Mirena

A bit of an intense topic sorry, but just wondered if anyone else has had a bad experience with the Mirena IUD. I got mine fitted about 8 months ago, this is my second one. The first one I dont remember having too many problems with, but ever since I got this one, it has been a nightmare.

So far, my side effects are-
-headaches, both aching and piercing, about twice a week and they last at least a day, sometimes two
-fatigue but also insomnia (a great combination!)
-my hair has been falling out, and I know this happens after birth, but this is too much
-loss of concentration
-forgetfulness
and the best of them all, mood swings. I have become a different person and DF doesnt really appreciate it.

I was just living with the effects but my relationship is really starting to deteriorate. I have never been like this, I just dont feel like me! I know I should just go to the doctor, but I have spent a lot of time on google and from what I have read, the doctor usually sends you out the door with anti-depressant meds and tells you its all in your head, nothing to do with the IUD.

Hopefully someone else has experienced something similar? Its not a minor issue for me to get it taken out as we cant use most contraceptive methods so this is one of our only options, but obviously not worth it if its making me feel like this.

I had a mirena put in after my gynae told me it was the best thing ever invented. I also had a couple of girlfriends who raved about theirs.

I had all the symptoms you described, plus gained heaps of weight (which I was told would def not happen). I really thought I was losing my mind as my doc kept insisting the symptoms were not to do with the mirena. I took it out anyway, and it was the best thing I could've done. The weight has not gone yet, but my hair grew back quickly. Back pains and mood swings disappeared immediately - massive relief - and I could sleep a lot better too.

Sorry to hear you've had such a hard time with it. The mirena seems to work fabulously for some women, but can definitely be a bit of a nightmare for others. (Would you consider an IUD without the hormone maybe? I hear they have less side effects. I haven't been keen on getting one though, after the nightmare experience of the mirena fitting!)

That does sound Awful and i had a friend that sufferd exactly what you are describing . You say you cant take many types of contriception , do you know if you can have the Jadelle implants ? i just got these about a month ago and they are great so far , i have had no side effects at all ( i get alot of side effect from the depo injection ) . I dont know if you know much about them ( they are fairly new in NZ) they are 2 thin rods implanted under the skin on your upper arm that very slowly releases a small dose hormone- a type of progestorone   ( a small procedure involoving a local anesthetic and a very small cut ) They last 5 years and you can get them taken out at any time if you want to get pregnant .

I hope you can resolve the issues you are having , it doesnt sound nice at all .

Thank you for your really kinds words, I was starting to feel like I was losing my mind :)

Maybe the copper IUD is an option, but like TravellingMa said I am nervous to have something semi-permanent like that again just because of how horrible this Mirena has been.

Kiwi2 I think I am going to do what you said, I am always very easily swayed by doctors so I am much better off just saying I want it out rather than debating the pros and cons.

julz85 I will ask about the implant I hadnt heard of it before. I might be able to use it, I have a blood disorder that means I am more likely to get a blood clot than others so I cant take the combined pill (I can take the other pill but I dont recommend it, I got pregnant on it ;) )

MuckyTiger I just rang my gyno and I actually had it put in when DD#2 was 8 wks old, so thats 10 months ago now. Hair still falling out, almost complete insomnia ( i sleep about 3 hours a night) but constant exhaustion, and this is my 3rd day straight with this headache. I would rather have another bubba!

Again thanks for your replies, hopefully I can get it out soon and feel a lot better.

I had no problems with the copper IUD (other than getting pregnant, but that seems to run in my family...)

I avoid all the pills and hormones, just not worth mucking with your system I say!

Really, there are only 2 contraceptive options if you ask me... no sex, or.... no sex! Oh, and the lovely husband will be visiting the doctor for a snip after #3. So, that should work... *fingers crossed*.

Copper IUD is the same as a mirena, its an IUD, but it has no hormones. So doesn't have the extra couple of percentage in prevention of pregnancy.

Wiki Article on IUDs

"The IUD is 98% to over 99% reliable in preventing pregnancy. The newer one, like multiloads ML-Cu-250, ML-Cu-375, Cu 7 – 380 A, are highly effective i.e. >99%" (I had a multiload one)

"Mirena IUD is highly effective in birth control. Its effectiveness is up to 99.9 %"

i have been unsure as whether to ask this as i don't want to cause an upset, but i have heard that the copper iuds can work as an early abortive?

MuppetsMama, yep, that is my understanding. And I must admit thats a bit scary (but then of course we can get into the whole 'when is a sperm meeting egg "officially" a baby' debate/opinion - and I'm still torn on that.

I guess the way that it sits most comfortably with me is that, one of the ways, an IUD works (and I would include the mirena in that too as its an IUD with the added protection of hormones) is by maiking the conditions in the womb unfavourable for implantation of the egg and sperm. So, I understand that an IUD would 'abort' a sperm and egg before it is implanted.

In my case, the IUD wasn't sitting in the correct place (i.e. too low in the womb) hence, baby #3 is on the way - only took 1/2 a day to go from shock to excitement!!

I would recommend getting a scan to check for correct placement of the IUD. I kept forgetting to get a 6 week check, but even then, if the IUD had of been in the same place since it was inserted they still will have told me that it was fine!

I have a Mirena because I get ridiculously low iron (I bled alot during my period). I got side effects for about the first 6 months, then my bleeding slowed and is now only about 5-7 days long (about half what it used to be!) and much lighter flow. I get way less period pain and PMS and stuff. But in those first 6 months I did consider getting it removed, but all the literature said that the side effects usually dissipate between 6-12 months of use, so for long(ish) term contraception it seemed like a good option to me. And now I love it.

If you are having side effects from a Mirena or anything else that has progesterone in it, I would be very wary of getting an implant or anything that isn't easily reversible.

ETA: I had a lot of pain with the insertion because I had a lot of scar tissue and things 'down there' as well. To be honest, all the pain was with the speculum, and when they actually inserted the Mirena, I was like 'is that it?" I was expecting that part to be even more painful, but in comparison to the speculum on the scar tissue, it was nothing. Try not to worry!

Edited by LittleBug

So, does the Mirena also work as an abortive do you think?