Mirena and ultrasound

Had Mirena inserted a week ago today. At the insertion I got ALL the side effects. It hurt like hell and they had to do an ultrasound to make sure Mirena was not misplaced. Everything was at the right place but the pain was terrible and I still have some cramps. I am calling the doctor tomorrow because there is no way I will keep it if I feel like crap all the time. Also, my belly feels super hard the the sharp cramps after a week make me think that there is really something wrong. Is it painful to have it removed? NEVER AGAIN! And I will never recommend this.

I had the Mirena inserted in Feb. 2005, My thyroid became a serious health issue within a year of getting the Mirena, Ive also dealt with severe pain ( was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia), cysts on the ovaries, drastic weight gain & then sudden weight loss. The most common problems i have had in the five years is being sick to my stomach (like morning sickness) diarrhea, many fevers and unbearable headaches. I went to have it removed just recently mind you i have NO Insurance, after the dr. going deep sea fishing in my vagina, she couldn't find the damn strings. Apparently it has moved away from the cervix & could be embedded in the uterine walls. They quoted me $500.00 to have the p.o.s. removed through a guided ultrasound. This is absolute b.s for us women who are trying to be responsible to have to go through such headaches & $$. Had i known this would be the ending result i would have gotten my tubes tied instead. I will forever boycott Mirena & its affiliates. Now Im stuck scraping up the $ to pay for this procedure. I even tried to remove it myself but did not succeed. Any comments or q's email me : ******

I had to go to the Dr. yesterday for some heavy bleeding/clots that were out of the ordinary. I've had the Merina for 14 months, it was put in 8 weeks after the baby. I have been very tired, and had a low sex drive (very low), and pretty moody (seems to get worse as time passes), and kind of bitchy, but I figured all of this to be the result of working full time with a child (lack of sleep, lack of time to do anything, I figuerd by 1 year I'd be totally adjusted to child, and I get really bitchy when I don't sleep). I mean, I have a lot of stress, but now I'm wondering if it IS from having a baby, or from the IUD.....I loved my IUD, because I barely got a period, and didn't have to take a pill.

The Dr. said the bleeding isn't from the IUD and gave me estradiol to thicken my uterine lining, and the bleeding almost stopped overnight. I had my hormones checked 3 months ago to see if I had PCOS, but I don't (they did an ultrasound too).

I just don't want to give up BC I like, only to find out the symptoms are the same, and it WASN'T the IUD, then I'll have to get it reinserted, deal with the 2 months of bleeding again, etc etc etc.

What are you thoughts ladies?

I had the Mirena for five years. I did not notice any side effects except for what seemed more than usual hair shedding. I loved it. I had no period and no weight gain.
I went in to have a new Mirena placed after the five years were up. Insertion was EXTREMELY PAINFUL. The intense pain lasted DAYS. Then for six months I had lower left ab pain - felt like my insides were caught in a zipper. I could feel my lower ab muscle constantly fluttering. I had an ultrasound and a CT scan and my doctor insisted that it had nothing to do with the IUD. I saw a Physical Therapist, who told me that she has seen so many problems with the IUD and thought maybe it was hitting a nerve. I also gained 10 pounds and was constantly bloated. My husband kept reminding my that the pain started when the IUD was inserted. I was a bit attached to the thing because I had no periods and didn't have to worry about birth control!
I finally decided to have it removed. The pain did not go away right away but after 2 weeks feels 90% better. I never had a problem with mood swings while having the IUD. However, these 2 weeks after, I have been feeling like I'm CRASHING. I've been insanely moody, yelling at everyone, and experiencing PMS symptoms. So hopefully after my hormones balance out, I will be all better. I would not recommend this method of birth control.

I just can't understand. I had my first one placed in May 2005 at my 6 week check up after having my 2nd son. I loved it, I never felt it, never had any side affects, concerns or problems with it. I had to go in December 2009 to have it replaced, because my new insurance for 2010 wasn't going to pay for me to get a new one....so loved it before should love the new one....right? WRONG! I had it placed 12-22-09...passed out on the table with the removal and insertion of a new one.....had pain, cramps and HEAVY bleeding (normally periods before were like 1 day-2 at the most, light and easy on me). Doctor even did an ultrasound to make sure that he didn't punture my uterus in the process.....they said everything looked good. I thought it would be ok, well the pain cramps, fatigue, pregnancy symptoms start in early January and then the damn thing falls out on 1-22-2010!!! I have felt worse since it came out than I ever did with the first one in. The Dr said, we can't place a new one until 2 weeks from it coming out and you have a normal period and then pass a pregnancy test, well, that's been 3 weeks and the Dr hasn't seen me, won't call me back and hasn't do blood tests, all pregnancy tests keep coming back negative, but I can't shake the pregnancy symptoms. My husband and I are ok with the possibility of having another baby; but I'm angry that mine was in and fine for years and now I've had nothing but trouble and NO SUPPORT from my Dr or his staff to help me with my concerns. I feel thrown to the wind and am ready to find a new doc. Still don't know if I'm pregnant or if it's my brain messing with my body. I won't be able to have another one, might be a good idea after reading what you all have had to say.......but, I'm too young to do anything permanent and nothing else works for my body. allergy to condoms (trust me, all types); spermicide too. My husband said, if you go back on BC pills, we will end up divorced; sounds silly, but they tear me up worse than anything. I truly thought that I had found my saving grace in the mirena. I feel so defeated.

Just an update from my post below (February 9th, 2010 at 5:38am)....After I took out the Mirena, I felt such a sense of relief. I was a little worried that I'd hurt myself taking it out but since my doctor had done an ultrasound I figured I'd be ok & that it wasn't embedded. Anyway, for the first time in a long time, I slept like a baby last night, about 7 hours total! And I didn't have any nightmares like before. I also feel like a new woman this morning.....already feeling like I'm getting back to my old self. I did wake up with a migraine around 7:30 but my migraine meds knocked it out pretty quickly (Max-Alt....a wonderful medicine for migraines, by the way). I also didn't wake up starving like I had been doing. I'm spotting a little since taking it out, but I'm quite used to that from the last 40 days. I expect I'll start a period within the next few days but I don't care. I'm just so happy to have that thing out of my body! Thank you to all the people on here who are sharing your experiences. It made me feel so much better to have the truth about Mirena & to know that I wasn't losing my mind. It certainly helped me to make the decision to take it out. I wouldn't suggest that everyone just go pulling their's out though, just in case your's could be embedded, as that could possibly be dangerous. I'll keep you posted w/how I do now that it's out. I'm wondering if anyone knows if there is an agency (FDA or CDC maybe?) we can report all of our side effects to so that the manufacturer can maybe put the truth in their literature. Any thoughts?

I had my Mirena IUD inserted Dec 31, 2009. It has been 40 days now. 40 days of hell & bleeding or spotting every day. I have endometriosis, infertility, PMDD & extremely painful periods so I was hoping that this IUD would help with all of that (except the fertility, of course). I've been trying to figure out why I was so tired all the time & just didn't "feel right". Everyone keeps asking me what's wrong & all I can say is that I just don't feel right. The day after I had it inserted, I had the worst pain I've ever had in my life but I didn't want to go to the doctor. So at my follow up appointment, my doctor did an ultrasound to make sure it was not embedded in my uterus. It looked fine. I've gained weight so I went to a diet doctor & got phentermine. Even with the phentermine, my appetite is CRAZY & I seem to always be hungry. I've been on phentermine before & it worked. I lost 20 lbs. Last night, I started having a pain in the back of my right leg, right behind my knee. I knew I couldn't have injured it because I was sitting ALL day working on my tax returns. I got worried about a possible blood clot. I've also had a hard time sleeping. I'm exhausted, but can't sleep. So, after 40 days of bleeding or spotting & depression & weight gain & pain and more migraines than usual, I finally decided to google Mirena side effects & I came upon this page. All of these posts on this site have just validated my concerns that it has to be because of the Mirena. So....I just went to the bathroom and pulled it out myself. It was completely painless. I knew it would take a while to get an appointment with my gynecologist & he may try to talk me into keeping it and I definitely don't want that. I have fine hair & it's not exactly thick, so when I saw the part about hair loss, that was enough to convince me. The thing is, I researched it before I agreed to it & never found all of this terrible stuff. I don't think the literature they gave me had any of this in it! I'll check that again tomorrow. I suppose we'll see what tomorrow brings. Hopefully within a few days I will be back to normal. I don't even care about the heavy bleeding and PMDD anymore.....I just want to be back to my old self.

Wow! I really wished I looked into this prior to getting the Mirena. I have two boys and due to one having medical issues, I was wanting to wait a long time before considering having another child. My sister-n-law was telling me how great this was and it sound great too especially since my insurance covered it 100%. In April 2009, after my husband finding out he had cancer, I had the Mirena inserted. It HURT! and hurt all day. Afterwards I did not bleed much, though I never was a heavy bleeder during my periods, but the acne was bad. That was my biggest complaint the first few months. It was nice not having to worry about taking the pill every day but by July I started to feel a lot of pain in my right breast. I tried to believe it was from all the stress from hubbys cancer and our son's medical issues but the pain was getting worse. By August I was scared that the pain was cancer but after my first mammogram at 29, it showed all clear. I do have a lot of stress from what our family was going through last year but in October I started to have a lot of pain in my lower abdomen, nausea and feeling like I have to pee all the time. Doctor treated me for UTI but the problems were still there. Had an ultrasound and found a large cyst on my ovary. By December the cyst was gone but still had pain in my breast and bad cramping without bleeding. The acne was so bad I didn't want to go out of my house. Finally today I got the Mirena removed. It felt like such a relief when she removed it. The cramping I felt changed to a very slight cramp and I am hoping this acne and pain in my breast will go away now.

Hello everyone, I just had the Mirena inserted on Monday, Jan 25 at 4:00 pm. I'll have to say, the procedure to me was terrible. First, I'll have to say I was on the Depo Provera injection for 10 years with out one menses. I loved it. I also took extra calcium because of the side effect for waking in the bones. I really wanted to continue the shot, but my physician said that he recommended that I stop the shot and have a ablation. So he made an appointment for me to see a GYN for further recommendations. He recommended the Mirena. Now, keep in mind, I was on the shot for 10 years with no problems, no cramps, no headaches, no menses, no problems with the shot what so ever. Not even pain at the injection site. So I had the Mirena placement on Monday and I have not stopped cramping yet. That same day I felt like I was going to pass out on the table. I drove home and I could barely walk into the house. I went to bed ASAP and took some pain meds and the meds did not touch the cramps. I remembered why I loved the shot so much! I have read most of the post on here, so your tell me it's not going to get better? How long should I wait for the cramps to stop. I don't want to sound crazy, but this is very uncomfortable. I have not even thought about sex. I'm really scared.

I am a 27 year old who has had Mirena for a year and a half. I've had no children and a long history of heavy, painful periods. First of all, my experience has not been perfect and I absolutely would do it all over again knowing what I know now. My insertion was a nightmare and my OBGYN even said, "I've never had an insertion that was that hard." I had originally wanted the copper IUD and they spent 20 minutes trying to get it in -- My cervix was not cooperating and was bleeding every time they touched it. After it deployed incorrectly, they offered me Mirena. I didn't care, I just wanted something after all the torture. However, another 25 minutes later, they finally got it in. I cannot describe how much it hurt aside from saying, it hurt. Really bad. There was lots of blood and I couldn't move for 15 minutes until they made me go to the waiting room. I don't know how I drove home. I drugged myself up for the next day as well and I started to feel better on day three. Then I had a few days of minor cramping before the 14 day period from hell. Imagine the heaviest days you've ever had, back to back. I began to wonder if I would dehydrate and then it was over. During month two I had severe cramps -- they felt like I was being knifed in the uterus. I eventually went to the OBGYN and they had me get an ultrasound (And here I was trying to AVOID this stuff).... which didn't work so I had to get the internal one (Why not?). They found the device and after I called my doctor she just said, "Well, the pain sounds rather like what happened to me so..." And so I waited it out. It started dying down (thank God) and I had another period which was substantially lighter (and shorter). After month three, I started getting successively lighter periods with successively less painful cramping -- After a lifetime of flat on my back cramping, this was liberating. Between months 7-11 I got minor spotting (lasting perhaps a day) and then my periods stopped. Entirely. And yes, it's utterly amazing. And for women who worry about whether it is okay or not -- Just think for a moment. Is having your period a good thing? No. It is violent on your body. If women are reproducing they don't have periods and historically the recent trend of not having children has changed the female reproductive system. I can honestly say this feels more natural because it was violent and painful before and now while I still have some minor cramping (usually around when my body is cycling, because it still does even if I don't bleed) it is less invasive on my body. I have had none of the side effects that other women have commented on -- especially no problems with sex drive. If anything, it's helped because there's no impediment ever now.

So the moral of my story is-- it sucked being inserted and the first three months were wretched. As I said in the beginning though, for feeling wonderful for four years and 9 months... Yes, I would do it again in a heartbeat, even if it were the same. But remember, the second insertion is a lot different and your body doesn't need time to get used to it. As a lot of people have stated -- You don't know what it will be like for you. Granted I had one of the worst insertions possible (barring perforation), but I never thought in a million years I'd be one of the 20% to stop having my period and it's (excuse the pun) bloody awesome. So try it and see for yourself. Accept that three months will suck and then give it time after that. You might be pleasantly surprised. I certainly was.

I'm 36 and I went to my doctor last week because I was having major anxiety, insomnia, acne, facial hair, thinning hair, low sex drive, cramping and bloating. I haven't had my period in about 4 mos. He said it sounded like failure to ovulate which he said is common when you have Mirena (I had mine inserted in 12/08). So they took blood and he said he wants to rule out a thyroid problem or pre-diabetes. I go back in 2 weeks to review my blood tests and get an ultrasound on my ovaries.
My question is...are all these problems related to the Mirena itself or are they just symptoms of failure to ovulate which is a potential problem when you use Mirena. In other words, is it the device itself that is to blame? Failure to ovulate could be caused by lots of things including PCOS and menopause. Does Mirena increase the risk of PCOS?
He said if the test results come back like he thinks they will, he'll have to put me on the pill to normalize my hormones and he asked if I wanted to keep the Mirena in. I told him I might as well keep it in until I have to take it out but I'm thinking now after reading this that I'll just get it taken out as long as I'm going on the pill anyway. Honestly, I'm at the point now where I wish I could just go without artificial hormones for awhile and see where that leads. But I reeeeeaaaaallllly don't want to risk accidentally get pregnant either! I may investigate the hormone-free IUD options.

I posted here earlier this year that after gaining 12 lbs and being exhausted all the time, I was going to have my Mirena removed. I made the appointment, and when I got there the doctor couldn't find the string. She then "thought" she could feel it and started trying to snag it without the string. She couldn't get it and the pain was excruciating! She finally decided that we'd schedule me to have it removed under sedation. I went in last week for my pre-op appt. and my surgeon suggested that she try to get it one more time. She couldn't find it at all. She brought in an ultrasound and looked again and still couldn't find it. She had another doctor look and he suggested that "Perhaps it fell out" I calmly explained that I was fairly sure I'd feel it if that happened. My surgeon then sent me for a pelvic xray. It turns out the Mirena is floating around somewhere outside of the uterus, on the left side of my abdominal cavity. I'm going in for laproscopic surgery day after tomorrow to finally get this thing removed! For anyone else who might have been told that their Mirena "fell out", please get your doctor to double check that, especially if you are still having symptoms. Apparently, about 1/1000 of them puncture the lining of the uterus.

I have been on here before and posted symptoms I was having after I had Mirena inserted. I had Mirena in for 10 months and without me even knowing it, my MIRENA FELL OUT and I GOT PREGNANT. My doctor had cut the strings because my husband could feel them and I was never told to check my strings by anyone at the office. Even if I had been told to, I wouldn't have been able to find it because it was cut so short. I was having pregnancy symptoms and my husband made me get a pregnancy test. We already have 3 daughters, so this was a big shock when it said positive. I was scared to death and called my doctor immediately. They got me in for an ultrasound first thing the next morning and it showed NO MIRENA, but I was 4 WEEKS PREGNANT. I was just relieved that my pregnancy wasn't in my tubes (which would've resulted in emergency surgery or a ruptured tube) and that the Mirena would have to be removed if it was still in place (which has a high rate of miscarriage of the baby after Mirena was removed) This is very scary and I want all of you to make sure you CHECK YOUR MIRENA STRINGS WEEKLY, ESPECIALLY AFTER YOUR PERIOD. The only thing I can figure out is I pulled it out attached to my tampon during my last period. I felt nothing....I never saw it, it just disappeared. Now we are having a baby we didn't plan for and can't afford. We will cope, we just wish someone had warned us instead of saying it is 99.9% accurate, because that's wrong and now I'm pregnant and can't do anything about it.

Hello all, I cam across this website because I have recently started getting a lot of the same symptoms you all have listed and was doing some research. I had the Mirena placed in August of 2008. I was 19 at the time. I have not had kids. It was the most painful thing I have ever been through. I was bed ridden for about 2 days and couldn't eat. I lost 5 pounds in the first week. After that I started feeling better, a little cramping here and there. Along with a little spotting. I still had a prescription left for my Yasmin, so I continued to take that for a month to help my body adjust. I stopped bleeding completely and for the most part was fine except for occasional cramping. The cramping would be severe sometimes, to the point where my boyfriend wanted to take me to the ER. A lot of the time the pain was only on one side of my lower abdomen too, like where my ovaries are. Once in a while it would switch sides. I kept actually losing weight as I was on it though, a lot of it was from my other birth control too. I lost about 10 to 15 pounds. Then recently, around November of 2009, I was having intercourse with my boyfriend, and it was kinda of a weird position, afterwards I felt a terrible pain and I searched for the string and couldn't find it. I made an apt immediately. I went to the doctor (having no insurance) and they checked and also couldn't see the string. The doctor freaked and insisted that we do an ultrasound. The mirena was still where it needed to be. The string eventually came back. Ever sense then though, I started spotting again. Constantly feeling like I was on my period. Bleeding just none stop. I called the doctor, they couldn't tell me much, except it was "normal" and they would have to see me to see if there was anything wrong. They said I could take an anti biotic to ease the inflammation from it to maybe stop the bleeding. I get bad yeast infections when I take antibiotics though, so I declined. Then a couple of weeks ago, the bleeding finally stopped. But ever sense then, I have started getting a lot of body aches and A LOT of bloating. Some headaches. I am so bloated, I look pregnant. I have gained 6 pounds in 2 weeks!!! I even took a pregnancy test today to make sure I wasn't pregnant. I am starting to feel depressed, but mainly I think its because of the weight gain. I am cramping some too. I don't know what to do, I don't have insurance, and the mirena is very convenient, but this feeling just sucks.

i will not ever recommend the mirena to NOBODY!!!
i had the worst experience..im only 18 years old i had the IUD inserted in june 09...i couldn't feel the strings..yu know to check if the iud is in place..so about a week after i got the IUD my Mid-wife told me i might have to get it removed because she couldn't find it?
i was getting bad cramps really bad migraines...
So i get a Ultrasound to see if they can locate it..and they sure did find it IT BROKE THOUGHT MY UTERUS WALL!!! On July14th 2009 i had to get surgery thought my belly button to get it removed!!
Now i feel way better but with my experience i wouldn't recommend the IUD to anybody..but everyone is different so then again its your choice!! im on the depo now and i hate it im gaining weight and im always hungry..also i get lots of mood changes?
but good luck with your choice!!
-M.

I am relieved and saddened to have come across this site. I had the Mirena inserted in July 2006. I was 26 years old and I'd just had a miscarriage. I have one 12 year old daughter but I've miscarried 3 pregnancies after that. I immediately experienced weight gain but my doc insured me that the Mirena was not the cause. My periods were lighter but my cramps were AWFUL. The strings were poking me so bad one day that I thought it was coming out so I went straight to the doc to have them cut again. My period would go away for a few months then come back and last for 20 days. My breast get ROCK hard and feel super heavy. Everytime I went to the doctor, she said everything was fine. Even did an ultrasound to make sure it was in the correct place and that I didn't have cyst. I have also suffered from depression and anxiety since I've had Mirena. I'm sitting at work right now and I feel like there is a stick wedged in my vagina long ways like |>. I've also had the strangest discharge and smell. I haven't had sex in almost a year and I've been tested for STI's since then so I think it might be caused by the Mirena too. I no longer have insurance so I can't afford to go to the doctor and have them tell me that it's not the Mirena causing these problems and refuse to remove it. I'm seriously considering trying to reach in there and pull it out..

I got Mirena put in a month after my daughter was born, Nov. 2008, and its been great up until recently. I've had no periods or even spotting. But this month I have been getting severe cramps, and bleeding which up until now I've had none of. Then my husband told me something was poking him up there and he had never felt this before, and we've done nothing different. Also I've experienced the weight gain and also an increased appetite. I feel like I can't get full. I read some of your posts and I've realized that I also have been fatigued and maybe a little depressed. I can't make myself do anything. Its just work, eat, and sleep. I'm making and appt. with my doctor to get it looked at. Has anyone else had these symptoms? Thanks for reading.

I went tonight to have my Mirena removed from my OB/GYN. She refused to believe my symptoms were Mirena related. She insisted that I wait and have my Thyroids tested. I told her, she can take a test but I want the Mirena removed tonight. She then went on to say how she does not think the Mirena is causing my symptoms (weight gain, fatigue, cramps, etc.) - you know the long list of symptoms.

I had the strings cut a couple months ago b/c my husband said he could feel them. The OB/GYN claimed she could not find my strings. I personally think she did not try to find my strings. I asked her if I went to the ER would they remove it and she said no not unless it was life threatening.

I am PISSED to have this damn thing in me another day. I have to now get an ultra-sound so they can see where it "slid to" (her words) for them to remove it and that is why I am probably having cramps (she said).

I will not know when my appointment will be until the morning. I have to wait another day, week or 2 so it can be removed and I am extremely disappointed. I offered to come back so another OB/GYN could see me but she insisted I get the ultrasound since she could not see the damn strings...I AM PISSED

These damn doctors refuse to remove the damn Mirena. I really want to go to the ER.

I too had the Mirena put in a little over a month ago. This was to stop an almost 6mth period of nonstop heavy bleeding, yep you read it right! 6 MONTHS! Thru my honeymoon, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years (which was my 40th Bday!) I took hormones and everything and it was making me anemic and sick and appeared to "amp up" my ovaries. I had a scan performed and a cyst was seen on my uterus and the biopsy was neg. So my OB/GYN recommended this, said it would make the bleeding stop and eventually have normal or no periods. Bull****. I had CONSTANT cramping and heavy clotting bleeding AGAIN. I called, he said it was normal. I called a week later, he said it was normal. I called after Christmas, they called in birth control, still said it was normal but made a check up visit. After 8 days the heavy stuff subsided but the everyday cramping and spotting didn't. Once again, after 10 or so days, it started AGAIN, but by then I had my appointment. I asked to have the Mirena removed. Doctor said "give it some time, I really think this should work". I told him next time there will be no next time, I want it out. His response, "well see" . I asked "the bleeding, cramps, clots?", all normal of course, but heres some drugs for all of that bye bye. Next day I was in ER, asking, no BEGGING for help. I had an exam, all was normal, Doc said he couldn't take Mirena out and referred me back to OB/GYN...GREAT...just what I needed, back to the one who wasn't listening. Do they get a kickback from this Mirena thing or what? So, I called my OB/gyn AGAIN, who was shocked to hear I had gone to the ER. He seems to think the first BC pills weren't working and the pain meds were making me sick...REALLY???? Anyways, I am now taking (on/off for pain management) Darvocet, 800mg Ibuprofen and another BC bill to control the bleeding. I figured, this isnt "normal". I am looking for a new OB/GYN and hoping for the best. My next step is an Ablation or a partial Hyst. and one other thing, at least for my situation, which is a cyst on my uterus. The Mirena is BAD stuff, I was having heavy nonstop bleeding, now I am having heaving nonstop bleeding (oh sorry, only IF I dont take the BC pills which make my face break out, weight gain and moodiness and nausea) ..and this is helping me? I'm no DR but the quality of care here seems to be lacking. I already get treated for migraines so headaches are common for me. I have a constant tug behind my belly button and my left ovary seems to have a slight pulsing pain. But hey, this is "normal". Besides, this should go away after a few months! YIPPEE! So I get to take all these pills and keep a crappy plastic monster up my wahoo just because a "MD" thinks he knows more than I do? He might, but I know my body better and if this damn thing was as simple as a tampon it would been out of here already! Sorry, got carried away. Thanks for listening gals and good luck to each and every one of you.

Well, ladies here is an update: I JUST came from there ER, where the doctor did everything short of laugh in my face when I told him that Im having problems with Mirena. I tried explaining my symptoms, to which he cut me off. When I told him I had been experiencing these problems since May of 2009 (5 months AFTER I was given my IUD) he then replied my dire need to take it out was "hardly" an emergency, stating that if I truly had an IUD infection/issue...that I would be keeling over in pain...as he had seen other patients do (which to him was RARE , of course) I then proceeded to hand him my paper with a list of 19 different symptoms and then explain that I found this website with all of your stories of the EXACT same symptoms, to which he didnt even look at my paper, then said these "women aren't doctors, and can't just start diagnosing themselves" I was horrified and demanded that an OB-GYN come and take this thing out of me. He then responded, that it was NOT the IUD causing me these problems, that I "look" fine, and that an OB-GYN won't be "bothered" simply to take out my Mirena. 4 and a half hours, for this asshole to tell me that Im basically crazy and he won't help me. Meanwhile I'm having the WORST pain in my left ovary, to which he said was nothing. That there must be something else giving me my problems. Now I can't see a Gynocologist until Monday , and I'm so scared that they won't help me either.

WHY ARE DOCTORS CONTINUING TO DISMISS THIS? DID ANYONE ELSE GET TURNED AWAY LIKE THIS? DID ANYONE ELSE HAVE A SO-CALLED DOCTOR SAY THAT ALL OF THESE ISSUES COULDN'T POSSIBLY BE FROM MIRENA?!

I feel crazy, and I'm even more anxiety ridden...I am so upset right now.

Had my Mirena insterted two days ago. Can't tell you how grateful I am to find out that the symptoms I am feeling aren't isolated to me.
(a) I have not had a child and I have a high pain tolerance. Was hands down the most painful experience of my life. They had to bring a nurse in to hold me down. I was violently nauseous for the remainder of the day, was in violent abdominal pain, and couldn't sit down normally.

(b) The pain in my abdomen has continued and is extremely violent. Additionally, the nausea has not dissipated at all. It also hurts to urinate--it's a really uncomfortable event. I brace myself.

(c) I have had heavy spotting, although according to their webpage, this is not uncommon.

I am going to the doctor tomorrow for an ultrasound to verify what is causing the pain. They speculate that either the device has slipped out of position or my body is rejecting it. I am seriously considering having it removed at this point. I installed it to assist with pelvic pain I was having leading up to my period. Right now, I am concerned about having intercourse again.I am glad to hear that removal is less painful than insertion. I wish that I had known about this webpage prior to agreeing to this ridiculous procedure. I have regretted it since it was installed.

Buyer be aware...........

Okay, I'm not a doctor. I've had Mirena for 4 years, and I've repeatedly told the doctors it was making me feel crazy. They put me on antianxiety medicine because of they attributed the "crazies" to 6 kids, a job and a husband in Iraq for a year. He was back for 2 years and the crazies still came and went. They still wouldn't acknowledge that the Mirena was making me feel that way but put me on birth control pills to level out my hormones. So I'm using double protection. I'm almost 40 and have used many birth control methods, including tubes inserted in my arms for 5 years that stopped my menstrual cycle...similar to what Mirena should do. I also have bloating where my stomach feels hard. It's bizarre, like I'm pregnant. I've taken many pregnancy tests, which defeats the purpose of the security it's supposed to provide.
Again, I'm not a doctor, but I swear this thing is causing extra muscular problems for me. I have Ehler's Danlos (basically very elastic ligaments), which was exasperated in my hips by birthing twins. Well, they are almost 5 and nobody can explain why the problems stopped for 4-6 months after pregnancy and now have continually gotten worse the last 3 1/2 years after Mirena. I feel very strongly in my gut, that Mirena is the culprit. I'm definitely getting it out, and I'm horrified that I didn't do research on my gut instincts sooner.

Hi, I am 29 years old and had Mirena for 1 month now. I am using it as an alternative to the hysterectomy I wanted. My doctor talked me into it because of my young age. (The nurse told me that they hand them out like candy. So many people love them) Since I was 13 I had issues which now result in Polycystic ovaries and Endometriosis. Last year I had a sonohysterography, or fluid-enhanced ultrasound done to look for polyps. I was assured that this was a simple procedure. (I have come under the impression that if doctors tell you the worse, no one will get it done.) The cramps were so bad I didn't hear a word the doctor said and cried when he left the office. Actual tears fell down my face. I bring this up because I was assured that this procedure was worse then getting the Mirena inserted. Well they were mostly right, the difference being in how long it took. Both times a had terrible cramping. Down my legs into my toes and up my back. The cramping didn't go away for a week.

While driving home from the doctors office I cramped so bad that I was panting to catch my breath. The doctor assured me that if I didn't have a fever, I was ok.

Well I have no sex drive, my nipples get hard and sore, I have a constant brown discharge that keeps me wearing panty-liners 24/7. (This had better go away....) I am short tempered with my family (I have always been emotional so it is hard for me to catch myself). This isn't any better than the problems I have been fighting for the past 16 years. I have always had problems with weight gain, acne, moods, and never ending periods. I was hoping for no bleeding. Well life has just gotten more cruel. I was unable to have children of yet, but I have the most beautiful adopted boy and my husband really tries but I sometimes wonder if I am failing him. I promised him all the sex he could want with this Mirena, and about 4 weeks into it I finally left him, It caused me to bleed for 8 days and gave me severe cramping. Don't want to do that again. Is there any hope or should I have this removed? Do I get a refund because insurance doesn't pay............

I am 25 years old (24 when I had Mirena inserted). I have one child and wanted to get Mirena because all other birth controls didn't seem to work for me. I have had it for about 8 months now. I have been bleeding or spotting since I had it put in. For the first 6 months I had normal periods but I never knew when it would come. For the past 2 months I have been bleeding/spotting everyday. I might stop for 2 days but then start back up again. Sometimes it heavy bleeding and sometimes its a brownish discharge that turns into heavy bleeding. I have nausea which is bad for me. I was about 115 pounds when I had it put in and now I weigh 100. I look gross (I can count my ribs now). I get bad mood swings and do not have paintence anymore. I goto the doctor on Tuesday to have an ultrasound done to see if the Mirena is in the wrong spot. So point is...I am not really thinking this is the best idea, really think about it before you decide to do Mirena.

My reason for the Mirena IUD was for Endometriosis and heavy bleeding. I tried every kind of birth control. I convinced myself I would be one of the lucky ones without problems and that this was the one that worked. I only know two women that had one for a year. They both don’t like it and have problems. However, my OBGYN raved about all the success stories with it and said I might have a bit of spotting for the first month or two. That was it! I was very nervous getting it but I was desperate to help with my spotting on the pill. I mentally prepared myself for just a bit of spotting or bleeding and agreed to get it. I trusted her opinion, as she sees women with it all day long and I read the Mirena brochure. I didn’t think to research online, plus I was kind of out of options anyway.

I bled like crazy for the first three weeks on the IUD. For the first four months, I had period like bleeding for two weeks and spotted or light bleeding every single day, except for two days each month. I have the yellow, smelly discharge or bleeding daily. I have very sharp pinching and very painful cramps that double me over in pain...daily! I had very painfully sore breasts off and on and dizziness…and no libido. I eat well and exercise, but I now have a swollen, pregnant-looking belly that puffs up from under my breasts to my bikini line and extra weight at the top of my thighs. I have NEVER looked like this. I am on a crazy fitness plan to work it off, but it’s not coming off. The rest of my body is very fit now, but I have a new big belly.

I read so many of your stories. WOW!! I am shocked. I had no idea. My doctor said I may have a bit of spotting. I called my doctor to report my condition. I was sent for an ultrasound to make sure it’s in the right place. The nurse said I must be one of those few women that it takes a year to adjust to. Both my friends that have it, had it for a year and still have problems. By this website, I see it’s not just a “few” women with side effects. I am shocked by your stories. I have the pinching, cramping and weight gain and I am not going to wait to lose my hair or acne. I have had enough!

Many of your stories were shocking, and sad about the moodiness. Most of you have understanding and supportive husbands. I am single and honestly haven’t dated much since I had the IUD put in. I am so embarrassed about my big belly and because I cramp all the time, I don’t let a man touch me. Some women wrote that it’s the best birth control ever because of the side effects. That is so true. I don’t want to cuddle or have a man touch me because of the bloating and pain. The bleeding keeps me from having sex. I can’t imagine having to explain to a new boyfriend about the yellow, smelly discharge or the bleeding. I am sure it would send a new man running. Thanks for that Mirena!

I have decided to have my IUD removed. I will likely go back to long, heavy periods but at least there will be days without pain or bleeding. I am MISERABLE with the sharp, pinching pain, bleeding and swollen stomach. The rest I could deal with, but it’s been months now without improvement. I don’t think waiting a year will change anything. From all the stories I read, the few women that it works for, it was great right away. I don’t think this method of birth control is right for me, so I am not going to suffer any longer. Mirena needs to have a more thorough information packet about possible side effects. It was a nightmare!! Thanks for sharing your stories. I was going to have it removed at two months, but there has been no improvement and after reading about your experiences, I don't see it changing. Maybe the bleeding will lessen, but the side effects are dangerous and very upsetting.

My reason for the Mirena IUD was for Endometriosis and heavy bleeding. I tried every kind of birth control. I convinced myself I would be one of the lucky ones without problems and that this was the one that worked. I only know two women that had one for a year, and they both don’t like it and have problems. However, my OBGYN raved about all the success stories with it and said I might have a bit of spotting for the first month or two. That was it. I was very nervous getting it but I was desperate to help with my spotting on the pill. I mentally prepared myself for just a bit of spotting or bleeding and agreed to get it. I trusted her opinion, as she sees women with it all day long and I read the Mirena brochure. I didn’t think to research online, plus I was kind of out of options anyway.

I bled like crazy for the first three weeks on the IUD. For the first four months, Monthly, I had period like bleeding for two weeks and spotted or light bleeding every single day, except for two days each month. I have the yellow, smelly discharge or bleeding daily. Daily, I have very sharp pinching and very painful cramps that double me over in pain. I had very painfully sore breasts off and on and dizziness…and no libido. I eat well and exercise, but I now have a swollen, pregnant-looking belly that puffs up from under my breasts to my bikini line and extra weight at the top of my thighs. I have NEVER looked like this. I am on a crazy fitness plan to work it off, but it’s not coming off. The rest of my body is very fit now, but I have a new big belly.

I read so many of your stories. WOW!! I am shocked. I had no idea. My doctor said I may have a bit of spotting. I called my doctor to report my condition. I was sent for an ultrasound to make sure it’s in the right place. The nurse said I must be one of those few women that it takes a year to adjust to. Both my friends that have it, had it for a year and still have problems. By this website, I see it’s not just a “few” women with side effects. I am shocked by your stories. I have the pinching, cramping and weight gain and I am not going to wait to lose my hair or acne. I have had enough!

Many of your stories were shocking, and sad about the moodiness. Most of you have understanding and supportive husbands. I am single and honestly haven’t dated much since I had the IUD put in. I am so embarrassed about my big belly and because I cramp all the time, I don’t let a man touch me. Some women wrote that it’s the best birth control ever because of the side effects. That is so true. I don’t want to cuddle or have a man touch me because of the bloating and pain. The bleeding keeps me from having sex. I can’t imagine having to explain to a new boyfriend about the yellow, smelly discharge or the bleeding. I am sure it would send a new man running. Thanks for that Mirena!

I have decided to have my IUD removed. I will likely go back to long, heavy periods but at least there will be days without pain or bleeding. I am MISERABLE with the sharp, pinching pain, bleeding and swollen stomach. The rest I could deal with, but it’s been months now without improvement. I don’t think waiting a year will change anything. From all the stories I read, the few women that it works for, it was great right away. I don’t think this method of birth control is right for me, so I am not going to suffer any longer. Mirena needs to have a more thorough information packet about possible side effects. Thanks for sharing your stories.

I had the mirena put in February of 09 after my 3rd child was born. I had originally thought I wanted to get my tubes tied, but after finding out that I had to be put under to have that done, my husband thought it better to have the mirena. For the first couple of months I bled pretty heavy and cramped pretty bad. I asked my doctor about the bleeding and was told it would stop in the 3 months. After the 3 months was up with continuous bleeding, my doctor put in a nuvaring to go with the mirena thinking I needed more estrogen. That worked for a month, then the bleeding returned. I started having back pain, but since I work a pretty physical job, I associated the pain with my job. Went to PT for my back with no relief and was still bleeding. My doctor then tried provera to go with the mirena to see if that would help the bleeding. It worked for 10days and the bleeding was back. I had an ultrasound done in November and was told everything was properly in place so wasn't sure what was causing the bleeding. Decided in December to have the mirena removed (after being told by my doctors nurse that I needed to decide on another birth control option first) I politely told her I would not use birth control until I figured out what was going on with my body! Well I went into the office and they could not find the mirena! They scheduled a surgery to have it removed and a D &C for the next week. I went in and they still couldn't locate my mirena! After coming out of surgery, they informed me they looked back through my medical records and found the mirena outside of my uterus on the left side. They found it via the x-rays for my back pain I had in august. So now I am scheduled for a more in depth surgery next week to hopefully finally have it removed. I not only have an issue with the mirena, but apparently several doctors have misread or misinformed me about what has been going on with my body. The x-ray technician should have noticed a the mirena wasn't in my uterus, the ultrasound tech should have noticed there was no mirena and the 2 seperate doctors that ordered these tests should have looked over them! Now I have to have a second surgery and by the way, the back pain I am experiencing is ruptured disks with nerve damage on my left side which is exactly where the mirena is.... I have to get several shots to repair the nerves and possibly have surgery to fix the disk problem. I have had headaches, depression (due to the pain I believe), stomach pains and weight loss. I know several people who have the mirena with no complications at all, but I do NOT recommend the mirena!!!

I have had plenty of side effects that everyone here was or is experiencing. My side effects included:
Frequent headaches
Constant bleeding
heavier periods
leg cramps
moodiness
irritable
angriness
tired
no energy level
bloating, looking three months pregnant
I am sure there is more, but this is just the brunt of it. I have always been very under weight for my height, I would try to gain weight all the time and now I can't loose a pound in fact it seems that every time I step on a scale it goes up. I have become a horrible mother to four. I love kids, so I don't understand this one bit. I feel like I don't even know who I am anymore and I miss being me so much. I can not control my anger, I say mean things and think like a monster when I am really mad. I don't understand. Doctor says depression, why now? After having the Mirena put in for a year and a half I should basically have no bleeding. I bleed more now then I did before hand. I have decide to get my Mirena out and went to the doctor yesterday, only to find that no matter how much pain or how hard they pulled, they could not remove the Mirena. Now I have to have surgery tomorrow to have it removed. I am afraid that it's impeded or has perforated my uterus. If so it could cause me to no longer to bare a child. I want people to know this because I have four kids, what if I had none and wanted one, one day? I would not get that chance. I really want those to think about it. I have never heard all of these side effects and the doctors will tell you that it's not like this, after reading this I do disagree. I would like to encourage those of you who do have the common side effects of this site, to contact www.fda.gov with a complaint so that it can go on record. The company should have these side effects listed on their site and in their pamphlets. Everyone should be entitled to hear good and the bad to make the best decision for them.
depression
loss of hair
weight gain ( I always had a hard time gaining weight too.)
Acne
loss of concentration
weird odor
lost sex drive
pain during intercourse

Hi everyone!

I had my Mirena placed almost 2 years ago. I have not had any side effects, the insertion was not too bad, a little uncomfortable but not bad. I haven't had a period or spotting for over a year.

However, this past week, after intercourse, I have just felt different. It almost feels as if I have a tampon in constantly. I was worried that maybe it had become displaced, I kept trying to feel for the strings and eventually I did feel what felt like plastic, I KNOW it was NOT the string....I went to my doctor yesterday and he said all he saw was string. He then performed the ultrasound and said the placement was perfect. I was surprised to hear this.

I still have the feeling as if something is there....I cannot explain it other than feeling as if theres a tampon...when I laugh, cough, carry my son, I can feel the pressure. I had not experienced this before this past weekend. On top of it all I'm pretty sure I have a UTI but the nurse kept blowing me off when I asked her if she wanted me to leave a sample.

I know something is not right, if it is not the Mirena, it is something.

What is your opinion? Should I make another visit to the doc or get another opinion? Has anyone else experienced this?

I would appreciate any feedback.

I have had the mirena since July of 2007. When I first got it inserted it didn't hurt at all because they gave me a shot in my cervix of novacaine. But after about a week of having it i got really bad cramps. I have had it for 21/2 years and the symptoms just get worse. I went to the doctors about 6 months ago because every time after sex i would have such bad pain i couldn't handle it so i got checked and they couldn't find the strings so the did a ultrasound and found it and everything "is normal" to say. But I have still been having bad pains in my stomach, headaches all the time, feels like im in a daze all the time, really moody at times. I thought this would be a great birth control I am a young mother to 3 kids and when i heard about this birth control i thought it would be perfect but ANYONE who is thinking about getting this THINK twice. This would be the worst birth control works great for not getting pregnant but sucks for the pain. thanks everyone for telling me your story

I have had my Mirena in for about 6 1/2 months (after my second baby), and am still breastfeeding. Insertion was fairly easy, with a little dizziness and some cramping. Normal. I experienced spotting for a couple of months soon after, no big deal, it was expected. But for the past couple of months, I've had some pain on the upper right side of my groin and it gets worse with a lot of movement and is especially painful when I push on it. This is not a normal menstrual cramp! It feels like a stitch you get in your side after running for a long time, only in my groin area. I'm worried about ectopic pregnancy, although in the past two months, I have taken pregnancy tests while experiencing this, and they have come back negative. My doctor did find a cyst on one of my ovaries when I was pregnant with my first son. Could I be getting endometriosis or something frightening like that? Would anyone else out there go to the doctor if they were me? We are not done having children.

Ok, I had mine removed today after having it for 5 years. I had all of the symptoms listed from all of you women (except migraines) and I can't wait to feel normal again!! The symptoms got progressively worse over the years and at first NOT having period at all was so great that I kept blowing off all of the other stuff. Now I'm 35 and figure life is too short to feel like crap all the time and work out like a mad woman with no results anymore :)

The removal was SO easy. It popped right out with no cramping or pain at all. We hadn't seen/felt the strings for years so I was really worried but the ultrasound showed it in the right place and 2 seconds later the little devil was out.

I'll post in a few weeks to update how I feel. I'm not planning to use other birth control as hubby was snipped a while ago and I'm sure it will take a while for my body to start regulating itself normally again.

Good luck!!! You aren't alone OR crazy :-)

I got the mirena put in Jan 09 and had no problems whatsoever! I had reg periods every month and then about a month 2 and half months ago started feeling like maybe I was pregnant! I have 2 other children and was done! I had read how reliable this method was and had to pay 500.00 out of pocket due to insurance not covering this!
I had a reg period july aug sept and then nothing as of nov 20th. Went in for a physical and took a pregnancy test and was positive. Had called the ob three weeks prior and was told not to worry since periods stop with mirena!
When I went to my ob the next day I was told I was 16 weeks pregnant and that they did not see the device! It is not considered high risk (supposedly) but I am very upset I was told this was so reliable and in their booklet they rated this above a vasectomy in effectiveness!
Although I did not have the horrible pain others experienced this is very disturbing to me and also that the device is nowhere in sight?? WOuld love to go in on a class action lawsuit!

I had the Mirena placed in January 2009 due to excessive menstrual cycles. I have my tubes ties and did not need birth control. My Doctor explained that this was a good method to keep from have hysterectomy. Since insertion I have had spotting almost continuously. My sex life has gone down hill. It definitely has not helped my moods, actually they are different : more anger, more anxiety. I have had low back pain and hip pain but never associated this with the Mirena. Two weeks ago I had a sudden onset of heavy bright red bleeding (not spotting) and heavy cramps. After three days, symptoms progressed to the point that I called the Doctor. I have a very high tolerance for pain and was concerned. She called in pain medication (it was a Friday afternoon) and told me to call her over the weekend if I had a fever, and to see her in office the next Tuesday. In office, she did pelvic exam and found strings in place and stated that my "uterus was very sore". She placed me on antibiotics and told me to continue pain medication. I do not like to take pain medication. She scheduled me back in a week: that was today. The bleeding has completely stopped - not even anymore spotting. The pain is horrible when sitting for a long period - in lower pelvic area and lower back, and is horrific after sex! She has now scheduled me to return to her office again on Monday to have ultrasound to check for cysts or etc. I am now concerned after reading these posts. Is the Mirena my problem. I really do not want a hysterectomy. Any suggestions?

It is amazing to read about all of the side effects of Mirena and yet it can still be on the market. I don't understand.
I have all of these side effects. I had it inserted in April and am now getting it removed. However - went to have it removed and they can't find it (as they cut the strings to close) so I have to go back in for an Ultrasound so they can remove it??? GRRRRR!!! I have to wait until next Tuesday to get it removed.
I have put on 15 lbs in 3 months (I eat healthy and exercise daily), my back is killing me, my breasts are the size of watermelons.
I am so angry and movited to get this device taken off the market. I can't wait to get my life back. If you are considering it DO NOT DO IT!!!!!!!

I had Mirena put in this past February..I've given birth to 4 children and DO NOT want anymore..Upon consulting my physician I was under the impression that there were RARELY side effects..So I had the MIRENA put in this past February..For the first three months i bled EVERYDAY..I almost had it removed but then bleeding stopped to only spotting a couple days out the month(which I assumed would be my period) For the past couple months i've had a pain in my left lower abdomen and finally went to the doctor..I had an ultrasound and found out I now have ovarian cysts..I thought i'd look on the internet and found that there is a link between ovarian cysts and MIRENA..Also, since I had it put in, i've had at least 10 MAJOR yeast infections(which included a very bad odor & the worst itching) I have NEVER had problems like this before!!!! I've also experienced pains in my knee, thighs and back..I don't know if those are related to the MIRENA, but I NEVER had all these issues before.. I will be discussing other methods of b.c with my doctor AND getting this thing removed ASAP!!!!

SURGERY! The Mirena went through my uterine wall and into my abdominal cavity. After about a week I couldn't handle the pain anymore so I went in to see my OB. We did an ultrasound and she said she could see it but could feel it inside...I ended up getting an MRI that day and surgery that night to remove it... :(

I'm so glad I'm not alone. I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in July 2008, so I was placed on really strong medication the cut the effect of my current BC to 50%. So I decided to have the Mirena placed. It was placed Jan. 2009. A few weeks later, I experienced tenderness and swelling in both my breast. I went to see my GYN and she said it was normal and it should subside soon, but she sent me for an UltraSound to make sure. The results showed that my milk ducts were dilated. (And I was not Pregnant) A few months later I was experiencing severe depression, mood swings,bloating, facial acne, cramps, but the worst one of them all was the itching in my breast. Not to mention the 25 lb weight gain and my breast doubled in size. I would eat at any given time and had cravings. I felt like I was pregnant all the time. When I mentioned the itching to my doctor, she said I needed to see a dermatologist. I saw one the same day, and he also said he thinks it's the hormones in the Mirena. So I had it removed today. I hope everything goes back to normal.....

Just an update- getting it taken out was easy. I didn't feel it at all, and she said, "Ok it's out." Good luck!

I was just wondering....those of you that mentioned fluttering in your belly while taking Mirena......
I have the fluttering and then sometimes I can actually see my belly bump up, just like when I was pregnant and was being kicked. My question - has anyone else noticed that?

I am 25 years old. I had my Mirena put in in February of 2008 after my daughter was born. This was my third child and I chose this birth control because I was told it was the best choice aside from having my tubes tied which I wasn't ready to do. I have had it a little over a year and half now and had quit having a period. About 2 1/2 months ago I had a very heavy period that lasted about 3 weeks. When it quit I thought it was just my body trying to tell me it needed flushed out. Well a week later I had another 2 week long period. I made an appointment with my doctor and they couldn't find the IUD. They said it had shifted so they ordered an ultrasound to locate it. I am still waiting on those results but am most likely going to have it taken out regardless. I didn't have a single problem with it until recently. My husband and I are thinking about having another baby and I am not going back on this medicine after we do. I will get my tubes tied because I am not dealing with this again. My dr said that if the IUD isn't the cause of the bleeding it is something else and most likely the IUD caused that problem as well. Thank goodness I found this site because I thought I was the only one having this problem as well. Good luck to all and I will update as soon as I hear about the location and results of the ultrasound.

I've had my Mirena out for nearly 2 weeks now, after 15 months of living with the side effects. I've posted before about fatigue, crankiness & irritability, low-grade depression, weight gain, poor sleep, headaches, etc -- same old story as everyone else -- that came on gradually over the months. I'm still SO grateful to this website for making it clear to me that this wasn't just typical exhaustion due to having 2 little kids (now 3yrs & 16mos) or post-natal depression. Anyway, getting the Mirena removed turned out to be an ordeal in itself -- the strings disappeared and the doctor couldn't see anything with a speculum, so I had to wait 3 weeks to get an ultrasound and it turned out to be in the right place (phew!). Then I had to wait nearly 2 months to have a hysteroscopy -- they dilate your cervix and poke a camera up inside your uterus so they can see where the coil is, then they can pull it out. The poking and prodding was a huge drag, uncomfortable but not excruciating. When they actually pulled it out it barely hurt at all. I was a bit sore for a day or two, like mild period pains but nothing serious.

So, here's the update so far: My sex drive came back the very next day after being completely gone for ages! That was such a nice feeling again, to actually want to be with my husband instead of just going along for the sake of the marriage! I haven't felt sick or achey in my joints since it came out either, and the headaches are pretty much gone after being a constant in my life. I'm sleeping easier, and generally feel healthy again -- such a relief! My energy levels are still really really low though; I sure hope they start to come back soon. I think it's going to take awhile since I'd pretty much stopped exercising due to feeling so ill and tired all the time. I'll have to build myself back up through eating better and getting back to the gym, so unfortunately I think the weight-gain and fatigue are going to take longer to 'cure'. But still, I'm so glad to have it out and know that whatever happens to my health now, at least it's not being caused by hormones that just don't belong there.

Hang in there everyone; and don't be afraid of the pain in having it removed.

Mirena inserted December 07, 6 mo. after my son was born. Was not even dressed after procedure when a severe wave of pain took over. Asked nurse, said "discomfort" was common. Thought to myself, I've had 2 kids, this isn't discomfort. She gave me a "super" Advil. No clue what it was, took it because I felt like passing out from the pain, Called husband on way back to work, in tears, thought I was going to vomit from pain. Got much worse, had to pull car over -- afraid I was going to black out. Mustered up strength, got to work. Took additional 3 hours for cramps to subside. Completely exhausted. Next night, out of nowhere, horrible, horrible pain -- never had ovary issues, but it was to one side, thought my ovary was exploding. Went to urgent care cetner -- didn't know what else to do. They took Xray (no ultrasound available), nothing out of the ordinary. Called dr. -- she was perplexed -- never heard of this before. Next 6 months a blur. Every single month, at completely random times, horrible pains would hit again - nothing I could do. So bad, thought I would wreck my car when driving, felt like throwing up from pain, had to lay completely still, take 4 ibuprofen and WAIT for it to go away--up to 3 hours each time. This left me exhausted and extremely scared for the next month. Waited the standard 3 months -- up to 6 months. Finally gave up, asked dr. to remove it. She did. Have not had a SINGLE episode like this again. IMy body doesn't react like this to new things, so I was shocked when my I didn't adjust. I have no other way to explain this, but I am interested why the side effects were so unheard of by my ob-gyn. She reported them to the FDA and pharm. manufacturer. WEIRD.

everyone has their own opinion about mirena but i am here to assure you all that your not crazy. Im currently 19 years old and had mirena inserted October of 2008. Its been about a year and im going nuts. For a long time i had no answers to all of the crazy side effects. I didn't want to believe it was this wonderful easy convenient birth control. Im a college student and i just didn't want any unplanned babies. well its made my life worse. I smoke cigarettes so my doctor told me this was the best option and so i was all for it. Slowly but surely i started losing hair i didn't notice for awhile because my hair was thick in full well i can wrap a standard pony tail four frekin times around my pony. Its about half of my usual hair now. NOT ONLY is it falling out but its very dry and splitting all it does is tangle. Im very healthy young and i take vitamins daily to try and slow this process but it does no good. Since February of 2008 ive been having these terrible episodes were i get worked up for no reason. Ill be sitting in class and all of a sudden i feel like ive run a marathon. My heart races my palms sweat and a tremble. I get so freked out i have to leave class because i fell like im going to die. The worst anxiety attacks and i have to control my breathing or they just last longer. My face is so oily and so is my hair. I usually only washed my hair every other day so i don't strip the natural oils out but now its become a everyday thing which just contributes to more hair lose. I use to break out only around my period now i don't go a day without acne. Im even getting it in my scalp and back. If I don't eat on a schedule i feel like im going to pass out i get severely hungry and weak. I have pains in my uterus and ovaries sometimes and though they don't last long they are painful. I never feel like i want to have sex ever and if i do theres no telling when its going to hurt. Im very dissatisfied with mirena i loved it at first but not enough to go bald. ITS MADE MY LIFE SO STRESSFUL I FEEL BALD AND UGLY AND THAT LEADS TO DEPRESSION.

LOWER BACK PAIN
STOMACH PAIN
NO SEX DRIVE
ACNE AND OILY SKIN
DAMN NEAR BALD
PAIN IN UTERUS/DURING SEX/ANYTIME
EXTREME ANXIETY
DEPRESSION

I had my mirena inserted in April. Hurt a little because I didn't have my period when it was inserted. Just as the doctor said, I would spot a little for the next 3 months, I did. Had the f/u ultrasound. All is well. During intercourse my partner has told me that it was poking him. Went to the doctor. Her response was that only the most sensitive man can feel it. Ok fine. I am cramping terrible after sex. A lot of the symptoms described by many. Labor like pains, breakouts, etc. I'm calling the doctor in the morning!

Hi, I am a mother of 2, and not quite 23 years old and got the Mirena inserted at my 6 week check up after having my second. I read all the literature that the Dr. gave me and I was sure that Mirena was the right thing for me (no where in the brochures did I read anything about the symptoms Ive read about here or anywhere else on the internet). I started having incredibly horrible mood swings, bloating, fatigue, nausea (sooo bad, every day) back pain, neck pain, no sex drive (!!!), depressed, lazy, headaches (to the point where I thought my head was going to explode), constantly hungry, acne, smelled maple syrup constantly, complaining all the time about everything, weight gain (only 7 lbs but I just had a baby, I need to lose weight, and I'm nursing),chest pain, and some other symptoms but the most important one is the stomach pain i was having. The pain in my stomach felt like a knife, and I kept having pain in my right side. So after a few days of this pain I went to the dr. he ordered an ultrasound of my abdomen and I am scheduled to get that done Wednesday. My doctor thinks that I may have gallbladder disease or something else seriously wrong with me that we suspect is induced by the Mirena. Keep in mind that I've had this thing in me for about 4 months!!! So after my doctors appointment I typed into google "side effects from Mirena" and Omg, I wish that I had done that before I got the thing inserted, those brochures about the Mirena make it seem like a Godsend and I am all for a lawsuit due to the problems I am having and the depression Ive felt. My 3 year old has suffered from my mood swings, every time id feel it coming I had to make her go to her room :( that poor girl deserves to have a mother that is not so depressed and ill that she can actually play, and both of them deserve that really, and im doing the best I can.... anyways I removed it myself yesterday, i had a hard time finding it but I took it out and I feel as if a huge burden has been lifted, EXCEPT I have been cramping very bad, spotting and incredibly sick, i also read about this thing called "the mirena crash" no matter how long you've had it in, if the hormones were in your system then you are effected and can feel very ill from it (and it can happen to women who had no problems while on it at all, even after 5 yrs). Im hoping that I have nothing wrong at my doctors appt on Wednesday when I get the ultrasound, and it may just be a cyst, turns out that is a side effect of mirena as well, that and bleeding the first several months (oh yeah, I did for about 2 months maybe 10 weeks altogether) Im also hoping that my daughter whom I am nursing is not sick as well :/

oh and for anybody out there thinking that the only women gaining weight are fat to begin with, well I am usually 105 lbs, after my baby I weighed 145, lost some weight, went down to 130ish gained it all back then some, losing weight is easy for me because I diet and exercise like I should, now I am doing all that and nursing a child.... and hello weight, when it really should be goodbye... well goodbye mirena I WONT miss you!!!!

Has anyone developed a complex ovarian cyst since having mirena inserted? Before I had this dreadful IUD I had no problems at all. I just got back from the Dr and was told that I have a complex cyst. I can not wait until I get this IUD out this month!!!

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!

Ok so Ive had the stupid thing since July 2008... bad cramping about 6 months in- asked the doc to take it out- she talked me out of it... prescribed me ANOTHER hormone patch to counteract the side effects of the mirena... now for the past month (I have a new doctor-a man) I have had EVERY symptom of being pregnant that you could possibly have from boobies hurting to morning sickness. And Ive had every test (btw-my strings are MIA) urine- negative- Blood- negative- ultrasound- the bastard is still there and there is a spot that is "nothing". I am having it removed Friday and I am making him put me under. It was no fun to get put in, and it even hurt when he tried to "find" the strings"... I can only imagine what it is to get it out... And if I am one in like what 10 million that got pregnant on the damn thing- its going to result in miscarriage anyways. Yea my story with tis "wonderful" POS... But I do want to know for like 8 months now Ive had spots under my boobs like where my bra runs and along my bikini line.. they look kinda like sun spots and they aren't raised u can only see them... theyre kinda brown... anybody else???

Oh Mirena..... how i wanted you to work so badly.... But alas, you have failed me.

I got the Mirena IUD inserted in February of 2009. The insertion was terribly painful, but my doctor had warned of that since I haven't had any children and I would have a smaller uterus than women who had. The pain and nausea caused by the insertion went away within 8-12 hours. For the first three months, it did everything it was supposed to do: normal periods, no weight gain, no (new) mood swings, effective contraception... Beginning on day 1 of the fourth month, things went crazy. I have had 10 periods in 6 months, some lasting about 8 days and starting again 7-8 days later. I had a two day long migraine (I've never had one before this). I have been unbelievably moody, have experienced an extremely decreased sex-drive, bloating, exhaustion, the list goes on.

So when I couldn't take it anymore, I went to the doctor and the strings were no where to be found. Then I went for an ultrasound and sure enough, the Mirena had relocated itself between my cervix and rectum........... Not to mention, there's a 4.5cm cyst on one of my ovaries. The next step is a laparoscopy (procedure where the enter through the belly button) to retrieve the Mirena and check out the cyst.

I thought Mirena was going to be such a dream, but it's turned out to be a nightmare. I never had any adverse side effects from the pill in the 6 years I used it prior to Mirena and now I wish I had never switched. I know people that it's worked for without trouble, but unfortunately I was not that lucky. Like most of you, I had researched more than I felt necessary and read all the negative side effects others experienced, I just hoped that wouldn't happen to me. I'm not telling anyone not to get it, I would just advise that you don't switch to Mirena if you have something that is working properly. It's simply not worth it (financially, physically or emotionally).