Seeking Advice About the MIRENA Birth Control - M. A

hi M.,

I have a Paraguard IUD, have had it for 3 years. The Mirena IUD has hormones, I don't like adding to my already unstable stockpile of hormones :) With an IUD, you don't need hormones, the device itself is the birth contol method (preventing inplantation) I love my IUD. Makes my periods heavier, but then they last for what 3 day now? I can deal with that!
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hope this helps :)
W.

I have an IUD. I got mine at 6 weeks. I love it. I have the 10 yr one because I didn't want hormones. I can't take birth control. My fiance loves the fact that we can't get prego for a little while either. My son is 8 months now. To be honest I have enough to remember.

I have it and LOVE it! Not only do I get to forget about birth control for five years, but my periods are almost non-existant. I've probably had three very light periods and I've had it for about 16 months!

I love my Mirena. I don't have to remember a pill and my periods are super light. I would imagine it's like any other form of contraception in that it's not right for everyone, but it's great for me and many others out there.

BTW, you can still breastfeed with Mirena. I am. Not sure why the previous poster thought otherwise.

I've had mine in for about 2 3/4 yrs. The first 4 months i had a feeling of cramping / baby movment. And only the first 3 months i had a period.. but i can say there are days i have hormone flip outs i think not having my period for so long is knocking my hormoine balance off but when i started excersising again i felt better. I think the endorphones from it were helping. but over all i love it I am so forgetful that i'd probably have 4 kids by now. ...
I do know other people who had it in for 2 months and had it taken out becasue they wouldn't stop bleeding, Everyone is different and each body works in it's own way, So even if every person gives you positive/ negative feedback Your body will react in it's own way. Good luck with your choice and I hope what ever you choose works for you as an alertnative 2 of my best friends swear by the nuva ring. and hated the patch (fell of got fuzzy with your clothes and left a skin discoloration where ever you out it)

Although I spotted for a couple of months after it was inserted, I absolutely love the Mirena because I dont have my periods anymore and I really appreciate that.

Hi M.,

I used Mirena for five years. I had it removed a few months before its due date. With Mirena, my periods disappeared altogether. I had spotting for the first few months and then nothing. This apparently is not unusual.

However, about two years in, I started to feel different. I was extremely fatigued and edgy. I couldn't seem to get anything done and boy was I crabby. I made an appointment with my family doctor who ran some tests. She suggested maybe I was depressed and prescribed an anti-deppresant. I disagreed because at that point everything in my life was fantastic and I could not figure out why I would be depressed. Anyhow, she was the doctor, not me so I took the pills. I was on them for a week and the feeling intensified, I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin. I stopped taking them and refused a different medication. To make a long story short (sorry) a few weeks later I had a period. After it was over I was my regular self again. I think that my body was just struggling to have that period and I had experienced hormonal surges.

Since I was back to normal, I considered this a fluke and kept the IUD. Looking back I was stupid to do this. Again I had no periods and a few weeks before I had the IUD removed I again started the same symptoms as before. This time they were more intense where before it was gradual.

My doctor assurred me that this could not be attributed to Mirena. That the hormone levels are so slight they could not cause my symptoms. I strongly disagree and in fact since it has been removed I again am feeling normal.

I have heard many positive experiences with Mirena, but I have also heard a few experiences like mine. If you choose it and feel "strange" I wouldn't waste time getting it removed.

As for me, I am back on the pill. Good luck, I hope whatever you choose works out for you.

I have had my Mirena for a little over 5 years now. I love it!!! I just recently had another one inserted for another 5 years. I have been worry free. I have had no real menstrual cycle and that's the only "side effect" I have had. Which is absolutely normal!!! I don't like to call it a side effect cause it is just one less thing to worry about. I have a web site you can visit that tells you all about it, but for me personally it has been the best birth control ever. No mood swings, bloating, cramping, etc... just visit www.simplymirena.com or you can call888-84-Bayer. I was nervous when I went in for the procedure, but it is nothing more really than a regular pap smear. It didn't take long, there was just a little pressure. The whole procedure only took about 10-15 minutes at the most. I wish you the best of luck!!! Feel free to contact me anytime if you have anymore questions.

Hi there,

To step outside the box.....Being a woman,having a period is just part of life.Beleieve me,I used to ask,why can't we just take a pill when we WANT to conceive!!The idea of not having a period is wonderful!!When I heard about this device,my first thought was,how could something that pretty much stops a natural function be healthy for our bodies?At the end of the day,it comes down to weighing and balancing the pros & the cons.For me the warning label would be enough to disuade me.Get yourself all the info,so you are aware of all risks!!

Good luck!

Hi M.!! I have a 4 1/2 month old baby girl and I also debated getting MIRENA at my 6wk checkup. I decided against it after hearing from the mommies here on mamasource. I went with the depo shot and it's working great so far.
From what I've gathered about the MIRENA IUD, people either 100% love it hate it due to, what sounds like, major complications. Of course, every woman's body is different but for me, I didn't want to risk the major complications.
Good luck with your decision. Congratulations on your new addition!

Go on the mini pill so you can still breast feed.

I'm a working mom with three boys, twins (10), and a seven-year-old. I have had a Mirena IUD since baby #3 was 6 weeks old. I LOVE it! Haven't had a period since it was placed, with the exception of some spotting after the replacement was inserted (it needs to be replaced every five years). I am so vocal about it that four of my friends have gone Mirena as well...it's great to forget about 'supplies' and that entire ordeal - I say go for it.

Hi M.,
Someone just wrote in about the Mirena yesterday and I read because I'm due in October and was interested in this for later. I read one okay experience...even she had problems, but minor. It seems everyone that wrote in said they had some serious problems and had it removed. Good job at doing the research. I hope you find what works best for you.

I am currently using Mirena and it has been fantastic. I have had it for about 6 months now, about 2 months after my son was born. It was expensive because our insurance didn't cover it, but when I calculated the cost of bcp co-pays, it came out cheaper over the 5 years of effectiveness. It was only mildly uncomfortable to have it put in, with mild cramping that day and spotting for the next few days. Since then, I haven't had any periods at all, although that could be due in part to the fact that I'm still nursing.

When I went back for the follow-up visit, I did ask them to trim the wire a little bit, because my husband said he could feel it during intercourse. (There is a little string/wire thingy so that the doctor can remove it). That wasn't a big deal either.

My only issue with it is that we're thinking of having a 4th and final child, so we would have to have it removed early, which is a waste of money. But I guess that's more my issue than an issue with Mirena! LOL.

I had a Mirena placed at my 6 week postpartum visit. Sadly, my doctor pushed it in too far and it perforated my uterus and I had to get it removed surgically because it was floating around with my intestines and causing pain. One month later, I was pregnant again. Thankfully, that turned out to be the best surprise of my life. I know that my experience is 1/1000 risk, but that's my story. For the short time I had it, it was great, so I would still recommend it.
By the way, for all the people out there who think a period is "natural"... In the days before contraception (hormonal or otherwise), women spent most of their reproductive years either pregnant or breastfeeding, so they actually had very few periods. Now that we have more control over our fertility, we see Aunt Flow more often and have more hormonal fluctuations and I believe this is why we are seeing an increase in things like breast/uterine/ovarian cancer.
I'll get off my soapbox now... Good luck!

Hi. I had serious issues with post partum and realized that it was from my Mirena. I had it in for 5 years and didn't get a period. I was even medicated for 1.5 years as well. I was depressed and anxious and always hungry. I felt immediately better once it was taken out. I'm using the 10 year one now and have normal periods, but I feel much better.

I got the Mirena about 4 months ago. I had major cramps when they inserted it and was given ibuprofen - that helped slightly. After a day, it changed from painful to just discomfort that lasted a few weeks. Randomly I would have strong cramps and light bleeding and this went from 5 days a week down to 2 days a week over the following 2 months. Now I get occasional cramps and light bleeding, but it is very random, and I have no discomfort like when it was inserted. Although it has only been a short time, it is great not to have to take pills, which are also not natural, and with my busy schedule, also easy to forget. I need some sort of birth control and after looking at the options, although painful at first, this has turned out to be a good solution (so far). Good luck!

Hello M.! I have a 9 month old. I got the Mirena in March of this year. So far so good. It takes about 3 months for your body to adjust to the Mirena. My OB/GYN, who happens to also be my best friend, says that a lot of people don't have a period at all. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people where my period is MIA. The period is pantyliner heavy and a few days longer than it was prior to the Mirena. But all in all, I am pleased with the Mirena. It definitely is better than remembering to pop pills everyday.

Hi M., My advice to you is don't use the Mirena. I never had, but I have heard some horror stories with this, and actually 2 moms have already writing in to mama source because of problems, one was some pretty serriors side affects, continued even after it was removed. I honestly do not believe our bodies were designed to have all this man made stuff inside of it, I used the pill, in my younger days, but from the age of 32 after my daughter was born to starting menopause, we used the pull out system and it worked, no more babies, no side affects, no hormones out a wack, it was great. J.

Hi M., I'm a mother of two. And I've had the MIRENA implant for 5 years already so I'm ready to have it taken out and getting a new one. I loved it. Sex was great those five years without having to worry all the time about birth control or having the effects of the other birth controls. With the mirena the hormones made all my normal period cramps go away and they lighted my periods. I just loved it. With the pills I always kept forgetting to take them, and with the patch well, you heard about those effects I'm sure, and I use to have the depo shot too and that shot just made me soooo bitchy all the time. no wonder why they call it birth control....with the depo you don't want anything to do with sex or at least my hormones didn't. well everyone's diffferent and what I found out was that the mirena worked best for me.

Dont do it, I have heard too many bad experiences. Anything synthetic that stops our bodies from functioning naturally should be looked at very seriously. I mean come on, no period for years. How is that a good thing? Plus make sure you understand it's effects on breastfeeding. An IUD without hormones is a better option if you think you will be having sex a ton, or personally I think the diaphragm is the way to go if you cant stand condoms. Practice withdrawl as well for even more reassurance. Once you get your period look for the fertile mucous mid cycle and steer clear of intercourse or make sure you use extra spermacide or dual methods during that fertile time. Good luck!