would let all of the women who have problems from the get go know that it isn't for them and it could be removed right then.

Oh, and for those that had a problem with the acne, how long after the Mirena was inserted did the acne come into play?

Thanks in advance!

Hi Ladies,

I had mine fitted may 06, i had heavy BLEEDING ND CRAMPING and no other contraception was suiting my body, so i got Mirena. Yes it helped to a certain extent. Later that year, i was still having some lil health issues, turned out i had some food allergies, too much estrogen and no real progesterone and thyroid problem. So this helped. My doctor put me on a natural progesterone cream, which was great, my skin started clearing up and my bleeding started getting some regularity, as i was pretty much bleeding every 2 weeks.

My health this year has gotten worse, excess Odema, acne, tiredness, mood swings, no sex drive, nausea which has always been contant, swelling around my belly etc. I feel horrible, now i also have adrenal fatigue however, I have given lots of thought and am going to get the Mirena removed. My weight is just going up, and all i want to do is be healthy, i exercise and eat well about 80%, so i am hoping that with this being removed, my doc said then i can go back onto my progesterone cream and help regulate my cycle. And also the lack of cycle, constant cramping, then a i get heavy or the odd light cycle. I just want to be happy.

Let me know if anyone else is feeling this way. And with having it removed, how i might feel.
By the way, i am 26 years old, and have no children as yet

xx

Sarah

I never put two and two together... but starting thinking that my mirena's hormones may be causing my issues. I had the mirena inserted a yr ago when I had the copper IUD removed. I told my OB/GYN that I was scared of the pill after trying it in college. Hormone-based birth control doesn't seem to work well for my family. She said it was a tiny dose and wouldn't get in the bloodstream so I shouldn't see side effects. HOWEVER, over the last year I have struggled with my weight. I have always been reallllly lucky. I am 5'8 and weigh about 135 without trying too hard. I have a high metabolism. But, I've started to feel pudgy last few months so have really tightened up my diet. I thought it was because I am getting older (29)...

As far as exercise, I used to be very active (mini-triathlons, 5Ks, sports etc.) but haven't felt like working out this year. Just can't get motivated. Today I was working with a personal trainer. We checked my records from January and I have gained 7 lbs!!! This is after I have really firmed up my diet. I have stopped eating carbs at night and trying to not eat after 7ish. In the past, this would really help my body look its best after a week or two. But, these last few months hasn't seemed to help me at all... Maybe it's the MIRENA?!

In addition, my cycle is about 7 days lator than it used to be. However, I still have the PMS symptoms I used to the week before my period but now they last forever! They start on the 20th and last until my period starts on the 7th!!! I get so irritable with my 5 yr old its ridiculous. It's not fair to her or my husband. I just wanted to share, that even with an athletic body type and a ridiculously high metabolism I am struggling. 2 yrs. ago I could eat 2300 calories w/out exercise, 2500 or more if working out that day. I used to eat as much as my 6'2 husband.

I had been on different versions of the pill since the age of 15 due to debilitating and horrific periods. After having migraines, a TIA (mini-stroke), and discovering that I have a small hole in my heart (PFO), my doc told me that I really should not promote estrogen in my body via the pill. So.... after nearly 20 years on the pill, I had to find an alternative. My ob/gyn suggested the Mirena. She told me she has one and that she doesn't have any side effects, I'd love it, it lasts for 5 years, no periods really, etc. I went for it! Not only was the insertion one of the most painful things I've experienced while being 100% awake and alert ---- Motrin and a light numbing cocktail --- and I've never had a baby!????! But the pain afterwards and for the following weeks was amazing. I have had several surgeries, stitches, broken bones, etc. in my life. I'm not a woosie girl. However, that pain was something I had not prepared myself for whatsoever. The first month was really rough. The second month was better. After 3 months of toughing it out, I started to be happier about having made the choice to go with the Mirena. Months 4-6 were pretty good actually. Virtually no period, pretty much no cramping other than once a month, and no glaringly obvious side effects. However... as time kept on, and my life continued to change, I can now look back at Months 7-13 to see how things truly did change albeit at a slow enough pace not to cause any red flags and make me consider pointing my finger towards the Mirena. Work was stressful, but I've always dealt with it... but it was SO much harder to shrug it off, suck it up, and just deal with it! I never sleep enough, but for some reason now, no matter how much I sleep, I'm ALWAYS still tired!! Being single was not as much fun anymore... because I apparently am depressed, even though I've never been depressed a single moment in my life! I freak out about deadlines, but have never had a problem hitting them so why? I clearly have anxiety issues which weren't there before... Lastly, I am BUSY BUSY BUSY, working out regularly, eating quite healthy for me, and consistently gaining weight instead of losing weight..... what the he**? I went to my family doc because I didn't feel "right" and was sick over the weight gain!! He ran blood work, which came back "perfect". He prescribed a med for anxiety and a med for mild depression to get me through "these stressful times". I went to my ob/gyn and she prescribed a diet pill. My sis found this site... I have read 7/14 thru 7/21 so far. I'll read more before making my decision... I will also read more on other sites and talk to my ob/gyn. However, I must admit that the mid-section weight gain, moodiness, anxiety, depression, etc. are all sounding oh so sadly familiar. I also must admit though, I am bummed out if this is the case because as I mentioned, I had high hopes for the Mirena and had enjoyed about 4-5 months of "good" time with it. It's the months after that and right NOW which is seriously in question. I do think it is right for many people, just maybe not for me. Good luck to you all... Oh, P.S. for those of you who have had it taken out, if any of you don't mind saying, had you had a child/children before? I'm really nervous about repeating the horrific pain of the insertion given I had not had a child. Thanks!!

Hi all, I have had the Mirena since May of 08. I had twins in Feb of this year and was given the little plastic ring for birth control. That gave me TERRIBLE migraines. i hardly ever even have headaches let alone migraines. It was impossible to take care of twin infants along w/migraine pain. I really shouldn't be on estrogen anyway because of a clotting problem in my family. So my doctor recommended the Mirena. I wanted it anyway because I can't remember to take pills now, (I'm a little busy.) Since I had it put in I have been losing my hair in unbelievable amounts which my doctor attributed to my just having twins. My depression and anxiety meds are NOT working anymore. My fourth and fifth toes on my right foot are completely numb and stiff, almost like I have arthritis or something. I have NO interest in having sex w/my husband. But after taking care of twins, who does?? Just kidding. I am not very happy with this IUD, but have decided the alternative (being pregnant) is not a better option at this time. So, for now I will continue to be a bitchy, balding, arthritic, celbate mother of two. Good luck to everyone else

I am almost in tears finally knowing that I am not alone. I had the Mirena inserted in December 07. Over the past 16 months since then I have only had about 60-90 days (very few of them consecutive) bleeding/spotting free. I am cramping constantly at various intensity. At times, I wondered if I was somehow pregnant and having contractions because of the type of tightening I felt. I have been an emotional wreck as I see-sawed within minutes between congeniality and disgust. My sometime-y migraines happened all too frequently. My acne has increased exponentially. I gained 30 lbs! After each child I successfully managed to lose the weight yet maintain a modest, healthy few pounds extra as I embraced my motherly curves. Almost 4 years after my last child, I gained all of this weight during my Mirena saga. I have been living a nightmare!

I am 34 w/ 3 children (14,6,5). I thought this would be one less hassle for my already life. I have never felt so out of control of my health and well being as I have the past 16 months. I saw may doctor 4 times over the past year wondering what I should do. I took birth control pills for 3 months to control the spotting. I took estrogen for 2 weeks. He knew how much I wanted it to work and told me to wait it out if I could. I feel so betrayed. I kept asking him if this was normal. He told me that it would get better.

I can't lose a pound (30 occurring during the 15 hell-ish Mirena months). I am fatigued to the point of uselessness to my family. I am depressed and inexplicably anxious.

Thank you for sharing and letting me know I'm not crazy. I thought it was all in my head because I couldn't find any validation for my feelings. I have sneered and balked at the amount of trust and worthiness all too often placed on message boards, blogs, and websites. While I am still cynical, this site has renewed my faith and spirit in that each of your testimonies has resolved my indecision to have this shackle removed from my body.

I am overcome with so much emotion right now (possible Mirena related) that I am now speechless.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

I am 34 years old. I went to the OB today after having Mirena inserted in August. I had a baby last March and was nursing her at the time. I had asked my OB a few months ago if fatigue was a side effect, as I have been just exhausted for months. She said no. I am exercising, eating exceptionally well, and losing very little weight. I have been extremely emotional--on the verge of tears all the time. My marriage is terrible right now.

I mentioned at today's appt that I had some irritation/itching/rawness feeling in my vaginal area. She did a culture of my discharge and said there was no bacteria/infection, but she saw some "premature" cells, (I don't know recall exactly what she said, is a blur, but she gave me estradiol vaginal insert tablets and told me to use them for 3 months. She said that maybe starting me on Mirena while I was nursing got my estrogen too low and that I "shouldn't have to be on this {estradiol} forever." Am I now experiencing premature menopause? No wonder I've suddenly sprouted gray hairs over the last 6 months!

Hi everyone. Just got my mirena removed today. I was taken off birth control pills about 8 years ago due to a tumor in my liver from years of taking BCPs; ex-husband had a V, so bc wasn't an issue. I started perimenopausal symptoms around age 38 (I'm now 45), but they weren't severe and I was as regular as clockwork. About two years ago, I started bleeding very heavily with a lot of clotting for about 9 days at a time, and started every third week, which meant I only had 1 clean week/month. Yuck. My doctors agreed that the discomfort of increased bleeding outweighed the risk of the liver business. I started taking a low-dose progesterone pill. I stopped after just two weeks - I felt horrible. My body knows when something's not right. Then I went on the same estrogen-loaded pill I'd taken for 20 some years. It was great the first few months, and then the headaches began...very intense pain about 4 days before my period. It took me months to figure out they were related to the onset of my period. We agreed the pill wasn't for me. My gyn then suggested the mirena, so I had it inserted in October 2007. I went back to having regular periods, but the spotting increased both before and after my 5 day periods (back to 9-day periods, including spotting), but at least the clotting had decreased. Then a couple months later, I started having headaches, backaches, weight gain, and was feeling very blue. I'm at an incredible time in my life...it just doesn't make sense to be feeling down. The last straw was that my hands and feet started to swell up like crazy. Like some others here, I began to feel like an old (really old) lady! And I am heavier than I've ever been...including when I was pregnant! I went to a ladies' boot camp for five weeks in January, ate a healthy diet, and could not lose weight to save my life. In fact, I think I gained weight! I don't like experiencing the normal aging process, hot flashes, moodiness, etc., but at least those things are a natural part of aging. I'm done with all this hormone business for a while. My gyn has now mentioned Novasure (endometrial ablation). I'm too gun-shy to even think about burning my insides permanently for now, so just going natural for a while. I'll check back to let you know if my condition improves. Thanks for posting everyone!

I had my Mirena inserted in July, shortly after the birth of my second son. Having Antiphospholipid Syndrome, Type 1 Diabetes, and Lupus, the doctors wanted me off estrogen birth control pills. Not sure if we want a third child, thought Mirena was the way to go. I am 33 and back in the college days I was on the Depo shot and had horrible acne, mood swings, breast tenderness, and nightmares. A few months ago I started noticing the same effects with the Mirena. Nightmares, acne, but most annoying, no sex drive whatsoever, and extreme snappiness to my husband and children! I feel like how you get the week before your period....I feel depressed like that EVERY week....like "blah", can't seem to snap out of feeling blue. Not sure what to do. I wonder if Copper IUD's are any better since the evil progesterone is the bad culprit? I may just try to see if the Rheumy and OB will let me go on B.C. pills for just a couple more years....by then I should know if I want one more baby and if not, then I can get sterilized. My OB did say no one has ever complained to her before about these effects. But, I know simply b/c the Depo Shot, that the things I am feeling are real and from the Mirena and not just a modd disorder.

I had my Mirena inserted after a misscarriage in December it was inserted Dec 31/07 anyway since then it has been non stop bleeding heavy with clots, I have headaches and dizzy. The doctor says oh this is normal...whatever. They prescribed me some estrogen pills to stop the bleeding and of course its still on heavy course.

Anyway going to see the GP today asking to get it out, I only had the thing put in because my husband who doesn't want any kids with me because of what his ex did to him wanted it. He will not get a vasectomy and due to malignant hypothermia tubal for me is not a first option.

I had a question though when the Mirena comes out how long do you bleed for I am soo tired of this bleeding, and yeah the lack of sex as my sex drive is quite high and we are both getting frustrated by this bleeding mess.

I've had Mirena in four approximately 5 months now. It wasn't unbearingly painful to have inserted and I was having mood swings and riding emotional roller coasters months before I had it placed. I spotted for about 6 weeks after it was placed, but my periods now have gone from 4-6 days a month to 2 or none. My only concern is that I now have some vulva fissures that I can't really relate to anything else but this. I talked to a midwife about it and she believes that it's due to a lack of estrogen. She said that breastfeeding can sometimes decrease estrogen to the point of thinning the skin and causing these fissures, but I don't know. I never had this problem with my first child and the only thing different is that I'm using Mirena. I don't know if I should have it removed or wait it out until my son weans and see if there is a change. My insurance paid to have it inserted, but I have no insurance now and I dread seeing the price tag to have it removed.

I've had my Mirena for almost 8 weeks. Has anyone else experienced diahrea or loss bowel movements? I've had blood tests done for digestive disorders and everything came back normal. Just curious if this is occurring in others and if it could be occurring due to the iud.

Hello,
My journey with Minera started in September 2005, two months after the birth of my second daughter.

Previous to the insertion of Minera and the birth of my daughter I was under the care of a rheumatologist for chronic knee and foot pain. I was never diagnosed with any specific disease or disorder. When I became pregnant with my daughter in May 2004 all of my pain vanished. I stopped seeing the doctor and had a normal pregnancy.

My pain symptoms started to return shortly after I gave birth and in September 2005 I decided to have Minera put in. I had no problems with the insertion and after bleeding for about 6 weeks my period stopped. I had some cramping here and there but no more period. I felt great!

My pain symptoms worsened over time and I developed more problems. none of which I related to Minera. My problems were:

Terrible joint pain and swelling in my knees
Pain that radiates from my lower back to my feet
Pain in my right ring finger
Stiffness
TMJ
Insomnia
Hair loss
Weight gain
Irritability
Mood swings
Scarring acne
Fatigue
Lack of interest in sex
Swelling in my feet

I started to believe I had something really wrong with me. I did research and found a lot of my symptoms were in sync with Fibromyalgia. I started seeing a new rheumatologist who did tons of blood work and x-rays on me. After all the results came back she said I did not test positive for anything. She diagnosed my with rheumatoid arthritis because I had all the clinical symptoms. She prescribed prednisone and placqunel (sp?) for the arthritis which seems to be helping.

I was on a parenting forum I frequent the other day and I saw a post form a woman complaining about all the side effects of Minera. I did some research and found this site and another
http://curezone.com/forums/f.asp?f=713
It's like a light bulb went off. All of these things that I have been suffering with seem to be related to the IUD.

So I would like to hear from some of you ladies that have had Minera removed already. Do you feel better? Are your side effects gone?
Also has anyone removed Minera themselves?

I had the Mirena put in in March of 2007, shortly after my 6 week post partum check up. I have always had terrible side effects from bc pills and I am allergic to latex (....condoms,etc), besides I'm married and it's so weird and inconvenient for a married couple, with 3 children and LITTLE time for sex to use condoms!! With all this in mind, my obgyn convinced me to consider this product. I did my homework as instructed and all research came back with the same answers: NO DOCUMENTED side effects. My biggest concerns were weight gain/mood, aggression. I was assured this would not happen to me again. The insertion was super easy; didn't feel a thing, then a few days later it felt as though I was in labor all over again and this lasted for about a week. I continued to bleed for approx 5 months, and since i have had to wear a panty liner everyday for discharge/spotting. After reading this website, I've come to realize that all the "strange" things happening to me are apparently not so strange/rare: the terrible headaches, leg cramps, SEVERE acne that scars (everyday of the month, currently using proactiv for that, but not helping one bit! and i've never had a zit before in my life), I'm 27 and feel as though i have the joints of an 85 year-old...my knees and hips ache 24-7. Yes, the mood swings are there too. My poor husband and children....i'm happy one sec, then biting off heads the next. I have also had severe constipation, having to do regular enemas to have bm's. Worst of all, after busting my butt to lose 25lbs of baby wgt 3 wks after giving birth, I started gaining it back 3 weeks later after having Mirena inserted. I have gained approx 38 lbs since the end of March. I have completely changed my diet to..sugar busters, 1200 calories a day, exercise 5 days a week,excessive amount of fiber and water, and i'm even taking ephedra/hoodia pills 3x a day. I can honesly say I have not lost 1 pound, not 1. We are not sure if we want anymore children, but if so not for a few years, but I cannot endure the suffering anymore, and neither can my family. please reconsider having the Mirena put in your body! So many women post complaints, why is there NO documented side effects with this device with the manufacturer and physicians who recommend it?????