Thinking About Mirena (Birth Control)

I have had the Mirena for a little over a year and I love it. I get very light periods and don't have to remember to take a pill or something. When I had mine inserted they told me to take some medicine before I arrived and it basically felt like cramping. Overall I have been very pleased with mine. You should research it a bit, Wikipedia has a good entry on it. There you will be able to find tons of information including how it works to prevent pregnancy.

I have it, got it about 3 months ago, had a couple days of cramping when it was put in and then some spotting for a month. By this month though, my period has leveled out to minimal for about a week, so I'm happy with it.

Most of the problems I've heard about (through this board) have been from placement. So, I'm all for seeing how many your doctor has actually done (a number, not a general reassurance.) The old adage 'practice makes perfect' is definitely true in this case!

I like that I don't have to remember to do anything, it takes care of itself for 5 years, but is reversible anytime I want, with no side effects. =-)

Oh, and an IUD does NOT cause abortions, I recommend that you do your own research on the topic if you don't already know that, since the person who posted that obviously has no idea what she is talking about.

Good luck!

I got mine about 6 months after my 3rd child. I did bleed for about a month after getting it but after that it is smoothe sailing. I love it. I use to have heavy periods that lasted 6 to 8 days, now all I wear is a panty liner for 3 to 4 days about every 5 to 6 weeks. It is great! I highly recommend it. But I really would check on your doc's experience with them.

Your daughter is only 4 months. Are you still breastfeeding?

While Mirena is progesterone only and does not normally cause a drop in supply, it is a longterm form of delivery of a hormone.

If you have been on progesterone only contraception before and not had an issue, then it shouldn't be a concern, but just something to keep in mind.

Hello N.,

I have had the Mirena for 5 years and I have never had a problem. I believe the biggest problem is when it is inserted wrong, but if that's the case I would request another physcian insert it the second time around. Honestly, I couldn't give you any reasons WHY NOT to get it. To me, it's the BEST thing since sliced bread.

When it's inserted it should give you a feeling like when you are getting your pap. There may be a little cramping/spotting afterwards but for the most part that's all the pain you should feel with the Mirena being inserted. Go for IT!

Doesn't this IUD cause an abortion?
You can can pregnant but then it helps you abort, right?

Hello,
I had mirena inserted 3 months after I had my daughter. I had severe cramping that day and then bleeding. I had my 6 week f/u and still had cramping and bleeding. My doctor said that s/s usually go away around the 3 month mark if they are peristant. Within a week of my appt. I was fine. No camping or bleeding. I am so glad I stuck it out. Now a liner is all I need and periods are very short. Good Luck.

Some CWC offices using Mirenas and Paragards imported from other countries. This means they are not FDA approved. This puts patients at risk because coming from other countries, the product's identity, purity, source, handling, and storage cannot be verified. Using these overseas pharmacies can risk receiving unsafe and ineffective counterfeits, even if they appear the same. And the physician can save hundreds of dollars on the non-FDA approved product, but charges you and your insurance the same price as a US FDA-approved product. Please be careful and ask to see the box and insert with ENGLISH language only. If you think you had an unapproved IUD inserted in the past five years, go back and talk to your doctor about a fda-approved replacement at no charge. Click here to read the FDA warning: http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm219837...

N. ~
Check out the Request/Responses on 4/25/08 from Julie H.