Need More Info About an IUD Called Mirena Recommended to My 18-Year-old Daughter

I was heavily questioned if I was going to have any more kids before being given Mirena IUD as a choice. Also, my 29 year old friend was told by her doctor he didn't feel comfortable giving her the IUD since she hadn't had any children yet. So I would question the doctor about that and possibly go with another contraception at her age!!!

Not all people have no period. Usually periods are lighter, but many may have periods. There are some considerations for an 18 year old. If she is using it for birth control, and she doesn't have periods, she might not realize if she's pregnant (can very rarely happen, especially if the mirena comes out without her realizing it). If she does get periods, the hormones won't regulate her periods the way the pill does. The hormone is released continuously, and just lessens the period. If she still has bleeding, it will likely be as irregular as it is now. Also, does not protect against HIV and other STDs. (P.S. Just to give you some context, I am an MD, but not an OB, and have had the Mirena for a couple of years now).

M.,

I have the Mirena in as my birth control method. Thus far it has been a really great option for me. My periods were previously heavy with painful crapms but since the insertion of the Mirena, no problems there. My periods are now very light. From that stand point, the Mirena has been a great birth control method for me. I would like to express concern about its use for your daughter. Prior to its insertion, I discussed with my OB/GYN the benefits and who it was intended for. She stated that its typically for women who have children, are not planning on any within the next couple of years and who are in a stable relationship. At 18 that was not me and I am not sure if that applies to your daughter either. Given this, I would recommended you discuss this with another doctor and then decide if its the best option for her. Good luck.
- T.

38 years ago my mother had an IUD put in by a doctor who performed the procedure even though she had never had children.
Well, here I am! She conceived me with the IUD in place and carried me nearly to full term.
Aside from my personal story, I don't know why a doctor would recommend this to an 18 year old. Especially if she's never taken hormones for birth control she should try going on the pill to see how her body reacts to the hormones. The IUD is a much more involved insertion procedure.
Get a second opinion!

In my opinion, they should not have recommended this to her. It was recommended to me after I had my son and because he had expanded my uterus, it was "easier" to insert. If she has had children, then its appropriate. But an IUD is painful to be inserted even after having children. It does make your period extremely light, or non-existent, during the time you have it, but it does also come with occasional cramps during ovulation time. I also never had period headaches prior to having the IUD and now I get them. I personally think if she has the ability to take the pill, that should be her first option.

Consider showing her the book "taking charge of your fertility", which will show her how to chart her temps and know when she is going to be fertile. I would think that this should be madatory reading for all menstruating girls. It teaches you things about your body that every woman should know but were never told. It gives you power over your body.

There are lots of problems with other forms of birth control. Have her do her research.

One thing about the IUD is it doesn't stop you from actually conceiving- it makes you abort the pregnancy. it is in essence, an early abortion.

The problem with the pill is that it doses out all kinds of estrogen. Excess estrogen causes cancer in breast and uterus, and it hurts the thyroid.

I have only known of 2 people who have gotten the Mirena and both of them got pregnant with it. I think that is pretty rare but it makes me leary since like I said I do only know 2 people had it and both got pregnant and now have kids a little over a year apart.

I would get a second or even a third opinion. While I do have the Mirena, it is recommended for women who have already had children. The risks of long-term damage to the uterus/infertility, while very low, still exist. I'm very surprised her OB/GYN suggested this for your daughter.

Look up previous postings on IUD's on this site -I've seen similar questions before. That may give you more info. Go to the place where the questions are listed by topic.

The Mirena Iud is great, I have one and have had it for over 2 years. It does not completly stop your periods. I still get them, but they only last about 2 days. The only thing with the iud that you might want to ask your doctor is that if she has never bared a child, she could expell the iud. I would not recommend it for an 18yr old, my doctor does not even recommend it to an 18 year old. Check into it and good luck.

This is my second time using a Mirena and I recommend it without hesitation. No skipped pills, no pregnancy scares. The low dosage hormones are much less problematic than any pill I've tried. My period doesn't entirely go away, but no cramps and so light that I can use panty liners. It is totally reversible once ready to become pregnant.

There are some down sides. Implantation can hurt. And the first few months can be tough--bleeding off and on for two months. Like the pill, it is common to gain a few pounds.

Just make sure she knows about STIs (what we used to call STDs) and using condoms to protect herself. But she won't have to worry about getting pregnant.

I used the Mirena for three years (lasts for five,) there were no side effects, I only got periods every 40-60 days, and it was so light it was barely even able to be reffered to as a period. I loved it! My ob recommended it but suggested only women who had given vaginal birth before should use it due to complications when inserted. When I had it removed though, the nurse who took it out told me they reccomend them to anyone who is sexually active with only one other person. Check out the web site for Mirena, my husband actually found it helpful when trying to understand why this was the best choice for us. -E.

I got mine at age 43 and love it. I have had 2 kids, know I don't want anymore and figure after 5 yrs, if I haven't gone through menopause, I can have another one inserted and basically be done with periods. I still get spotting, but nothing major.

I had looked into it myself, and I understood from the literature that it is for women who have already given birth. You may want to bring that up to your daughter's OBGYN. I decided against it because I am very sensitive to hormones and don't want to go through the whole inplant process to just have to take it out again. If your daughter hasn't tried the pill yet, you may want to try her on that first to see if she is sensitive to hormones.

I have had the Mirena since shortly after my son's birth in June 2007, and I really love it! I do think I heard that it's (and IUD's in generall) usually recommended for women who've already been pregnant, though, so I don't know how that effects your daughter. Anyway, I have had a pretty great experience with it. It doesn't stop my period completely, but I only have 2-3 days of VERY light spotting, every 6-8 weeks or so. It took about 8 months to get to that point, though, so she needs to be prepared that it may take a while to get to the "no periods" stage. The unusual part for me is that I still get PMS-y and have all the checmical effects of being on my period, just without the menstruating. GL to her, I hope it works out!

I had the Mirena inserted a few months after I had my daughter. Since it used less hormones, and is not systemic, than the pill, it was safe during breastfeeding. And I knew that with a newborn in the house and all the lack of sleep, I would probably forget to take a pill anyway. Insertion was slightly painful, and I spotted for a few days afterward. Then, I got a few light periods for a few months. Now, nothing. I haven't had a period in almost three years. I love the Mirena, although I didn't those first few months. Remind your daughter, however, that she still needs to use a condom to protect from STDs...

I am 33 years old and have two little girls, barely 3 and 21 months. I couldn't get pregnant again anytime soon. So I just had one put in. I couldn't deal with having to take a pill daily and also the Mirena has a bit less hormone outake than the pill. My doctor said that you may have little to no period and so far so good. Only downside was spotting for 2 1/2 months. Good luck.

I was under the impression that Mirena was usually recommended to women who had already given birth, but I'm not sure why I thought that.

I have it, and have had no problems. Having no period is wonderful, and I easily got pregnant after having it removed in order to conceive. I have it back in again and plan to continue to use it.

As with the pill, she will still need to take precautions to avoid STD's! (I know you know that, but it bears repeating :)

L.