Mirena and sexual interest

OMG. I guess I am lucky that this is the first site i found! I am 22 years old and i have had Mirena since may of 2007 since i delivered my youngest son. I stopped having a period (which is great) but i started having some symptoms that were completely out of the ordinary for me. I started what felt like panic attacks, it feels like tightness in my chest with pain high in my chest. I'm having heart palpitations very often, and sometimes when my heart palpitates (it feels like it stops for a second) i partially black out. i have been attributing it all to stress because i am a full time college student with 2 toddlers and a house to run but now after reading all of these comments i'm not too sure. I have a really hard time focusing, it's like my eyes slide out of focus and i just stare into the distance. I've been having sleep trouble as well... i'm always fatigued but i have a really hard time falling asleep. My mood swings have inreased tenfold. i get so angry at the littlest things and i just can't help myself. the last and most important side effect (at least in the eyes of my husband) is that i have absolutely no sexual appetite. I find myself dreading sleeping with him because i just don't feel like it anymore. I love him dearly and I really think it's not normal for an otherwise healthy 22 year old to have zero sexual interest.

Since any links to other sites are going to be deleted, I will copy the texts here:

Mirena: the other side of the story
AAA Ewiesaa Consultant Gynaecologist, The Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, Suffolk, UKa Consultant Gynaecologist, The Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, Suffolk, UK
Sir,

I read with interest the article by Halmesmaki et al.1 that only 48.7% of women randomised to the levonorgestrel (LNG)-releasing intrauterine system Mirena, kept it in situ until their 5 years follow-up visit, while the rest either had it prematurely removed (8.5%) or underwent a hysterectomy (42.7%). It supports the growing evidence that women’s satisfaction with Mirena (Schering Health, Newbury, UK) is limited. I do not find this surprising. A colleague and myself previously reported (as an abstract) a survey including 160 Mirena users in Suffolk in which we found that 46% of women had had the system removed within 3 years of insertion (median duration = 260.5 days; range = 4–1460 days). The most common reasons for early removal were unscheduled bleeding, abdominal pain and progestogenic adverse effects; including bloatedness, headache, weight gain, depression, breast tenderness, excessive hairiness, greasiness of skin and lack of sexual interest.2 Our data related to a selected population who had the Mirena inserted under general anaesthetic after hysteroscopic examination of uterine cavity to exclude lesions, such as submucous fibroids. I would expect the continuation rate to be lower in women having the system inserted without prior exclusion of intrauterine pathology. The satisfaction rate in our cohort of women, as assessed by visual analogue scale of 0–10 cm, was only 49% (unpublished data).

Halmesmaki et al.1 reasonably attributed the detrimental effect of Mirena on the sexual function to the higher incidence of lower abdominal pain in users when compared with those who underwent hysterectomy. Furthermore, the decreased satisfaction of sexual partners could be due to the inhibiting effect of the irregular bleeding, which is the most common adverse effect of using Mirena.2,3 The observed decrease in women’s sex drive could also be due to the systemic effect of the progestogen absorbed into the circulation, indirectly affecting the sexual partner. The argument used by the authors that serum concentration of LNG is extremely low and that its influence on ovarian function is limited has been disputed recently by many investigators. Xiao et al.4 found that Mirena was associated with substantial systemic absorption of LNG and recorded serum levels of around 500 pmol/l. This is equivalent to two LNG-containing ‘minipills’ taken daily on a continuous basis. Moreover, a retrospective observational study documented that 21% of Mirena users experienced progestogenic adverse effects.3 Wahab and Al-Azzawi5 reported that Mirena suppresses oestrogen production, inducing a clinical situation similar to a premature menopause in at least 50% of treated women. The prolonged oestrogen deprivation will have a profound negative effect on women’s sex drive, which may explain the sexual partners’ decreased satisfaction.

In fact, despite the popularity of Mirena as a contraceptive method and in treating menorrhagia, the continuation rate and women satisfaction level have not been adequately assessed in the UK population. A large well-designed study is required to evaluate these important factors so that women can be adequately counselled. The idea that Mirena works entirely as a local source of progestogen should be revised, and the recent concerns about Mirena should be made clear to women regardless of the marketing pressures.5

AAA Ewiesaa Consultant Gynaecologist, The Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, Suffolk, UK

I've had my Mirena for about 15 and a half months and I am having it removed today at 2 o'clock. At first I had sharp pains when I would sit down and I felt like the cords were poking me and irritating me. My OB/GYN requires patients to come back one month after having it put in so he can check it and make sure it is still in place. At this visit he also trimmed the cords although he acted like he didn't believe me when I told him that I could feel them poking me when I sat down and that it hurt. At first I didn't notice any bad side effects, but I did have one good one: my periods stopped, but I still had occasional and sporadic spotting. I didn't think to look for any bad side effects because I got the device under the impression that it had no bad side effects. I thought it only had a rare complication of perforating the uterus, but since mine was in place at the one month check, I didn't think about anymore until I started thinking about having another baby recently. I went online to see if I had to have a doctor remove the Mirena or if I could do it myself, and I found out that it's best done by a professional because bad things can happen and then you'd have to go to the doctor anyway. Plus, I didn't want to hurt my chances of having another baby. While online I discovered this whole world of message boards where women were having a lot of the same problems I'd been having in recent months and they all blamed their Mirenas. Some claimed that their problems had gone away since having it removed. I never thought to link my circumstances to the Mirena, but when I saw how many women are having the exact same problems as me I knew that I needed to go ahead and get mine out ASAP. Here is a list of my side effects, and I've found other women have had them as well with Mirena: weight gain, bloated stomach, depression, short temper with husband and daughter, acne, low sex drive, spotting, cramps, constipation, and back pain. There may be more, but I can't remember them all right now. Some of them may not even be related to the device, but I've read of so many women with Mirena who are having or have had the same issues, so I suspect a link between my problems and Mirena. I hope this helps someone out there looking for answers. God Bless!

I am getting mine removed FRIDAY!! And Friday can't come soon enough. I am kinda bummed tho for having to go back on the pill but I can't hack this ANY LONGER!!! One of my friends works for a GP and I went to him because of some of my side effects. The flu like symptoms minus having the flu (had it for at least 2 to 3 mos now) NO sex drive (causing trouble with my marriage. Hubby is taking it WAY to personal), swelling in my hands, feet, legs, and face. (my face will feel flush and BAM I'm swollen!!) VERY BAD MOOD SWINGS!!! Very Bad isn't the word for it!! There are no words to explain my moods!! ANYHOW..... I sent this to my friend to read and she pulled it up at work. Well the GP said that this isn't a reliable place to go for information on the side effects. "There are NO positive side effects to anything." Which is true BUT he seems to think going to Web MD or some sight like that is more reliable than here. And that this sight shouldn't scare me and he wouldn't urge me to have it removed after reading this. (OH YEAH I forgot to mention joint pain, I have HORRIBLE joint pain in my hands, wrists, elbows, knees, ankles, and feet. The worst of it is in my wrists and elbows) Back to what I was saying. To that (this sight not being reliable) I say go to Web MD and post there too! I pray that I can get back to me after this comes out!! I hope it don't take too long either! I MISS the old me and HATE the new me!! But FRIDAY HURRY UP AND GET HERE. And for anyone who has had it removed........ anything I should be repaired for??? Thanks for your time!