So, this is my 6 1/2 yrs being on Mirena for birth control. With my first Mirena, I never noticed an all encompassing smell, however, with my 2nd Mirena, it's so repugnant! It really permeates a room with its musky smell. I hate it! I find that my boyfriend goes to town either way, but before he comes over, I usually wash myself carefully to make sure its not overbearing. There is no "spontaneous" sex. It's so frustrating. I know that I have washed with vinegar, but that doesn't offer much more protection. It's just disturbing. I have a gyno appointment in March so, I'm thinking I will ask my doctor to run the "full" test spectrum. I mean I trust my boyfriend, but hey...who knows!! I just know that I'm tired of being afraid to open and cross my legs in a skirt at work!
Thank you. I have had the same experience and I have been married for Six years with one child. I have tried all the fragrance soap even sea salt in water and duche!!. Honestly the scent is better but the discharges come spontaneously and the scent is so strong you just dont know what to expect during intercourse. My husband is careful not to mention it but I am mortified that others around me can smell it too!!as this has not happen before. There is no spontaneous love making Thank you so much I was getting real worried . I love my IUD had in for a year and a half but I just cant keep living in fear of that dreaded rotten meat odour.!//'
I have had my IUD for 4 years now and never had a problem till the last 8 months. I have more of a fishy smell but its only after sex and last a day or two. I do know if its fishy its BV and thats about all it can be and BV has to be treated with antibiotics. I lost my health coverage a while back so now I have to go to a free clinic and wont be seen till march. I cannot stand to smell bad so I did some research and found something that works for me. This is probably not the best idea but for me, it works for now. I douche with peroxide after sex or if I start to smell the smell. YES I know this is not healthy but till I see the doc, I gotta do what I gotta do.
I was just wondering if you received any further info regarding your IUD . I am still with my IUD since 12 yrs and this metallic smell started about 4 yrs ago. It is really embarassing especially when you have sex. This smell is just not right. Did you take it out or what did they tell you?
same thing with me! I had 2 kids on the pill so I went to the mirena...i've loved it...Ive had it for almost 4 years now, and just putting two and two together...this AWFUL smell...it comes and goes, but it will be around for MONTHS at a time...Ive been checked SO many times for STD's but always come up negative (thank god) but I enever knew what the smell was from...now Im realizing it is from the mirena...YUCK!
LADIES,I can relate to this!I am 26 I have had MIRENA for two and a half years now (removal due in '15) and I first noticed this awful,rotten fishy smell between my legs about six months ago.I blew it off at first,since I had just had sex in the ocean for the first time and figured itd go away quickly.This condition gives the term "fishy p***y" and "stank" a whole new meaning.Now I see what boys and girls were joking about back in high school.My fiance recently noticed the smell as well (hes an avid saltwater fisherman) and is understanding.However,we do joke about it calling it "seafood medley" "the all u can eat seafood buffet" or "captain d's/long john silvers."I too have had dogs sniff my crotch in dismay and afraid to wear dresses/go out in public.I suffer from painful acne,ovarian cysts,recurrent UTIs and 50+lbs of weight gain since Mirena.I have never smelled or weighed this much in my life.Tried antibiotics,douching,body sprays NOTHING works.It always comes back.Also have noticed discharge on underwear.Have been on bcps,depo,and nuva ring in the past and wasnt happy.Sounds like removal would be best.I'd rather deal with condoms.At least latex doesnt smell like rotten fish,right?
Try VH essentials , treatment for BV.. I bought at CVS drugstore for $30 and they smell was gone within the 1st dose, but continue through the 7days
I had a copper IUD for about 6 years, it started to fall out and I had it replaced with a Mirena about 2 years ago. No problems with it until I got a boyfriend with whom I have sex pretty much daily. (Previous bf by comparison was maybe 3 times per month.) A couple months after we started having sex, I got this stale fish odor far more powerful than anything I'd had in my entire life (and I'm in my late 40s, and have rarely had vaginal/uterine problems of any stripe.)
I'm very glad this thread exists! I cleaned it up with a peroxide/water douche once to twice a day for 3 days. Since that first time (about 11 months ago) it has come back 3 or 4 times, and the peroxide/water seems to be less effective this most recent round.
Guessing (from my vast sample size of 1) that when you have a Mirena IUD the balance is much more delicate. It's a foreign object in your body and gets shifted around during sex.
I got a prescription for Metronidazole and I'm wondering if taking it will make me more prone to recurrence. (I do not want to make any surviving bacteria tougher!)
Hey Ladies, I had the paragard IUD. (copper) I had it placed in Oct 2012 after having my third child. I knew i didnt want anymore babies but i knew i didnt want my tubes tied. I noticed after having my IUD for 1 month i got a foul fishy odor before and after period but then it would go away. After my 3rd month of having the IUD it got worse and became a constant odor and a thick white discharge which was very embarrassing. i didnt want to be intimate because of the smell and extreme wetness. I went to the dr multiple times they prescribed me flagyl and other VB meds and did a few other test to rule out any other infection/std. Nothing seemed to help. Two weeks ago i had my IUD removed and have had no problems after the 1st week of it being removed.
I've also had the same thing and this is my second Mirena - the first time I didn't start having problems until my final few months of having it but this time I also at 7 months am starting to have an odor and other problems.
Same here, I’ve had the Mirena for 9 months, and for the last 2 months I’ve had bad odor. I get bad cramps at least 3-4 times a month, but the bleeding completely stopped. It sounded like a great idea at first but it’s way too embarrassing to continue having this odor.
I've had the same problem now for several months. I thought it was my eating habits so I tried experimenting with different things (no dairy, no wheat, no meat, etc.). Finally, I found out that it was a copper imbalance in the body. I started taking Iron supplements to balance it out and the smell went away almost immediately! I've also been supplementing with zinc since an abundance of copper in the body can affect its levels. Hope this helps!
Yes! I had the copper IUD put in 6 months ago and have the exact same experience. Terrible smell, especially the week before and after my period. I thought for sure I had done something horrible like accidentally leave a tampon in/too far up to reach. I haven't had sex in months and the smell is not going away, nor is the light brown discharge. So annoying for such an expensive birth control:(
Hi, I posted back on 2/27/13 and wanted to follow up. I decided Metronidazole was not the way to go. While researching RePhresh read a lot of good reviews on FemDophilus from Jarrow. I decided to try that one and it seems to be having a good effect.
I started taking it the day I noticed my normal odor getting stronger. Usually when this happens, it will turn fishy in 24-36 hours. The day after I took the first dose, the odor was not less strong, but *different*. I also began my usual peroxide/water douche once daily. Today is my 4th day taking FemDophilus, I haven't douched yet today, and guess what? I smell completely normal! I think there's really something to it.
It needs to stay refrigerated, so unless you are absolutely sure the online seller will ship it with a cold pack, I recommend getting it at a brick & mortar store.