Mirena and insertion

I had Mirena inserted in mid-September. I was told the insertion process would not cause pain, just mild discomfort. I am 41 and have a son born c-section. The insertion was horrific. I have had Rheumatoid Arthritis since the age of 6 and I have a very high pain tolerance, but I literally almost jumped off the table during insertion. It's been two months and I have experienced weight gain of 15 pounds. I seriously look like I am 6 months pregnant now and all the gain is in the abdominal area. None of my clothes fit me. I am only 5 feet tall and have maintained my weight at 95 pounds. I was 112 pounds when I delivered my son at 31 and that is the most I have ever weighed. I now weigh 110. I had a tremendous craving for sweets after insertion. Even with my RA I have always been very active, and after Mirena I felt so tired all the time. Also, I experienced an enormous amount of hair loss, lack of sex drive, pain during urination (they thought I had a UTI or bladder infection, but test showed everything was normal), mood swings, crying all the time, and although my blood pressure was still in the normal range, it was higher than it had ever been. I never did get a period after the insertion either. The worst was the increased joint pain and muscle pain. After two weeks of the insertion I could not put any weight on my left leg and I had to start using crutches to get around. I just spent 3 weeks in an in patient physical therapy unit thinking I had done something to my left hip. I was worse after leaving there than when I went in. I had my Mirena moved this past Friday 11/20 and although I am still having some symptoms, they are subsiding. I will keep you posted. I am so glad I found this site because I thought I was going nuts.

I have been using Mirena for 6 years now and I have been having all the same symptoms as many of you. Frightenly I also found another website about women just like us complaining about the same things we are complaining about but what is worse is that for many of them they were thrown into early menopause because of this IUD. One as young as 25 years old, I'm only 33 but I feel horrible ever since insertion. Tomorrow I am going to have a blood test done to see if that's what's happening to me, then I am having this thing taken out.

Here is the website: ******

I had my son Oct 2008 and had Mirena inserted at my 6 week postnatal checkup. At that point I had lost about 15 lbs of baby weight and was feeling pretty darn good for just having a baby.

Since then I have gained back the 15 lbs plus 15 more despite exercising and dieting and NURSING for 11 months! I have had blurry vision, no sex drive, migraines, acne on my face and arms?!?!, and just been all around grumpy. I have also been diagnosed as hypothyroid since being on this - I don't know for sure if it is related to Mirena, but I do know that I was tested for it before becoming pregnant with my miracle baby because my husband and I were declared infertile!

I have spotted almost the entire time despite not having a "real" period since before my son was born. I do not want any more children (12 year old girl and 1 year old boy keep me pretty darn busy), but decided to take out the mirena after reading this site and seeing that other women have had the same issues. Removed on Tuesday (Nov 10) and guess what - I already feel better! There was no pain getting it removed and no cramping, unlike the insertion process.

I am looking forward to seeing the other side effects disappear. I wish that my OB would have focused more on possible side effects instead of how simple it would be. The past year has been a personal hell for me when it should have been one of the happiest times of my life! I hope that the rest of you find this helpful:) Good luck!

I had Mirena inserted in May 2009. I did not have much pain at all with insertion, just minor cramping. I did bleed for almost 3 months after insertion though it was fairly light. After that I have only had 2 periods. They were fairly light and lasted about 3 weeks each. Then it seems like forever till I have another one...I should really be keeping track. But it seems like I go every other month and have a period. Sometimes I think I'm pregnant because my breasts get tender and Ive never been able to feel my string! It makes me nervous. Also I have terrible acne, and I never want to have sex! Don't know if that has anything to do with mirena but I want to blame it on something!
So my experience hasn't been a horrible one, and I enjoy not taking a pill all the time. But I'm thinking there still could be bad to come since it's only been 6 months ish. Are we supposed to get mirena check ups every so often? My doctors never said or scheduled anything about it. Well thanks.

I had been on Depo for basically 14 years, I came off of it, got pregnant 3 months later and after the birth went back on it. I had gained a lot of weight with it and had all the side effects plus so when I saw mirena I thought finally something better for me. I had it inserted in aug 2008. Other than painful insertion, like labor delivery contractions the rest of that day and some the next everything was fine. I didn't get my periods back, the only thing I liked about depo, and my weight was coming off and I was actually wanting and enjoying sex again. . A year later, and 15 lbs less, thought I was still doing good. Well I thought maybe my teenage daughter had jinxed me because I was bragging about still not having a period and I started, well a week later I am still having some sort of a period. It's very light and spotty, just when you think it's gone away, well there it is again. I have been noticing vision issues, I figured it was from where I had lasic done several years ago was starting to go but after reading everyone else's posts I think that's not it now. Everything I was experiencing, the back pain, blurry eyes, feeling sad, lower abdominal pain, I made an excuse for until now. I have recently started to loose my sex drive again. I hadn't had any, or so I thought, problems until several weeks ago. My problem is I can't take the pill, I don't want the depo back because of the side effects, the patch won't work for me so I am not sure what is left for me to take, I saved up for this and put so much money into it and now after reading everyone else's post realize that this BC is not for me either.

I'm on my 6th day of Mirena. I just had sex for the first time since insertion. I noticed that the threads are curled up and behind my cervix, rather than to the side where they have been every day.

What I'm really writing about is; starting yesterday I've had this lump feeling in my throat. it makes me want to gag and I cannot make it go away. I had this when on Yasmin. I developed a severe allergy to Yasmin and my entire face swelled. But it started with the lump in throat feeling. I have also had ringing in the ears all day, I even have it now. I haven't had that in years.

I'm on my 6th day of Mirena. I just had sex for the first time since insertion. I noticed that the threads are curled up and behind my cervix, rather than to the side where they have been every day.

What I'm really writing about is; starting yesterday I've had this lump feeling in my throat. it makes me want to gag and I cannot make it go away. I had this when on Yasmin. I developed a severe allergy to Yasmin and my entire face swelled. But it started with the lump in throat feeling. I have also had ringing in the ears all day, I even have it now. I haven't had that in years.

Is anyone/has anyone experienced this side effect? You would definitely know if you have it. It feels like something is in my throat.

my insertion was so bad i literally almost kicked the doctor as an instant reaction and yelled a cuss word... i had a c section delivery so pain full doesn't even describe that pain it was unbearable.. but the cramping starting the moment after insertion to about a month ago was i think worse then the c section pain id be at work almost on the floor in a ball crying in pain and the doctor said take Tylenol it will go away and nevvvvver did... i still get random cramps and sharp pains

i never had bv until i was pregnant during the pregnancy i had it one time and thought it was gone... after i got the mirena put in ive have 4 cases of bv this is November., and 3 uti's.. i got the mirena in march i believe... that is not good for my body to be on antibiotics like that ... lately ive been having terrrrrible pain when i pee like above my pubic bone.. my first thought was a uti ... went to er hoping to get an antibiotic once again... blood urine ctscan everything was normal... er doctor said its probably my mirena and i should get it taken out... i called my obgyn and she insisted i keep it in and thats not the mirena giving me those pains!!! why are these doctors so against taking it out i mean i'll get on the pill i don't care i thought the mirena would be handy u know not worrying about missing a pilll!!! wellllll i wish would have never decided to get it in ive had painful sex , very emotional, pain in general, it terrible...

alssssso my boyfriend and i obviously do not use condoms bc the birth control... now we have to use them bc hes been having a burning sensation when he pees like so bad and painful to where his legs almost buckle ... he was talking to his best friend about it and he said hes experiencing the sammmmme thing and his girl is on mirena ... they've come to the conclusion theyyyy are having a reaction to the hormone released from the mirena and it makes complete sense i don't care condom or no condom it doesn't bother me... but its the fact ... he said he felt it at one point which the doctor said your boyfriend shouldn't feel a thing... sorry if thats tmi but while having sex i feel it bad and it ruins the mood for sex with me at least...

i didn't have a pd for roughly 3 months now its heavy and clotty... then the next day nothing then the next clotty again im soooooo sick of it thank god i stumbled across this sight in search if the reaction my man was having... but now i don't feel alone for all my problems ive been having!!!!

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'm a 20 year old female, 125 lbs, exercise everyday, and eat very well. I recently had an the mirena IUD put in after a year on depo provera. I cramped for about a week after insertion and then started to have pain on the left side near my pubic bone. I also was having nausea, blurry vision, difficultly focusing my eyes, dizziness, severe chest pains, and a pin prick sensation along with hot flashes all over my body. After finding this site, I called my doctor who didn't believe that the mirena was causing this, even though many of these are listed as severe side effects. I'm a 20 year old woman! Why would i suddenly develop some disease that made me feel this way? Despite her claims that the mirena wasn't responsible, the chest pains were unbearable and the uterine pain was shooting down my legs. I demanded to have it out. One day later the uterine pain was significantly better and my vision was back to normal. I still have slight chest pains but they have diminished appropriately. the hormone in mirena has a half life of about a day and a half so in two days it should be completely out of my system and the chest pains should subside. To conclude, if you are having these side effects and have no other conditions, try getting the mirena removed. It fixed me completely.

I am 49 years old and got the Mirena for heavy bleeding / perimenopause systems. I was told I would probably stop having periods a couple months after insertion and that appealed to me. I had it put in place on Friday October 30. Insertion was uncomfortable but over quickly and I did not bleed much as a result. I woke up Saturday nauseous with a head ache and tingly feelings in my extremities. I also felt this thing inside me. I laid on my side, I could feel it. I felt a heaviness inside. I took tylenol and Pepto for headaches and nausea but it persisted. I felt very tired and my skin itched. Sunday the same thing. Tingling, headache, nausea and the sensation of having a foreign object inside. My abdomen hurt too. I took tylenol and Pepto but as the day went on I felt worse. I wanted it out! I called a Consulting Nurse who recommended I go to Urgent Care. I went to Urgent Care last night. My blood pressure was very high as well. The Dr said it was a reaction to the hormone. I got the think taken out and felt immediately better. Today my skin itches but that will go away. I have decided to try natural Progesterone cream and other natural methods vs. synthetic hormones.

Mirena the BANE of our existence! I had mine put in January 2009 and then taken out this week. I thought maybe I should ride it out for awhile, see if some of the problems went away with time... and to be honest some of them did. The acne subsided, the cramps lessened and the periods became virtually non-existent. However, the headaches, the mood swings, the tiredness and depression and not to mention 20lbs along with boobs that went from C to DD, I couldn't handle them anymore. Removal was uncomfortable but 1/8 of the pain of insertion. I had some clotting but it only lasted a couple hours. I have been experiencing a crash in emotions but nothing worse than a "bad" day with Mirena. The only real problem I have run into was the PA that removed it. Please learn from this experience and don't become discouraged by ignorant and book smart doctors...
My doctor had the audacity to tell me that all of these "symptoms" were probably my body returning to it's natural state, that is to the way it was before I ever went on birth control. I was on Ortho for 8 years before I decided to give myself a break and insert. So what this woman was telling me was that there were no documented side effects to legitimize my issues. She was saying in no certain terms that from the ages of 13-18 before BC, I was fat, moody, irrational, with acne, craps and gigantic breasts. I was offended to say the least and tensely asked her to take it out and put me back on the pill. Now I am just praying I don't experience another catastrophe with whatever this "woman" has decided to prescribe me. You can be sure I will be doing my research before putting anything else into my system. Thank you ladies for your honesty and thank you medications.com.

I was literally in tears when I found this site and read all of your posts. It was as if I was reading something I HAD WRITTEN. Having just returned from getting a CT scan of my head, I started researching "causes of severe headaches not related to migraines" and lo and behold this site popped up in my search. What caught my attention was the word "Mirena". Up until today I had never even considered that all of the issues I have been having since the birth of my daughter in August 2008, were in any way related to Mirena. When my daughter was about 2 months old (after my 8 week check up and insertion of the implant) I became extremely moody, sad, social anxiety kicked in, I cried for no reason, had no desire to talk to anyone, not even my husband - VERY unlike my personality. After talking to my doctor it was determined I had post partum depression so I was prescribed zoloft. Didn't work. Was still irritable and lethargic but maternity leave was up so I went back to work. I was exhausted, couldn't process my thoughts, was constantly dizzy and had blurred vision and it was all attributed to the "baby schedule (nightly feedings, no solid sleep, adjusting to schedule, etc.). My mood swings were out of control and it got to the point that I even through a knive (albeit a butter knife) at my husband. I began seeing a psychiatrist who determined I had mild bipolar disorder so he put me on medication for that. It has helped some but still doesn't control my crying spells or occasional outbursts. Recently I was so dizzy that I saw my ENT doctor who said I had vertigo. I was prescribed something for that. Still, I am dizzy and feel off balance. Most recently, I have had severe, severe, severe headaches and though there is a great possibility it is a viral issue, I was ordered to have blood drawn and to obtain a CT scan. Nothing much revealed so we set an appointment to see an neurologist next week. So, because of the worry over it, I started doing an internet search and her I am. Reading these posts brought on an overwhelming sadness because my poor family has had to endure my wrath for past 12 months. I am so angry that I didn't see this sooner and moreso that their !@#@#$% side effects didn't list ANY OF THESE discussed here. Additionally, my hair has been falling out in clumps and I can't seem to lose weight despite my 1500 calorie diet and exercise.
I made an appointment TODAY to have it removed. If I could yank it out myself I would. Thank you all for your posts. You may have just saved my marriage and my life.

I had the Mirena put in 2 yrs 9 months ago. I had continual spotting for about 6 weeks after insertion, which was really annoying but they did tell me to expect that. For 2 years I noticed a couple of side effects...some cramping and the belly flutters (which is so weird to hear of other people having them because I thought I was just crazy!!!) And the acne..oh, the acne! Also I haven't been able to lose weight very easily, even with dieting. All these things were ok side effects to me. But now after 2 and a half years the side effects have gotten a lot worse. I kept telling my husband that I was sorry, I just couldn't' understand why I can't get motivated to do anything besides sit around. I am bloated all the time and crampy. Not just cramps but I'll have sharp pains in my uterine area. I went in for my annual exam and they said the strings were where they belonged. Prior to that exam, I was having light 2 day periods regularly. Since then, I have been bleeding (some heavily, some light) for SIX WEEKS straight along with having cramps and fatigue and the missing motivation has gotten even worse. It is coming out tomorrow morning. This is not worth it at ALL!

Wow glad I'm not alone. Had mine inserted after giving birth to my first child, 8 weeks later. Insertion was terrible, awful, all others have described. I'm breastfeeding so my doctor said I could bleed for up to 3 months on and on, and it was about that until it stopped. In the beginning i felt as though it was tickling me which could have been in my head but that's what I remember. But recently Ive been having horrible cramping that seems totally random. Insane mood swings. One minute I will depressed and thinking to myself do I really love my husband and feeling my life is meaningless to the next minute wanted to have crazy wild sex. My husband is starting to worry about my crazy mood swings and depressions. I have nothing to be depressed about my life is great but I continually find myself feeling that way. It's terrible. Not to mention I can't sleep anymore hence it's 4am and I researching mirena side effects. I can't wait to get this thing out of me. My advice my first child was a surprise and I really really can't afford another kid any time soon, but this mirena crap ain't worth it, AT ALL. Beware do not get it!

I just had a mirena put in on Thursday, after the recommendation of the obgyn (she said she had one).
When I was asking my questions I was concerned about the acne, since I never really had it in my life and the possible headaches. BUT reading the above postings is not very encouraging: low libido, weight gain, mood swings. I will surely be back to post the results after a month.
Note: I have not had children, but since I was prone to severe pain/length of periods that is how mirena was suggested.
INSERTION was excruciating! "3 small cramps" was in fact pain that left me quivering and in shock. Doctor's need to be more transparent about the insertion process (especially if you have not had kids).
I will be back after my 4 week check up with the latest report. (and if need be, I will be assertive in the removal demand.)
Thank you so much, ladies.

I had mine removed this week - thank the lord above!!! However, it has been rough and be forewarned that I experienced horrific cramping and HEAVY bleeding for nearly five days. I also had terrible back pains and some pain down my legs as well as some mental fogginess. I only had it in about one month and had gained 3 pounds and outgrown my bras! So now, two boxes of tampons later, I finally stopped bleeding altogether about 24 hours ago and the cramping has subsided. I feel mentally clearer and, believe it or not, have some semblance of libido - my husband is thrilled!

I am exploring other options for managing hormonal changes in perimenopause - including evening primrose oil and am still doing lots of yoga (even during the pain periods I did lots of yoga to help me manage)...Mainly, I feel so betrayed by the doctors (two women half my age) who insisted my symptoms were "all in my head" - to those of you planning for removal I encourage you to tell the medical professionals you work with that you are NOT crazy and NOT the only one experiencing these side effects. I personally believe that many women get too much progestin in the Mirena (which is not Progesterone, either) and this, in addition to overloading our estrogen, is enough to make us completely insane and miserable. I say let nature work its course as regards my own perimenopause and to those out there using Mirena for birth control I managed to avoid pregnancy with little concern using natural/rhythm methods and condoms as well as a diaphragm, conceiving my two beautiful (now teenage) sons without any intervention from hormones except my own. I am going to do peri and menopause the same way here on out. !!!!

Would love to hear how long it took for weight and stomach fat to go away after the removal from anyone who has been there - I eat very healthfully and exercise daily so I knew the pregnant look I got after that month with the Mirena was not due to one too many cookies )as my doctor seemed to infer !

I think that I finally figured out why I am so physically and mentally sick. I received the mirena almost 2 years ago and I was a true advocate of the product...I love it!! About 6 months ago I started to have panic attacks and anxiety (i have never experienced this before) it was so bad that I barely made it to work everyday and could no longer handle being out in public. My PCP placed me on different types of anti-depressants (which made me depressed). Currently I take Budeprion which has decreased my anxiety but I do not feel like myself. The past month and a half I wake up with the feeling of morning sickness (the numerous pregnancy test say that I am not), have headaches, low energy levels and little motivation. I was pretty sure that my hormones levels must be "off" but my PCP and OB insisted that there is no way that my symptoms have anything to do with my hormones because my child is almost 2 years old and I am 29 years old. I have gone through numerous tests on my gallbladder and other organs to find the cause of these symptoms that I have and Everything is Fine. After reading the stories on this website I now know that I do not need anti-depressants and I am not going crazy...I just need to get the Mirena removed.

I have had my Mirena for 3 yrs. (Oct 2006) For a long time my doctor, nurse and I joked about how I was the poster girl for this product. I didn't have much cramping with insertion, had one slight period a month later, and have been period free since December '06.

A few months later I broke out with the cystic acne and they put me on Yaz. It seemed to help for about 6mths. I then went off the Yaz and was fine for a few months, until I broke out again. This time Yaz didn't work. I've delt with them ever since. In the mean time I started having troubles falling to sleep. It was very sporadic at first until this past Jan. (09) My doctor put me on 10mg of generic Ambien. In July she cut me off. I had a full blown panic attack! The next day I contacted another dr who doesn't have a problem with me being on them. She put me on several anti-depressants until we found one that seems to be helping.

I have always been a people person, full of life and love for everyone! Now, I dread going to the store, or taking my boys (11,9 & 4) to soccer practice/games!

My husband has mentioned from time to time that I complain of a lot of headaches. Come to think of it now, they happen nearly every day to one extent or another!

I've been researching the Mirena the last couple of days because of the acne and sleeplessness. MOST posts talk about the symptoms beginning right away, making me think I was crazy and just looking for a reason to feel this way!

My husband has been my rock and is very supportive of me. He has no problems with me taking it out, but will NOT get the sweet lil V done! ugh If I can get this out and have the acne clear up. I'd be HAPPY!

First symptoms: Acne
Then: Sleeplessness, Headaches, back pain especially lower, mood swings, anxiety/depression, oily hair, uncontrollable crying... I'm sure I could go on. The symptoms don't have to be instant. In my case they came slowly...

GOD BLESS!

I have to say I am SHOCKED over this site but had to read every bit of it. I am a TRUE believer in the Mirena and until I came across this site while searching for sites to send a friend to encourage the Mirena I never knew how many horrible things could happen for someone on the Mirena. HOWEVER, I guess this is proof when with any type of birth control including Mirena it is said it's not for everyone. I happen to LOVE mine. I'm actually on my 2nd insertion. My first one went very well, after a crampy insertion and 2 days of horrible cramps controlled by ibuprofin I was left to enjoy 5 years of birth control w/out problems. I can't take the pill as no matter the dose I spend the 1st to weeks nauseated and vomiting in the morning, I tried the Depo Shot (personally that is the EVIL OF ALL EVIL birth control methods, gained 68 pounds in 11mnts never going over 105 pounds except for pregnancy in my life, have battled to control my weight since therefore I believe it destroyed my metabolism forever, major depression to the point of medication and medical leave from work & the world). And after an accident pregnancy no way was condoms going to be enough for me. My Dr. recommended Mirena and I gave it a try. I was not lucky enough to go period free my first insertion I did have a max of 3 days of period with little or no cramping. My second not as good, I now have about 5 days of spotting only if sex promotes it and occasionally after using the bathroom a little blood on the toilet paper, never needing to actually use any feminine products. I use to get ovarian cysts all the time, small enough surgery was only needed once but I knew when one was there and I knew one they "popped" as my doctor would call it. I haven't had that problem since I started with Mirena, I'm told its due to the small amount of hormones (hence the reason my Dr suggested Mirena versus a non hormone IUD). My sex drive has not been affected one bit...in fact like one of the positive posts I just read...my husband and I have discussed more then once prior to coming across this site how much more of a sex drive I do have, although we contributed it to not being pulled down in the dark world of depression from the Depo shot...and the freedom of placed once & forget for 5 years type birth control. I have 8 friends and coworkers that have the Mirena...One person had a problem, hers "fell out" in the toilet and she had been cramping and in abdominal pain for a few days prior not connecting it to her Mirena...but after 2 months of other methods she had another one placed and has had no problem since...that was 2 years ago. It stinks to hear how horrible this "wonder bc method" is for others...(are you seeing how terrible the other methods were for me first for me to feel this is the wonder of all wonders) and of course I'm concerned with the fact that most of you that had a problem had SEVERE problems..not just a small one here or there. But I'm going to bet that on the flip side the methods that caused me hell might work for one of you. I have 2 more years left on this 2nd cycle...I pray I never have the problems you do if I chose a 3rd insertion...however, with science today we can only hope your complaints are taken seriously and the makers of Mirena continue to improve so that less and less people run into these side effects. I'm not sure I would have another option...SCARY!

This is my Mirena story. I got it inserted just over 4 months ago. Other birth controls were not working very well for me, as I had irregular bleeding with them often. So my doctor recommended Mirena. Insertino was awful. It hurt terribly. I almost passed out in the office from the pain (and I am not a wuss when it comes to pain). On the drive home I had to pull over to throw up - I was so nauseous from the pain. The extreme pain (which, to me, was worse than when I was in labor) lasted for a few days then subsided.

I bled for 30 days straight after insertion, which was awful. I also have experienced hair loss, acne, irritability and weight gain (without changing my diet and exercise levels). Over the past four months I have also had awful back pain and extreme cramps that seem to come randomly. My periods come and last 10 days.

Recently, I decided that I'd had it with the Mirena. I went to the doctor today and had it removed. After talking with her about my side effects, she was very supportive in my decision to have it removed. She believes I may be overly sensitive to the progestin in it. Removal was super-quick and easy and virtually painless. I'm looking forward to life without this thing!

My name is Amanda, I'm 21 yrs old, engaged and having some problems:
I had mirena put in December, 2008 and had a horrible first night. My cramps were terrible for at least 5 hrs. After that I had no problems other than really odd cycles (on for 10 days, off for 3 months, on for 4 days, etc)
I hadn't thought my other problems were due to this iud but now think otherwise and am seriously wanting it removed. I've been very irritable, bloated, exhausted, can't sleep at all at night until 6 am then finally sleep till 1 pm... I have absolutely NO SEX DRIVE (odd because my fiancé were very happy with our sex lives , now it's maybe once if that).
My fiancé says this is a very good form of B.C. Because we never have sex... Hahaha. I don't have any cramps but do get unusual headaches (right temple, extremely sharp pain) ...
If i knew for sure that these symptoms weren't from mirena, I'd keep it... But now am going to get it removed and get back on the shot...
Let me know if anyone has anything to help me out with the sex drive thing!!!

Does it hurt to get mirena removed?

Will my sex drive return?????
I'm only 21 and am getting married in sept 2010 (hopefully ... Haha) ...
Thanks, A.

After almost a year to date....I am experiencing a lot of the side effects lately that almost everyone has posted. I have two beautiful daughters and a loving husband. Here is my story. I had it put in Oct of 2008. I had not been on BC before b/c we were purposely starting a family. Well, I had it put in because I ended up getting pregnant for the 3rd time after having my 3month old (second child). Being pregnant so soon after giving birth was such an emotional roller coaster and caused a lot of stress for us both. Unfortunately I ended up having a miscarriage after 3months. When that happened, we decided that I needed an effective BC that I didn't have to think about everyday because I already had a 3month old and a 20 mo running around. This is what led us to getting the Mirena. So NOW that I stumbled upon this forum, I realized that I had been through a lot of the side effects that others have. I thought it was "normal" to go through what I did. At times, I thought it was my imagination. And now, I wish I would have spoken up about it sooner. I bled for 6 months straight thinking that this is what I had to go through to have years of light or no periods at all. It def put a wedge in my sex life with the hubby and not to mention my libido has been next to nothing. After the first 8 weeks of insertion, my hair fell out, but I blew it off because I thought it was due to the stress of the kids and the miscarriage. It fell out so terribly that I had to get a new hair cut to even it out. Fast forward to May of 2009, finally, my period is starting to last only 7 days and not like 3 weeks. Next thing you know, we are smooth sailing. Libido hasn't moved up a notch, but at least I knew when my period would come and how long it would last so that my hubby and I could have intimacy for once. Everything was fine all summer all the way up to last month (Sept 2009). Present day, now all of a sudden, my period has not shown up. Last time it came was 6weeks ago in Sept.. Kid you not, I'm having all the same symptoms of all my pregnancies. All last week including today I have had the following symptoms:
-Extreme dizziness with nausea
-Severe abdominal pain-like a sharp piercing pain on the left side
-lower back pain every single morning
-nose bleeds everyday, sometimes twice in a day
-increased appetite
-Extreme fatigue like I need to take a 2 hour nap
-adrenaline flashes
....So, after 7 days of this I called my OB today since she was on call and asked if I should go to the emergency. She decided that she wants to see me at her practice first thing tomorrow morning. In the meantime, she asked me to take a hpt. It was negative. But guess what, I'm not convinced. The 3rd pregnancy where I had the miscarriage...you remember right? Well, I took a pregnancy test the week before I was supposed to get the Mirena in b/c it had to be put in before my next period, well, that's when I found out I was pregnant...at the doctor's office! My hpt test said negative. So anyways, I am nervous and anxious to get to the bottom of this. If I am not pregnant, I will probably have it removed. It has caused so much unwanted change in my life-loss of sex drive, irregular bleeding, moodiness to the point where my husband thinks I'm psycho at times....you name it. If I am pregnant, then I will certainly have more worries than I ever have had before.

If you experience migraines, and you are like me and never had a headache your entire life. My advice is to call your doctor and have a brain scan.

I am so glad that I am not alone in this!! I have had Mirena for 2 1/2 years. The insertion was not that bad and I thought it was going to be wonderful!! Well....I was wrong!! I have always had migraines with aura, but I have had more frequently, terrible weight gain, ZERO sex drive, fatigue and terrible mood swings. I have had ENOUGH!!. I was told, like most of you, that Mirena can't cause side effects like this, but YES it can!! I am having it removed on Thursday, although, I do like the idea of just taking it out myself. (Save me $40) I have friends who have it and love it, but as for me, I would think long and hard before getting one!!

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.

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,

I researched mirena before going ahead and having it placed and was skeptical about all the side affects women were reporting. (I'm pretty much always skeptical about side affects and usually just attribute them to people psychologically making them up.) A friend of mine has had a mirena for over a year and loves it, has had no side affects and therefore lead me to getting it. Insertion was awful awful awful. I was extremely nauseous (you know face going white, sweating, shaking, that awful feeling) during the processes as well as for an hour afterwords, which made for in interesting car ride home. Anyways the insertion is the least of the problems. My face completely broke out with the painful under the skin cystic acne. I have NEVER had bad skin in the past and therefore thought I would not have a problem with mirena, boy was I wrong. I only had the mirena for two months because I could not stand the constant cramping, continual bleeding and the terrible acne. Needless to say I had it removed (removal is a piece of cake, literally 5 minutes NO pain) and sure enough my face cleared back up in about a 2 weeks. I feel as though this device is extremely different for everyone and totally depends on the individual. As a said before I have a friend who absolutely loves it. (I am 25, no children and I am awful at remembering to take the pill and therefore thought this was a good idea.) I say if your health insurance covers it, try it out for a couple months, if health insurance doesn't cover it I wouldn't even bother.

I chose to have the Mirena inserted in August of 2009. I found this site because I have been bleeding for three weeks straight, and the doctors were unavailable to advise me (holiday weekend). I see now that my experience is a side-effect of the IUD. I have also seen a diminished sex drive, fatigue, loss of energy, and constant cramping.

I was very hopeful for the Mirena. Five years without having to worry about birth control, wow! My first complaint is the pain involved with insertion. I was told to eat a big breakfast or early lunch before the procedure, and to take a few advils prior to the appointment. I did - however, I was still not prepared for the process. First, they measure your uterus to make sure that it is the right size, with an instrument similar to the IUD. I was in tears the entire time. I wished someone had told me to bring a friend or my partner with me to hold my hand. It hurt so much! The nurse was as understanding as she could be, but said that once the package has been opened, I would be charged the full amount. I went ahead with the procedure, wondering how I would reschedule during a period and with a busy work week. I was in pain the rest of the day, and felt extremely uncomfortable for a few days after. The pain and bleeding still did not go away, and after a week I made an appointment to check on the IUD's position, if there was any preforation of the uterus; etc. The strings were there, and they just told me that the cramping and spotting is normal. To me, it felt like the doctors tell you the best case scenario, and as you approach more and more of the side-effects, they confirm those as a possibility.

Before the Mirena, I have used DepoProvera, the NuvaRing, and Ortho-Tri Ciclen. I didn't like the weight gain from the Depo, the NuvaRing is somewhat expensive through my insurance, and the traditional birth control bills, like Ortho, are a hassle if you happen to miss a day. I thought that the Mirena was the best solution to my situation.

Be aware. I have been through childbirth, and this was a painful experience for me! I wish I would have read the comments on this site before opting for the Mirena... at least I would have been a more informed & educated consumer.

Hi, I had Mirena inserted in Nov ,2007. At first , after the insertion, everything was great. Felt as though for once they had invented a new way of not getting prego! As time past completely stopped having my period for almost all of 2008. Concerned I went to my doctor and asked if this was normal. My doctor stated it was one of the side effects. Moved on to believe it was all so GREAT... Starting 2009 problems began appearing, such as, extreme back pain, cramps that would make me almost faint at work. My co-workers were always making sure i felt ok. Began to have acne in which i've never had in my life not only in my face, but also in my buttchecks. Went to dermatologist and got all sorts of prescription drugs for it.... asking myself if acne in my rear end was something common and again i never has this before, my hair was very thick and now i spend almost every other Saturday unclogging my tub due to my hair loss and im only 23 yrs old. Since the birth of my daughter , i have gained 45lbs . I got a gym member ship and began to workout 4 to 5 days a week, and began to change my eating habits since feb 2009. So far i've only lost 5lbs. And talk about depression and anxiety attacks. CRAZY, i fell so alone some days and extremely nervous almost every day. Went to two months ago to my doctor and ask to take it out, she asked me why i wanted to do such a thing? After explaining all my systems, she stated i have a early stage of menopause, i said, Menopause at age 23 ? No way.... I reschedule an appt with another doctor to have it removed.... Hopefully it all goes away! I fell bad recommending it to my friends just to find out one of them currently has cysts because of this.

My name is Stephanie and I had the Mirena IUD inserted in 12/2004, about a year after I had my daughter. I had some cramping in the first few months following it's insertion. My periods slowly lightened over my first year and now I haven't had a period since. I will spot every once in a long while for about a day. I have lite acne problems but nothing that can't be handled with washing my face before I go to bed at night. I didn't not experience any weight gain while using the IUD. I think women forget to change their eating habits after the baby is born. YOUR NOT PREGNANT ANYMORE! I love this contraceptive and plan on using it again. Mood swings maybe but I'm a woman that comes with the territory. Anyway, if you are thinking about using this IUD don't listen to only the complaints, this is a good contraceptive it's just not for everyone but that's with any contraceptive on the market. Be smart research all contraceptives, find what your body can handle.

I had Mirena inserted about 2 years ago and I'm having it removed later this week (thank goodness). I have gained 30 lbs, suffered from terrible fatigue and joint pain, mood swings, thinning hair, depression, total lack of sex drive and worst of all DEBILITATING migraines (especially after an orgasm.....I suppose that's a good reason for lack of sex drive!).

I had no problem with insertion, but was immediately aware of vaginal odor that was never there before....just an unclean sort of smell....really annoying and still persists. I miss my old periods (very normal, one week of PMS, 4 days of bleeding, then done). Now I have about 3 weeks of horrendous PMS with breast swelling, weight gain, fatigue, depression, increased appetite then I "spot" for 8-12 days! Horrible! I'll take 4 days of bleeding over 8 days of "sludge" anytime.

I hope removing it will end these issues.

I had Mirena inserted in Feb of 2009, and bled for just over 3 months after the insertion. I have still gotten my period every month just like normal (7 days of using super-plus protection), AND the mood swings are UNBEARABLE!!!! I get sharp knife-like shooting pains in my lower uterus and can't get rid of an ongoing UTI since having it inserted. I paid for it out of my pocket as I was on maternity leave when I got it, so I'm not wanting to "waste" the money, but I'm seriously thinking about getting it removed. I've been on the verge of a mental breakdown and I've ALWAYS been able to cope with ANYTHING!!! Not sure what's going on, but have some good ideas it has A LOT to do with this IUD...

My story is long and somewhat depressing. I have had horrible periods my entire life. I have tried birth control pills which caused migraines. I have tried birth control shots which caused 6 months of non-stop bleeding and endometriosis. Finally, I am told that I should try Mirena. I was hoping this would be the answer but it has been just another problem. I have had cysts every single month since insertion. The cyst always develops on the side that is ovulating and then ruptures a couple of days before the period begins (yes I still have periods). Sometimes cysts develop between ovulation and rupture quickly as well. Then the first couple of days of the period are hell because of horrible cramping pain. Yes, the bleeding during the period is lighter, but the periods are lasting anywhere from 9 to 12 days. I have been on prescription pain medication for this now for 6 months. I have no sex life because the pain is there every day. My hair is falling out and I am on the verge of tears all the time. I can not continue like this and have an appointment set up for later this month to beg the doctor to perform an ablation or simply give me the hysterectomy that I have been asking for over the last 15 years. My children are grown and I have no plans to have any more. Why do I need to endure this hell?

I had my Mirena inserted on Aug 12, 2009. The insertion was very painful. I had taken 800 mg of ibuprofen before the procedure but it didn't touch the pain. I am 40 years old and have had two children naturally with no medication, I feel like I have a high pain tolerance. I had severe cramping and bleeding for about 24 hours. Luckily my husband came with me, I would not have been able to drive home. I have spotted or bleed ever since. I don't know when I'm having a period or just spotting. I have been passing chunks of what appears to be tissue????? I have an offensive odor. I have not noticed weight gain but I am bloated and my clothes are tighter. I am am very moody and get frustrated easily, no patience. I have a lack of energy and don't have much of a desire to do any of the things I love. I have frequent headaches......Now for my major complaints.....I have tingling leg sensation down my legs with a warming sensation, I get extremely nausea. I have had extreme crapping in my abdomen which goes around to my lower back. They tend to be more on my right side. Very comparable to labor pains but with no peaking just stays intense. My breast feel like I'm breast feeding again and hurt all the time. We no longer have sex because it hurts to bad, besides I bleed all the time and stink! Wow if that dosent take the desire away! At times I feel as if I have a UTI, I believe this all contributed to the Mirena. I too called my OB/GYN and he said theses are not side effects of the Mirena.whatever! It is coming out Oct 9, 2009 at 2:30 p.m. I wish I would have researched it more. Thanks for sharing your experiencing because I felt like I was just falling apart.

yea im eighteen and got mirena inserted last year December when i was seventeen. i've never had a baby so i was worried that it would hurt a lot. but my mom and aunts pressed on for me to get it done. so i agreed because they claimed it was the best birth control ever. the actual insertion wasn't at all a difficult experience. but as soon as i got into the car and sat down excruciating painful cramps would hit me in waves. that has to be the worst pain i've felt yet to this day. at work i'd b on the ground crouched over trying to wait the pain out. i could have cried if i'd allowed myself. soon i became hooked on taking advil everyday to escape the pain. it worked as long as i remembered the little pill every morning. the cramp last from December to march. they are gone now i guess. and ever since a month after insertion i've been having odorous discharge. its very embarrassing so i use tampons to 'plug' the discharge from going out. i realize it probably isn't the smartest thing to do but i have no choice.

I had Mirena implanted a week ago. The procedure was a little uncomfortable, but nowhere near as bad as what I expected. My doctor prescribed Citocek (?) to dilate my cervix. I took two the night before and two the morning of the procedure so maybe that's what helped so much. My doctor even commented on easy it was. I bled heavily for a couple hours after the procedure and had light spotting the next day, and have not had any more since then.

But this morning I have very bad cramps and it feels like they're getting worse. I came online to see if other women still have cramping a week afterwards. Looks like a lot of you have had really bad side effects. I can only hope that this will pass and I'll love it like so many others, including the nurse that helped with the insertion!

I had my Mirena removed in May 2009 after two years. I am 49 years old with three children. After insertion, which was very painful, I began to have mood swings and then settled into depression. It was a very dark period for about a year. I also lost my sex drive completely. My gyno said no it wasn't the IUD-just menopause approaching. I felt lethargic and bloated even though I run 3-4 times a week and eat healthy. I saw this site and made the appointment for removal that day. Within a few weeks I felt better and now four months later I am my "happy" self again. I have energy, my sex drive has returned and I am able to function and look forward to each day. I am mad at myself for not researching Mirena more thoroughly. I would not have used it had I known that it released levonorgestrel continually. I feel like I lost a year or so of my life. You will never convince me that the IUD did not cause all of my symptoms.

I too have experienced chest pain/heart pains after the insertion of Mirena IUD. I had it inserted 2 weeks ago and one week ago is when I started experiencing the pains. I also have pain in my left shoulder and arm and my back. My doctor's Medical assistant said the Mirena is not causing the chest/heart pains and and on-call doctor said he didn't think it was likely either but I read all the comments on here and also feel that I know my own body so I called the Dr today to have it removed. First appointment they could get for me was this Thursday but I did not want to wait so I called back 3 times to see if my Dr had any cancellations and third time was a charm because I go in tomorrow to get it removed. I just hope that is in the right place and is easy to remove! I will update. Also I printed out 15 of these 33 pages on here and am taking them with me tomorrow. I also reported my side effects to the FDA.

I had Mirena inserted July 2009 and I have been spotting off and on ever since, which my doctor told me would happen for about 6 months or so. The insertion itself was painless, I barely noticed that my doctor did it. I don't know if I just have a high tolerance for pain or if I just have a great doctor, because my experience sounds nothing like some of the other women.

As far as other symptoms, I think so far everything is going good and I am very pleased with it. My periods are lighter, but the spotting off and on is getting a little annoying. I think so many people are quick to blame something on their health problems,and not look at the big picture.

Mirena== good choice for me!

I am so sorry to hear that you ladies have experienced such issues w/ Mirena. I feel very fortunate, My Mirena was placed 18 months ago and I've had an excellent result, I didn't find the insertion to be painful at all, maybe a tad uncomfortable. Could it be the skill level of the doctor inserting it maybe? I did bleed for the first 2 weeks, but since then I'm lucky if I spot for an hour every month. I still get pms symptoms each month, but they're mild, like blasting, increased appetite, tired, even cramps here and there. Long term, I haven't experienced a weight gain...I might have gained 5lbs. at most in the beginning, but it came right off once the Mirena had been in placed for a little while. Really, I feel extremely thankful and wish everyone could have my same results. Prior to having my child. I had used many pill birth controls, now those had horrendous effects for me. The only one effect I could say that I've had is maybe a decrease in sex drive, but nothing too drastic. I have an 18 month old, so there's not much time for it anyway. Long story short, my experience w/ Mirena has been a very good one.

I had a Mirena IUD placed at my follow up appointment after my second child in November of 2004. I feel that I have had excellent results from this form of birth control. The strings disappeared after I had it in for about a year. They had to do a few sono's to see if it was still in place. It was but I had developed an ovarian cyst that didn't go away. I ended up getting it surgically removed and found out that this is a side effect of Mirena. the cyst caused me no pain and the only reason I knew it was there is because of the sono's. I will not have surgery again unless it is highly recommended by my doctor. I just had a new one placed this month. It was more painful to place than I remembered it being. The cramping lasted for almost 24 hours. I have had no periods since before my youngest son was born....he's 5 now. I have had it for so long I don't know if the problems that I have are related to Mirena. I am obese. I have been obese my entire adult life so that is nothing new. I do have a hard time losing weight but I don't believe it has anything to do with Mirena. My hair is thicker since starting Mirena. I do have some skin problems but most of them have been with me for more than 10 years (seborrheic dermatitis and rosacea). I have a history of depression...so nothing new there. I have varicose veins...a result of my obesity, heredity, and working on my feet all the time w/o support hose. I am 34 years old, married, and do not plan to have any more children. I plan to continue using Mirena until menopause. I am EXTREMELY SATISFIED with Mirena and I am sorry for those of you that are having problems with it. I hope you find a method of birth control that works for you. Sexual freedom is a nice thing for a woman to have.

Wow, to hear that it was not all in my head and I am not the baby that I thought I was. I had my mirena put in July 29,2009 and did it hurt. My ob/gyn asked me if I had taken some ibuprofen before hand. Of course, no one told me too so I had not. So, I cramped all evening in pain. I had plans to run some errands after the insertion and did but had to do child birth breathing just to make it to the next light. I even went so far as to pinch myself hard enough to leave fingernail indentations on my forearm several times to take my mind off the VERY PAINFUL cramps. After about two days of cramping, I thought that I was in the clear. Well, come to find out that I should have bought stock in Tampax since I have pretty much have been wearing a tampon every day since insertion. Now, that it has been two full months, I am considering having it removed. I have already had my children, my husband is "fixed" and I have no reason for birth control. I just wanted to have lighter monthly periods not lighter DAILY periods. As to the weight gain, my doc told me that that would not be an issue. Well, I work out four to six days a week and have gained weight that I can not lose( also in the belly) since the insertion. What is up with this thing??

Wow you ladies are so right! I have had all the symptoms you all listed but my OB/GYN says it not the Mirena. What frustrates me the most is the random spotting and the cramps. I got my Mirena inserted 7/10/09 and it hurt like hell. I would not do it again. Immediately after insertion, I cramped and had severe lower back pain. I was almost in a car accident on my way back to work due to a sudden blurry vision episode. Afterwards that day I felt fatigued and cramped all afternoon. These cramps were short, sharp and uncomfortable, nothing like menstrual cramps. BTW, Im 29 and never had a baby so I don’t know what labor pains feel like. I recommend that if you do decide to get a Mirena (don't do it) take the rest of the day off after insertion and have someone drive you home to avoid any unknown side effects you might get (like the blurred vision I got). The rest of the month I spotted, had uncomfortable cramps and the lower back pain. 2nd month the back pain, cramping and spotting went away. I had a period as usual, but lighter. My 2nd checkup was after my 1st period not three mo, that’s what my doctor said and since the side effects had ceased, that is what I told my dr. All she said was that my strings had shortened and she yanked on them to make sure they weren’t too short and said everything looked ok. She asked me a question that caught me off guard that you should ask before you get your Mirena. She asked me if my bf had complained about getting poked! Because I had bee spotting all month I hadn't had any relations and said no but I should have asked her if the strings would be sharp enough to poke thru a condom or hurt the penis. NOW the OB/GYN might laugh at u but ASK! What I've learned thru this experience is that I need to do more research on things that will go into my body ad ask ask ask questions no matter how silly they might sound. Now going on to the side effects again. I’m going into my 3rd mo and I'm considering removal. My period was12 days late and I only spotted lightly that week. THEN I began to spot heavier 2 days ago. I have cramps today and am very fatigued. I'm also emotional (crying as I'm typing) almost like I'm having my period now. I'm very frustrated, my sex drive has not dropped at all but now I cant have sex because I'm spotting again. AND I fear my bf is gonna get poked! I am losing hair, but my hair has always fallen out easily so I'm not sure if that's due to Mirena. I do have some light acne on my back and face but it can be controlled by medicated creams obtained from a dermatologist (I use Tazorac and Duac for the face and Clindamycin phosphate topical lotion for the body) I get nauseous, dizzy and irritable randomly, and I even thought I was pregnant. Another thing I didn’t like my doctor telling me was that you cant be sure if its effective as a contraceptive, just have sex and if you don’t get preg then it works. What? Also I asked about how one can determine about it being embedded and she said that you couldn’t know until you have it removed. If it doesn’t come out easily then it might be embedded. What? I'm imagining a painful bloody extraction, which is the only reason I haven’t taken it out. But thanx to this website and you ladies, I'm feeling better about getting it taken out. I think that as long as its not embedded, there shouldn’t be any complications. Finally the last side effect that frustrates me is the weight gain. I have gained probably 10lbs and lots on the midsection. I'm not joking when I say I LOOK preg. AH! Yes I agree with one blogger below when she says that we should get together and formally sue. Good luck to you women who decide this is what you want and congrats to the women who actually like it. But I pray for all of us who are not taking well to it even if our doctors don’t believe its Mirena causing us all this grief. Now I have to consider my birth control options again, not happy about that. If you can tell me about BC that isn’t the pill or a tubal ligation or Essure, please let me know. Also feel free to ask me question about any of my comments. I will try to help as much as I can.

I really wish I would have found this site before making the decision to have Mirena inserted. I had it put in yesterday, September 24,2009. It was the most painful things I have experienced. My Gyn had told me that I would have "period type camps" for a couple of hours after insertion. Well I spent my entire day on the couch with a heating pad on high and 800MG of Motrin. None of this touched the pain. I ended up having to take a sleeping aid so that I could go to sleep and hoped I would wake up the next morning feeling much better. Well I woke up this morning and the cramping was not as bad, but still more than "period type cramps". I also noticed that I was having very bad lower back pain. I was cleaning my house and every time I moved the pain would be stabbing. I have not spotted at all yet, but I know it has only been a day. Today I was working and noticed that my right arm went numb from the elbow to my finger tips and my eyes seem very tired.
I am a little upset because the Mirena booklet did not discuss any of these side effects. And also my Gyn had made it sound really promising because I cannot take regular birth control pills. I think I will be calling them on Monday and asking to have it removed. I really wish I would have done more research before having this done.

my mirena experience was a nightmare to say the least. i had it inserted about 1.5 years ago and finally had it removed last week. the insertion itself was a nightmare. i passed out. i had horrid pain but then was fine within a day or two. the following week, i near passed out. then, i felt lightheaded for about 6 weeks and was convinced it was mirena. i went for my followup. I was feeling better so i decided to keep going.

in the "getting used" to period i had very painful breasts. eventually i had a painful breast lump that stuck around for a few months. off to the doctor for mammogram and ultrasound. they found it was not the bad kind of lump. it cleared up in a couple months.

about 4 months after insertion, i had a couple of near passing out incidents. off to the doctor again - this time for EKG, echo cardiogram, holter monitor. all normal. they suggested i had either panic attacks or vasovagal syndrome.

i also found that i was extremely alcohol sensitive. one drink was a huge problem for me! (in retrospect, i believe the near passing out and alcohol sensitivity were due to becoming hypoglycemic. it turns out progesterone is tightly coupled to insulin response! who knew!).

my next problem was cystic acne. this is really bad acne that goes deep in the skin and is impossible to get rid of (never had that before!). so i was off to the dermatologist.

oh and did i mention that all this passing out ended up giving me terrible anxiety? so now off to the shrink.

overall, it has been 1 year of a near constant feeling of lightheadedness, numerous near passing out / vasovagal type of episodes (probably due to low blood sugar), anxiety about passing out, throbbing head feeling (which i just realized is a migraine), unable to sleep through the night, mid cycle cyst pain, terribly tender breasts just before my period, did i miss anything?

now, let me mention that all the doctors to whom i mentioned that maybe mirena is the cause of my problems said "nah, that is not it." i also mentioned blood sugar and no one bought that either - "nah, you are too physically fit, eat too healthfully, and your blood test from last year is normal."

finally, the psych nurse believed me. she said to get the mirena removed since it appeared all my problems started after the insertion. if it was psychological or if it was physical didn't matter. just get it out!

i've had it out about 6 days now and i would say i feel 70% better. the throbbing head sensation at night is gone and i am sleeping much better. the lightheadedness is improved. i feel much less hungry than i did on mirena so i can only guess my hypoglycemia is improving.

only time will tell if my problems were caused by mirena!

Since insertion I have felt lots of cramping- in between periods, severe cramping during periods, cramping after intercourse...but the most interesting symptom has been numb/tingling/warm feelings like blood isn't circulating properly through my legs - particularly my left one. It pretty much feels this way 100% of the time. This symptom started about two weeks after insertion but I didn't go back to my obgyn until my three month check-up because I was told that those feelings couldn't be related to Mirena. When my obgyn checked me out he felt the strings and said they were normally placed and everything with the iud felt fine and referred me to a chiropractor for the numb feelings. I have seen the chiropractor for four sessions and today is the fifth but I'm sure the feeling is not going to go away anytime soon because even he was surprised to know that his sessions weren't helping my leg feel any better. Also, today I have started to experience weird sharp pains in my hands (causing pain as I type this)....this is enough!!!! I am definitely scheduling an appt to take this thing out. My boyfriend has been begging me to because he is tired of my complaining.

I got my Mirena in October of 2005 when I was 37. Prior to that I'd had two surgeries to remove fibriods and had severe heavy bleeding (life threatening, actually). My new husband was scared to death that he'd married a truly defective woman! ;-) So when my doc suggested the Mirena, I was thrilled with the idea. Insertion was painful, but bearable even though I'd never had children. I had a rough couple of months with cramping and such after insertion, but I attributed it to going off a high-dose BCP after 17 years. My body had an adjustment period to get through. After insertion and a little spotting, I never had another period. To this day, 4 years later, I haven't had a period. After all the bleeding issues, I think I was willing to accept a few other side-effects to be flow free.

Fast forward 4 years - my symptoms? SEVERE lower back pain (I had no idea that Mirena could cause this until about a month ago), weight gain despite picking up a new sport and being much more active than previously (I've put on 40 lbs in 4 years despite trying to lose), and vanishing sex drive. I've not been abnormally moody, but I have seriously lost my ability to multi-task. I would never have connected that to the Mirena until reading this site. I've got an appointment with a new doc tomorrow (we recently moved) and my hope is that I'll be able to get the Mirena out at the same appointment. The back pain has gotten so bad that I'm actually occasionally missing work. If I bend over, I cannot stand up again without using my arms to push off something because my back is so weak. For the past 4 years, I've basically changed the way I function in the world in order to deal with it without even thinking about what I was doing. At this point, it's bordering on being debilitating and it has definitely gotten worse over time.

The weight gain has really been difficult. I've always had to fight my weight but in the past, I was able to maintain at the high end of 'normal'. Now, not so much despite eating a much better diet and getting significantly more (and more consistent) exercise than I ever have in my life.

Looking back, I'm trying to come to terms with why I've ignored these symptoms for so long. It's hard for me to truly remember, but I was so distraught with the blood loss and problems I had back then that I know I was willing to remain blind to other factors to be 'cured' of that. Honestly, as much as I can't wait to get this out now, I don't think I made the wrong choice at the time.

Let's see how I feel in a couple of months post Mirena.

I had my Mirena put in nearly 6 weeks ago- and they side effects now seem to be compiling. At first, I had pretty much only pain - sharp, cramps pains in my lower abdomen- and light bleeding (everyday since insertion). But now I've realized the mood swings, the acne (which is impossible!), depression, the sleepiness... I just don't feel like myself at all. Only 6 weeks in, and I can't wait to get this thing out of me. Not to mention, I'm backpacking in Australia and now need to find a clinic here to help...

I have noticed that a lot of you are not utilizing Planned Parenthood's services, however. One woman mentioned spending nearly $1000 to have Mirena inserted. Planned Parenthood, although a lot of women have many misconceptions, is a wonderful option for women. Their services are available to anyone, any age, any situation. The clinics are always very professional, clean, and the staff always helpful and knowledgeable. I was unemployed at the time I had my Mirena inserted, and had to pay nothing. They depend on donations as many of you know. The counseling services have helped me through a few rough spots, and even if you need to only discuss your side effects and other possible options, I've learned they'll never let me down. (1-800-230-PLAN)

I have posted a couple of times previously about negative side effects, i.e. migraines, weight gain, acne, chin hair, eczema, lower back pain, no sex drive...and the list could go on. As a mature 36 year old woman I have educated myself over the past couple of years and can really only attribute all these issues to having the Mirena inserted 4 months after the birth of my daughter 3 years ago. Although at this time my doctors will not openly acknowledge these side effects, I am confident that one day they will. I encourage women to report adverse side effects to the FDA. It onlt takes a minute or two. Who knows, it may be the hormones or it may be the silicone plastic? It has to be something. It should also be acknowledged that some women, my very best friend for one, have had wonderful experiences with the Mirena. I really think it may just depend on the woman and her own body. I am having mine removed tomorrow after researching all of this for about 8 months. All I can say is, thank goodness. I am also scheduled for the Essure(permanent birth control). Food for thought for the older women in the group. Whatever each of you decide, realize you are not alone and you do not have to continue to feel the way you do if you believe that the Mirena could be making you feel so bad. Take care.