experiences with mirena

I am 26 years old and I have had the Mirena IUD in for a little over a year and I am glad to know that I'm not the only one experiencing problems. My biggest complaint is the weight gain. However, I have also experienced low sex drive and mood swings (just ask my husband). Also, I never really know when my period is going to come or go. I have had months with light spotting of a period and some months with a 14-17 day period. I'm seriously considering getting this thing taken out!

I've had Mirena for eight months with no weight gain (I've actually found it easier to lose weight since having it placed), but experiencing an increased sex drive. Now, I'm not certain if my age has anything to do with it... ie, sexual peak, but I'm out of my head with it. It's like I'm a teenage boy, always thinking about it. I think there are other factors in my life that may be influencing my libido as well... ie, divorce, but I've had no problem with desire or weight gain since Mirena, and after the first three months of near constant bleeding (oy!), I've established fairly regular periods. My issue is that now I'm doing the spontaneous discharging as well, and mine is mixed with small strings of blood. Sometimes I get a mauve colored goop. I never really know what's going to happen or come out from between my legs. Sorry, I know that's nasty, but it's the truth. It's embarrassing to say the least, to get into an intimate moment and have this stuff plunk out of me. My breasts will also have moments of tenderness where it hurts to even wear a bra... not so much the entire breast, but more so my nipple. Very unpleasant. Does anyone else have odd discharge? Do you notice that your... smell is off too? It's not rank, just different. It's like I'm in ownership of someone else's vah-j-j. All the other things are great the libido, the loss of weight, but I'd like to have my own vagina back. Anyone else? Buehler?

I feel sooo relieved, because I thought I was the only one having these problems and happy to hear you all stories so imediatley I called my DR and request to take this mirena out. Ive had the mirena for almost a yr and I went up 2 or 3 sizes since then in clothing. I just feel unatractive annoyed with a little depression to add onto the list. So I hope it all turns for the better once I take it out.

I had mirena inserted at the end of October and now the beginning of January I have put on 9 pounds. I also feel unattractive. the weight gain was almost immediate. I am also thinking of having it removed.

I have had Mirena for a year exactly now......I loved it to begin with! I lost weight, I was down to 138 in november 2008, now..january 2009 I have gained 10 POUNDS!! out of nowhere! I work out 5-6 days a week, eat healthy, no pop, no junk, no fast food, so I KNOW it is not my diet. Thinking back on the last year, I have noticed a huge decrease in sex drive, depression, severe mood swings (just ask my husband, lol), and now weight gain. I am so not happy about this at all....thinking about having it removed, but I definitly will miss not having periods...

:$ I had the mirena inserted november 1st 2008 and i have not stopped yet!! After my baby i had started loosing weight quickly but even though i wasn't noticing because i had not weighed myself everyone else was that i had put on 24 lbs in 2 months!!! OUTRAGEOUS! Also i have noticed acne on my back really bad and NEVER have I had acne! This is insane!

my daughter is on the mirena and the doc left it in there and put her on the pill to is that safe

i had mine put in feb of 2003. i still have the same one. my friend went after her 5 years were up and they told her she could leave it in and basically 5 years was just a check up and she didn't need a new one. is that true? mine hurt really bad getting it in. i had a period for prob 2 or 2 1/2 years and then it went away. for prob the past 1 or 1 1/2 years i will spot every once in a while and lately my breasts are very sore sometimes and it seems like im getting back to pms where i had no symptoms before. so does this stuff 'run out"? i do want to get it out, but i cant use any other bc. i have gained weight rapidly over the past year. it seems that after my 5 years was up things have changed a lot. maybe i just answered my own question. i think i need to get it out soon.

I got the Mirena in June 2007 and it's been over 7 months and I'm spotting for half of the month, I have gained 7 pounds and I'm pretty upset because I want to keep the Mirena, but with all these changes I'm getting it out.

wow. you've had it in 7 years...that's way too long. there is only enough progesterone for 5 years. i cant believe your doc said to leave it. if you look on the mirena web site it says it has to be removed after 5 years,and you can have another one inserted in the same visit. i definitely think you need to have it removed before something gets worse!!! also, as far as other birth control i felt the same way about having no options, until i heard about Implanon. its awesome. definitely go look at the site as an alternative.

I would certainly read other peoples post in regards to Mirena however, I wouldn't let it be a deciding factor when thinking of whether or not to get it or not. The reality is and will always be that everyones bodies react differently to things. What happens to one person may not happen to you. You can read all of these comments and still not have any of the same side effects that others experience. I had Mirena inserted on May of 2007. It has truly been the best thing for me. Other than abdominal cramping that is sometimes pretty extreme, I used to have very heavy periods. I had to wear a tampon along with 2 pads during cycle times. This is the only thing that has straightened me out. I now have a period that lasts 1 or 2 days that's very very light. Maybe a couple of spots and have not had to buy tampons or pads since I have had the mirena. Of course, with any birth control the first couple of months are a little shaky because your body needs to adjust and during this time you can have breakthrough bleeding until it gets settled but isn't that with any birth control. You just have to use your judgment when deciding to have it put in or not. I personally hated remembering to take a pill everyday so this is awesome.

I didn't even realize my weight gain and mood swings were from the Mirena until reading this. I did have the lowered libido, but just dismissed it as I was uninterested in my SO of 13 years. Now, I find out that it might be the blessing turned nightmare(Mirena). I feel like I'm going insane half the time, my kids clear out from me when I'm in one of my "moods". I have always been a really affectionate person and this has really affected every aspect of my life. I was going to have it removed bc of the cramping and infections, but now I'm going to have it removed for the weight gain (I thought it was stress), the mood swings (I thought it was him causing stress), migraines (I've always had them, but experienced more), lowered libido, cramping, infections and for my kids (Ihave four). I've been thinking of having another baby, but I'm still undecided right now, plus it's a little early in my new relationship to be thinking babies. I hope the removal is easier than the insertion, bc I'm currently in the process of being referred from my family doctor to the OB/GYN to have it removed. I hope I don't get pregnant while switching birth controls, but hope I can still get pregnant when I want to. I'm very nervous about my upcoming appointment even though it hasn't been made yet. Oh, by the way, mine has been in for almost 3 years now, and I have gained almost 30 pounds (I'm huge now).

Wow...I did a Google search on keeping Mirena in while doing egg donation, and I find these sights. With all of the little things that are bugging me...
I can't seem to budge the scale. I have been exercising (trust me, I wasn't and usually that jump starts a loss) and eating better but have been exhausted. My thyroid meds were upped but still sooo tired. And my hair is falling out, enough to be noticeable, mostly in the shower, although there are hairballs all over the wash when I put it away. My personal odor has changed too, and it's kinda gross.
And the anger? Forget it...the poor kids have to hear me shout every day over stupid little things, and I feel like I might go berserk.
I had it done because it seemed like the right method at the time (vasectomy still scares the pants off of me but DH seems ready) but now am wondering. And it's only been 2 1/2 months! The only benefit I can see is less periods and much higher sex drive.
It's bizarre how this can affect people. I think if/when I get accepted for egg donation, I will remove it then and keep it out.

Hello everyone. I got my mirena Iud put in Dec 08. I thought lighter periods and less hassle. Boy was that a big mistake. I thought cool, I dont have to worry about the pill and have a more stable form of birth control. Little did I know that the side effects would drive me insane. I have had my iud in for a little over 3 months now. I have always been good at maintaining a steady weight. I have gained 8 pounds during these 3 months. The sad thing is, its all going to my stomach. When standing up I look like I'm about 4 months pregnant. My pants will no longer button up, if they do I have this huge fat roll hanging over my belt. Which I never had that before. I never had a flat stomach, but definitely not a stomach like this either. I'm serious my stomach looks like it did when I was 6 months pregnant with my daughter. I never had severe mood swing before I had this thing put in. My kids are 4 and 6 and I barely have the patience to deal with them anymore. As for the lighter periods, I bled for the first 2 months non-stop then it stopped. I have been spotting this dark brown discharge, kind of like the last day of your period. Well ony this has a smell and its just disguisting. I recently got diagnosed with a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) and Bacterial Vaginosis infections. Never had i had these before. I was complaining to my Doctor about cramping and he suggested a pelvic ultrasound. Come to my surprise I have 4 cyst on my left ovary. That weren't there before I had this thing put in. Which I have recently read some people experience these with the Mirena. My breast have gone up a cup size, which I'm happy for that, but they are tender to the touch. Almost like being pregnant. I get nauseated after I eat, I go pee like a 100 times a day. My taste buds have changed dramatically over the last 3 months. My husband came home for his two weeks R&R (deployment leave from Afghanistan) and I had no sex drive what so ever. I felt really bad for him. I have always had good complexion on my face, rarely did i ever get a pimple. Now its all bumpy and broke out with pimples. I really wished that I had researched the Mirena before making a decsion. Cause I definitely would not have gotten this thing. I hope to warn others take extreme caution when considering the mirena. Each birth control reacts differently to each person and as much negative feedback that I have read over the last few weeks this thing is coming out next week. I hope my experience has been helpful to you when making your decision about the mirena.

So I have read some really horrific stories online about Mirena. and I almost drove my Gynocologist insane with emails and calls with questions, after serious thought and a lot of research I decided to get the Mirena IUD... I had already prepared myself for what sme women have described as the worse pain ever !! to only experience slight cramping that subsided after about 1 hour and alittle spotting which didnt even last a day!! I know everybody body reacts differently to this product.. However, I can honestly say I haven't experience any cramps or spotting since my insertion...