Mirena and yasmin

I got the Mirena in July because I was bleeding so heavily during my periods and had low Ferritin - not anemia yet, but potentially close to it. SO I chose to have this inserted, and the past few months have just seemed to get achier and achier. I could also have a B12 deficiency which is being looked into, but is this a side effect that has been reported frequently? I've also had more headaches than usual, and numbness of hands/feet, a classic symptom of B12 deficiency. But still - the achiness is freaking me out.

I am so glad that i found this site. I was feeling like i am going CRAZY! I got the mirena after my third child Oct 2005. I can't wait to have it removed!!!! My story started by going to the doctor to find a good birth control. My doctor suggested the mirena, it sounded like the perfect method for me...up until today Oct 2008, i thought that it was perfect.
After the insertion everything was great until i started to feel like i was always pregnant(tender breast, nausea and vomiting, weight gain, and dizziness). I would report to doctor, have test run, simply told that i might have a stomach virus. Symptoms would come and go alone with now major hair loss, constant yeast infections, sore limbs, greasy oily skin, unexplained sweats, losing of 30 lbs, but gaining back 10 lbs in a month, bloated stomach, mood swings, unexplained sadness/depressions!!! I use to have long thick hair, but now i barely have any. My scalp is so sore and my hair is very dry and brittle. I thought that maybe i was just stressing myself and needed to take it easy. I started to grow very tired, drowsy with blurry vision, stressed-out, even slipped into deep depressions about any and everything. I would blow up on anyone for anything. I am so not feeling like myself....
After several OB-GYN and Dermatology appointments, I came to the conclusion that it might just be my so called "perfect" birth control. I expected my doctors to know the exact reason after i mentioned by birth control but they would always say that it was not likely to be the mirena. I will be having this removed this week. I just hope and pray that everything goes back to normal including all my beautiful thick hair.

I guess they call it birth control for a reason WOW! What partner would want us around.... No sex drive, miserable, headaches, nausea, infections (the list goes on) I'm glad I had it removed...

I got a Mirena because after laparoscopic surgery to determine if I had endometriosis (none was found) and a D&C to check my uterine lining, my periods did not "reset" the way I was told (I was 42 at the time and they told me that I was not releasing an egg every month so the endometrium was shedding erratically). What I really wanted was a uterine ablation, but my doctor was so enthusiastic about the Mirena and had been the first physician to even contemplate endometriosis was a possibility that I went along. The first day was fine, but the second day I had such stabbing pain in my abdomen that I could not stand up straight or take a deep breath. It resolved before I decided to call the doctor or go to the er. Months followed of checking off that little calendar that I had had menstrual flow that day (MONTHS. I think I started actually having a WEEK without a period sometime after 12 months of having this thing in me). I did not go back to have it removed at that time because my husband had lost his job and therefore our health insurance. In the meantime I still have the symptoms I had before I'd gone in to see the doctor the first time (stabbing pain near my right ovary during my heavy days), PLUS constant bloating, fatigue, my hair has started falling out so bad I can see the thinning at the top of my forehead, acne no matter what treatment I use, and weight gain (~20 lbs, some I can say is probably my dietary changes since DH lost his job, but even with increased vegetables/no caffeine/decreased breads, no measurable weight loss). I had attributed loss of sex drive to the fact that I have almost always been bleeding since this was put in. In fact, I went for a thyroid test yesterday because I hadn't found this site yet. I'm sure it will come back normal. Once it does, you better believe I'm going into the doctor and have this removed. I am so angry. I used to weigh over 250 pounds and worked so hard to get down to the weight I was when this was put in and am so mad that I inadvertently did this to myself.

basically, this was my experience with the paragard:
1. Dec 2004 - Paragard iud was placed post-partum after my 2nd daughter was born. i was breast-feeding, and had no noticeable symptoms until Nov 2005.
2. Nov 2005 - had my first period since my daughter was born. it was heavy and crampy, but i thought "i haven't had a period in 2 years, so this is the price i pay..."
3. Each period hence was heavy, long at 6-7 days, and cramps were intense. again, i just decided that i could manage.
By the end of 2006, my periods were so bad that my husband and i decided i had to see the doctor.
4. Jan 2007 - saw the doctor about removing the copper IUD. she said that the paragard should not be causing such bad symptoms, and since i was did not want to get pregnant, she decided we should try to control the symptoms with birth control pills and Prometrium. I did not want to try Prometrium since I was unsure of how I would react to the hormone. she believed that i might be suffering from severe pms, called PMDD. note that i loved and trusted this doctor - i had some complications during my 2 pregnancy, and some problems post-delivery, and she was attentive, personable, and caring. i was very comfortable and trusting, so i listened to her recommendations. i tried yaz, yasmin, and 2 other pills over the next 3-5 months, but was extremely nauseous and sick with all of them (plus break-thru bleeding).
5. Feb - September 2007: i started having pre-period symptoms of nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea, abdominal cramps, severe fatigue. the first 2 months that i had these symptoms, they were so bad that i believed that i had an intestinal virus - same cramping, throwing up, and bad diarrhea, plus this was BEFORE my period. I then made the association between my symptoms, and the fact that they occurred 3-5 days before my period, and then they would subside about 3 days after my period started. my periods were still long with heavy bleeding.
6. September 2007 - was having same symptoms, but started 7-10 days before my period, and they were so bad that my husband had to take off from work to take care of our 2 girls each month (i stay home with them). i went back to the doctor during September, and was told to modify my diet (no white flour, sugar, low fat, high protein, lots of water) and to try some vitamin supplements since i didn't want more medications. she again recommended taking 100 mg Prometrium to help ease the symptoms. I asked to remove the IUD, again, and she said that "before she took out something that expensive, she wanted to make sure that something else was not wrong" - I was shocked at her statement, but agian I liked her and trusted her, so i went along for the sonogram.
7. October 2007 - In the meantime, I was desperate, so i took the vitamins and Prometrium, which sent me into what i can describe only as a psychotic episode. i had severe emotional outbursts, i was irrationally angry and irritable, and had absolutely zero patience. i am usually a smart girl, and in my normal "mental state" would have associated that the Prometrium had caused this severe reaction, but I was no where close to my normal state of mind, and i just thought that my physical symptoms were now affecting me mentally.
8. LAte Oct 2007 - BY this time I am so down and really ready to get my life back. I am still sick with nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, severe abdominal cramps, severe fatigue, and now my abdomen stays sore and tender through the whole month. FINALLY the doctor calls with the ultrasound results. she said that there were 2 small ovarian cysts - and i was relieved - i thought that FINALLY, we were getting somewhere - but in the next sentence she said that she didn;t think that they were responsible for my symptoms. i was deflated - and at such a loss of words. i listened to her tell me how she thought that i had IBS, and that she was going to refer me to a GI doctor. i know that IBS is a catch-all category of symptoms that some doctors throw on people they can;t diagnose. and remember, i was just a few days out from recovering from 1) having a severe personality reaction to a drug, and didn't know it was because of the Prometrium - i thought i was going mad, and 2) i was just getting over being sick before my period - AGAIN.
I finally called her back a few hours later and left a message with the nurse "since she doesn;t think that the cysts are causing the symptoms, could we please remove the copper IUD?" i never got a reply.
I called my niece who is an RN at a respected women's health center in NC and cried a lot and told her what was going on. she got me an appointment with a doctor there for mid nov 2007.
10. Mid Nov 2007 - tell the NC doctor my medical history, and she says "we need to get that IUD out". in less than 30seconds it is gone with minimal discomfort, 25% of the abdominal soreness and tenderness is gone within 24 hours of removal, and completely gone within a week. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME IN MONTHS THAT MY TUMMY WAS NOT TENDER OR SORE!!!
i have a follow-up appointment for mid Jan 2008 with the NC doctor and possible placement of the Mirena
11. Nov 29, 2007 - have my first period in over a year where i am not sick etc - it is heavy and a bit crampy, but is shorter in duration.
12. mid dec 2007 - i start to suspect i may be pregnant, but think that we have been cautious, and my period is probably going to be irregular with all of the crap that has gone on
13. jan 5 2008 - yep - i'm pregnant!! but that was ok - we wanted another anyway.
14. jan 7, 2008 - catch the respiratory flu that has been going around and stay VERY sick for 4 weeks, and i just know that something is unusual - i can't eat i am so sick and am so weak that i shake whe i stand up - call a new local OB doctor and see them.
15. jan 30, 2008 - have miscarried the pregnancy
16. April 2008 - the new ob doctor places a mirena
17. first of may 2008 - my husband is asking if i feel ok, that he has seen similar but much less severe symptoms in my mood as when i was on the Prometrium. i have never had acne this severe on my face, neck and back - it actually hurts and i have some scarring even though i have not picked at it.
By the way, my new local OB told me that HE WILL NOT PLACE PARAGARD COPPER IUDS FOR HIS PATIENTS BECAUSE THEY WORK BY CAUSING INFLAMMATION IN THE UTERUS.
however, he also said that i shouldn't have any issues with the mirena, and now i am starting to wonder if i am going slightly mad...
i want my life back...
i now realize that there is a side effect to EVERYTHING that you put in your body...
i am terrified of getting pregnant right now even though a few months ago i was excited about this wonderful possibility...
i am now talking to a counselor to try to work out the events of this past year+ so i can move on...
i feel like my voice was NOT heard or even acknowledged...
the reality is that WE are ultimately responsible for our own well-being, both physical and mental, and that doctors do treat with preconceived notions about the way health should be and how medications and devices should work...they listen to pharmaceutical reps and not their patients...
i don;t know what to do about birth control now...i suspect the mirena is making me feel this way, but i am terrified of getting pregnant, i can't take birth control pills, and am hesitant to put any thing else in my body that is a chemical...however, i have no libido anymore (my poor wonderful husband) and i use to enjoy the closeness and intimacy of being with my husband...
i don't know how this affects your decision about the copper iud, but i just caution about 1) be careful with sex after the mirena is removed and 2) be mindful of anything that we eat or place in our body.
i do know that i could not find any other information from women who experienced my symptoms, but i find it very difficult to believe that i am the only one who experienced this.
lots of luck, and thank you for sharing your experience with the posting site! it has helped me make an informed decision about removing the mirena, and i hope that the information here will help you make an informed decision about the copper iud.

I made my appointment today to have my Mirena taken out in 2 days.
I have had similar symptoms, low libido, hair loss, and weight gain.
I have been on Weight Watchers since Jan. the same time I got my Mirena inserted and I am at the same weight. I am so frustrated with the weight and the other symptoms I just want it out.
But I did like not having to take a pill everyday. Is anyone considering having the Copper T inserted? It releases no hormones.
Just wondering.

I've had my Mirena IUD for approx. 3-4 months. It's lasting for over 1 week. Also, yesterday and today I've had heavy bleeding and blood clots. I was a bit surprised to notice this considering the Mirena is supposed to lighten your menstrual flow. I have fibroids and my gynecologist inserted the Mirena to lighten the bleeding. However, my period is heavier now and lasting going in to two weeks. I left a message for my doctor to contact me so I can speak with him about this. I don't know if anyone else has experienced this

I love it. I've had it for a week now. Very little spotting, minimal cramps, and no discharge. I was told of the side effects, and knew all of this before I got it. Hormones act differently to some people. I did not react well with the patch or pill. So far, so good with Mirena. I don't think a lawsuit or complaint is exactly the way to go. You should start with talking to your doctor more and seeing if they give out pamphlets or just did not tell you everything you were supposed to know. I also believe not everyone's symptoms should be blamed on Mirean. People usually "feel" things they don't really have, esp. after coming on here and reading things. You can make your body feel that stuff. The insertion was not comfortable by any means, but it also wasn't a pain that I would ever cry or scream over. I'm 21, relatively healthy, and never had children. I work in healthcare and see people react like this all the time-no tolerance to pain, and just wanting an excuse as to where some of their "pains" come from.

Hallelujah, its OUT!

I got mine out today!!! I made sure to take ibuprofen before I went in and thank heavens the removal was NOTHING like the insertion! Quick, easy and pretty painless!
I sure wish I could go "au naturel' at this point but my husband and I just can not risk pregnancy right now. I am grudgingly going to start on a low hormone pill on Sunday...

I will post in the future to share what changes happen now that the thing is gone!

Good luck to all you ladies!

Out of all birth control's this has to be the worst i have tried (apart from regular Coil), since having it fitted on 23/08/06 i have gained many many pounds and after eating i bloat to the extent that i look 8-9 months pregnant, have constant hot flushes, tired to the point were i have to drag myself out of bed, mood swings and loss of libido. After it was inserted i had a light brownish/reddish discharge for 2/3 months, which left in the only way to describe it, a bleach stain on my underwear (has anyone else had this? Sorry for being so graphic!), i am constantly buying new underwear, not that i mind that too much!! My G.P. told me yesterday that he thinks it has nothing to do with the Mirena (i suffer from IBS), he changed my medication and advised that if i felt it necessary to come back for blood tests. My birth control before was Yasmin, i changed this as i gained weight, bloated, had constant mood swings and loss of libido........Why??? I have now come to the conclusion that i have made my contribution to Mankind and maybe it is time for sterilisation!!!