[eleni]

okay i had the mirena for about five months
for me it caused, in no particular order -

massive moodswings (sparking a manic episode that landed me in hospital)
acne
growing an alarming amount of facial hair
hair growing on my chest (!!!!!)
weight gain
complete and utter loss of sex drive (which is only just starting to come back)
random heavy and non existent periods in no particular pattern
spotting
weird spiky cramps at random times of the month

basically it was an unmitigated disaster from start to finish

now i have the copper one and have no problems.

(the IUD coil is also a little T shape, they're just called coils regardless of their shape)

[Lorelai Gilmore]

Mirena sucked for me. I had it for two months. I bled for the entire two months. I could feel the strings AND I could feel pressure where it was. When my doctor removed it, I felt such a relief. It was absolutely awful. I know people who love it. This was just my experience.

[nichola224]

ive had merina since october for the first 6months i had many side effects but stuck it out. now its practically fine i get the occassional contraction as they feel but for me it was worth sticking it out although it was very tough. i had in no order mood swings, sore breasts, bleeding, contractions that were so painful, spots and just a general crazy hormonal feeling. i currently have lots of small bumps on the wall of my vagina which my doctor says are not related but im not so sure. x

[catnewman]

ive had coil in for 5years,got a new one put in 3 weeks ago.ive been in hospital with unbelieavable pain on my right side and my back,never had a problem with my last one,doctors said it was nothing to do with coil,but ive had sore breasts ,feeling sick,i had 2 scans and 1 xray and nothing showed up wrong,im going to get coil out next tues,and i bet i will feel better,my friend also feels a lot of pain with coil,it has to be causing all these problems for women cause ive gone through so many tests this week and nothin is wrong,i advise you to see your doctor and tell him or her about your pain it could have moved out of place.

[mom30]

I had the Mirena placed at the beginning of the year after my doctor and I decided it was best for me to stop taking the birth control pill. This was the second time I'd had the coil placed; the first several years ago, I kept only a month because of bleeding and cramping. But, I figured I would try again. Since having it placed, I haven't had any side effects such as weight gain or mood swings, but I have noticed skin problems. Also, while my bleeding is much lighter, my periods are longer. Starting around the middle of each month, my period starts, and I bleed off and on for about two weeks. Cramping was not that big of a problem when the coil was first placed, but lately, the cramping is much harder.

[Clare87]

Mirena Coil stuck on removal!! Help?

Hi, i've had my mirena for just over a year.
I haven't had any major problems only frequent cramps but they aren't bad, don't even need to take painkillers for it alot of the time and haven't had a period for over a year.. Which has been absolute bliss as i had severe pain with my periods.

I decided to have the coil removed to start trying to get pregnant.
I went to the doctors 2 days ago. The nurse agreed to remove it, we did the whole "count to three, take a deep breath and i'll pull. It'll only hurt for a few seconds".

Nope.. Twice she tried, she pulled and it hurt like mad! She said it's stuck and she's never had that problem with a mirena.

Now i'm worried, i have trouble, not with conceiving but i've had 4 miscarriages in the early stages before having the mirena.

I don't understand why it's "stuck" and neither does the nurse. I have to go back in a few days for the doctor to try but does anyone know why this has happened or anyone have a similar experience???

[kira]

Sometimes tissue in the uterus can grow over the iud. They will have to confirm the problem with an ultrasound or other methods. If it is stuck they may have to dilate the cervix to get to the iud and release it. It may require some anesthetic but should not cause lasting problems. IUDs that have stayed in place for years often come out rather disgusting with tissue all over them.

There is a more serious complication where the IUD punctures the uterus and that could cause future problems. However this usually leads to frequent pain instead of just when the strings are pulled on.

[Clare87]

Thanks

I did go back again today and the doctor tried.. and tried..

So they're now referring me to a speciaist as she's pretty confident it's embedded itself into the tissue as you said.
As far as i know, they're going to remove it in hospital under anaesthetic.

Just incase anyone has the same problem, apparently it's nothing major

[Ashlee T.]

Yet another thing doctors don't tell you about this type of BC when you start. Many women would opt out if they knew this was even a possibility. I'm sure it's in fine print somewhere, but when are some doctors going to learn that this is our BODY they are dealing with.....and that we need to be totally informed.

Bless your heart. Hope all goes well with the removal.

[Clare87]

That's exactly what the nurse said wen i told her i wanted it removed.

She said she gets LOADS of women around my age (23) that haven't been councilled for it properly and haven't been told the side effects or possible complications.
She also said that this type of birth control isn't really suited for women that haven't already had children (which i haven't) she didn't go on to explain why.

But i definately agree, they're all to keen to keep pushing IUD's and pills to solve the problem with unwanted and underage pregnancies. How about adressing the problem instead of covering it up with hormones and drugs?

I definately wouldn't have had a mirena if i'd have known this is the sort of trouble and pain i'd have to go through. Just lucky i decided to have it removed now rather than another 4 years time. What damage would that have done being left embedded in my uterus?

I'll post how the removal goes when it's finally sorted just so other women with this problem have something to reffer to, seeing as doctors don't seem to want to be honest about it.

Thanks for your support x