Chronic UTI's linked to IUD

Thanks for the post..It is very kind of you all... I am also on IUD since 2013 however, apart from heavy period after six months I started having severe pain at the back with fever of 104 degree with severe UTI problem and 200 to 300 pus cells My God! after so much antibiotic the UTI problem re-occur ..I came to this site because after the Doctors denial about IUD causing it somehow I know my own body and feel that it has something to do with the IUD...Planing to take it out soon till now I Am under antibiotic... Thanks for your concern and will let you know the consequences after taking it out.

I felt compelled to say thanks for starting this thread and to everyone that commented. I had an IUD put in Oct 2012 and after multiple UTI's and vaginal infections this month (January 2014) I had the worst bladder and kidney infection of my life I was hospitalized and still have not recovered. I have had nothing but problems (pain, bleeding, problems with intercourse) since having the IUD in and have thought of having it removed numerous times. This definitely seals the deal for me. Again thank you, Thank you! I plan on reporting my problems to the FDA.

I had my UTI (actually copper chain gynefix) inserted in January 2013. 1,5 weeks later: the first UTI of my life. From that point on, I had constant UTIs appearing about once a week to every 2 weeks, eacht time with fever and bleeding and the need of antibiotics. I was permanently crying from pain. My gyn denied there's a link. I was sent to an urologist who told me, that he has quite a number of patients that get chronic UTIs from IUDs.

I had it removed in August and never had another UTI. But the damage the 7 months of strong antibiotics have done (systemic candida infection that spread to my skin) took 4 more months to get better.

I have been struggling with frequent UTI's for two years now, with one occurring almost around the clock at about 2-3 months between them. I have had my Copper Paraguard IUD for four years. 

My UTI's have become really bad as of lately as they pop up almost instantly and I begin to pee blood. Just a month ago I had my last one and it was quite a scare. It was midnight and I had to pee and the when I did I felt excruciating pain as I went. I looked down and blood was everywhere. I'd had blood in my urine before from UTI's, but not quite this much and not this sudden. So I cleaned up, and thought I would visit the doctor in the morning as it was obviously something that couldn't wait a day or two. However, even when I was done peeing I still had really strong burning sensations internally and feeling as if I had to constantly pee. So I returned to pee, time after time, I can't count how many times and each time I pee'd less urine and pee'd more blood. Three hours pass and I decide it's serious enough to go to the ER as it's now 3am and on a weekend. 

I go to the ER and pee for them a cup of blood and they give me antibiotics (which I've been taking for all previous UTI's for the last two years). They give me some pain medication as just laying down was painful and sent me home. I visited my doctor again who was aware of my problem with frequent UTI's and she has now had me run through a whole slew of tests to find out what's wrong. I've currently had:

Blood Drawn for any signs of kidney infection, deficiencies in vitamins/minerals, etc,. - Just low on Vitamin D (I live in Seattle...it's expected).

Urine culture tested - came out okay.

Ultrasound for Kidney's/Bladder - which all checked out okay at the time. 

Ultrasound for Ovaries and other general women's areas. - Haven't heard results yet, though I have an existing cyst on my left ovary from having had an ultrasound done three years ago due to pain on the left side.

Yearly women's exam is up next for later this week

Overall, I'm very frustrated with the whole experience as I have little to no time to respond now when UTI's pop up, the pain is excruciating and very disruptive, doctor's just look at me like there can't be anything wrong as most tests so far have indicated... 

I don't care what it is at this point, I just want whatever the problem is, gone. 

I'm currently taking cranberry pills, drinking tons of water, drinking less alcohol (just in case that had anything to do with it), less coffee... and I don't know what else to do.

This whole time I have questioned whether my IUD could have something to do with it, but when I've asked my doctor in the past they said it couldn't be possibly related. At this point, I'm ready to try anything. It's interesting to read all these other stories of similar situations.

 

Hi Amber, Did you get your IUD removed? I've been having similar symptoms but never connected the dots. Arghhh!! I would love it if this was my cure.

Iam also using Iud for 3 years and having repeated uti.. I should remove it

 

Hi, I had constant UTIs (never had 1 in my life before having the copper coil fitted), had loads of doctors and hospital visits and no one believed me (1 even asked was I cleaning myself right?) I have mine out for over 2 years now and in the beginning it took a good few months for everything to settle but in the last year I have only had 1 UTI so there is hope ladies!

Thank you for posting this! I thought I was the only one dealing with frequent UTI's from my Mirena. I have never had a yeast infection or a UTI before in my life and After I had my Mirena IUD put in in March 2013, I have had non-stop problems ever since. I've had frequent UTI symptoms (about once a month) and sometimes they can't even find an infection when I go to the doctors. It seems like a mystery to everyone as to why I am contantly feeling these symptoms. I've been having frequent urination and mild pain in my lower abdomen for a long time now. I'm basically 100% that it's my IUD. Most likely going to schedule to have it removed ASAP!

I had the strings cut down as short as it was possible at the time of insertion...still got many many UTI's

Did the UTI's stop after you had it removed? Did you undergo any treatment to make sure the E. coli was not in your uterus?

I had exactly the same experience. I had my first mirena non hormonal coil put in in Dec 2005. Then removed in July 2009. No problems apart from the odd yeast infection which i never questioned. Had a baby then another Mirena coil put in after the birth. 3.5yrs in, last year i started getting UTIs and yeast infections all the time. I wondered what was going on but repeatedly went back to the dr. she told me to also stop using tampons as they can be a cause of bacterial infections. In June after about the 5th yeast infection of the year, i got it removed, convinced it was the cause of my recurrent yeast and bacterial infections. Although i didnt think to get it tested because i didnt think one could test an IUD for bacteria, i am sure it would have been positive for e.coli or similar because since then i have been UTI and yeast unfection free. Ok, its only 3 months but i feel so much better for having removed it. I agree with the other lady that after several years it stands to reason that a foreign object in our body may collect bacteria. Unbelievable that drs dont acknowledge or question it. What us gals put our bodies through!

I too have a IUD and have had this for the past five years. I have had several UTI's . The antibiotics on work for a short time until the next one. I have only just wondered if it could be due to the coil but dissmissed it as I have not read that there could be a link to the cause of the infections. I will get mine removed and tested. I really want to know if it is infected.Glad I read about so many people having this problem.

I'm writing because I also have an IUD put in 7 years ago. I got UTI and yeast infections about 5-7 times a year each, for this past year. Before that they were far and few in between, maybe 1-2 a year. I saw that you requested to have the IUD tested and I will consult with my doctor to see if that is possible for me to do as well. I did some research and found that since the IUD is a foreign object, although your body can heal itself from the infection, the IUD can and will in most cases retain some of the microorganisms that cause the infections. Thank you for posting this because there is a limited amount of information on this topic. It took my husband's urologist to help me make the correlation between the recurring infections and the IUD.

I happen to know my IUD is not placed correctly. We had done an ultrasound which is how I know...just had intercourse and immediate UTI symptoms which weren't there before. I'm going to schedule removal after reading all of this. Any other birth control options out there? I can't do the pill and 45.

I am in the exact same bait had it out 2 years ago and have uti all the time... What did I find out