Mirena IUD and Weight Gain

JessaLee0324

I've had it for 11 months now and love it. I've noticed since having it though.... about once a month I get sort of depressed like. I don't feel like doing the things I usually like to do. That lasts a few days. Then I'm fine again. I don't think it has made me want to eat more or less....I htink that's just me in general.

jessiferrrb

bumping a zombie thread. i would like to hear from women who have been tracking accurately before and during Mirena and whether there was weight gain, increased appetite, water retention. I've been on the mini pill for 3 weeks and have held onto the initial 5 lbs of water retention pretty steadily but my doctor is encouraging me to get an iud.

by accurately i mean logging every day, using accurate database entries and using a food scale as much as possible.

pleases and thank yous!!!

jennybearlv

jessiferrrb wrote: »

bumping a zombie thread. i would like to hear from women who have been tracking accurately before and during Mirena and whether there was weight gain, increased appetite, water retention. I've been on the mini pill for 3 weeks and have held onto the initial 5 lbs of water retention pretty steadily but my doctor is encouraging me to get an iud.

by accurately i mean logging every day, using accurate database entries and using a food scale as much as possible.

pleases and thank yous!!!

This thread is nine pages long. Your questions will be lost in no time. Ask your questions in your own thread and I would be happy to respond.

bri80618

I got the Mirena in late August 2017. At first I liked it, the only thing that bothered me were the period cramps (which I've never had before in my life thankfully). I had pretty bad emotional PMS days before my period, normally felt bloated, but it was not a big deal. But then a couple months later, I noticed that I gained some weight in my stomach area... It was odd because it was a lot of extra fat on my stomach and honestly shocking because I've never gained weight this quickly in my life. I did pageants up until 2016, weighed 135lb, 5'7" in 2016. When I got the Mirena I was around 148lb (at the time i was exercising 3-4 times per week and losing weight).

Then I got the mirena late august 2017, continued to exercise, and then injured my knee. So I didn't exercise for three months, and one day I randomly checked the scale, not thinking it would be drastically different....and I weighed 162!!!!! I gained close to 15 pounds!!!! I thought, i can't believe i've gained so much weight in three months, i normally don't gain weight this quickly. i attributed it to not working out at FIRST, but then i remembered that I started gaining weight around the time i got my IUD. so then i started going back to the gym, eating a regular/healthy diet.... i exercised (cardio) 4-5 days per week with a regular diet for two weeks...after two weeks, i checked the scale and low and behold... I gained MORE pounds. I gained 5 lbs in two weeks! I was 162 before I started working out and now 167! And it's not because of gaining muscle, I've been doing cardio specifically to avoid gaining muscle.

In the past without an IUD, I usually start losing weight quickly, i.e. 1-2 lbs per week. I usually lose 8-10 lbs within the first month. I got my IUD removed today and I'm hoping the weight is going to be easier to lose now.

Also, I was hospitalized for dehydration in November, a couple months after my IUD insertion. I've never been hospitalized before, and for dehydration... it's just odd. I had been having on and off fevers, and feeling weak the whole month of November. The doctors did abdominal scans and found no gallstones or anything like that. So now I'm starting to think that weird month of fevers/chills/weakness was caused by my IUD... In addition, the past few months i've been sleeping for days - literally, DAYS. Like I would just sleep for 20 hours like it's no big deal. I haven't had a social life because I sleep the ENTIRE weekend. I'm thinking the fatigue/frequent need for sleep was the IUD as well.

I'll update in a few weeks and hopefully I will be 5-10 lbs lighter! NEVER AGAIN!

Kst76

RooMcDermott wrote: »

I know there are some posts about this topic, but I thought I'd bring it back. I am on my 2nd Mirena IUD and about the only thing I love about it is the convenience of not having to remember to take a pill every day and the fact that I don't get my period at all. After I had my first one removed after the 5 year time period, I tried to go back on the pill and then hated remembering every day to take it, so then thought I must have been imagining my weight gain was from the Mirena and decided to have another one put in. Well now I am revisiting that fact that maybe I am not crazy, maybe my weigh gain (20 lbs in a year!) might have something to do with the Mirena. I've been scouring the internet and have come across so many similar stories and wonder who else is experiencing weight gain after having a Mirena placed and have you had it removed and had any luck losing the weight again?

I use the Paragard which has no hormones. Your periods will end up much heavier at first but should get better over time. According to google if you already have heavier periods this might not be the right choice.

Anyways. I have it and I have not gained weight from it.

doittoitgirl

I gained a ton of weight on skyla (smaller mirena). I knew it was from the skyla because I had easily lost nearly 40 lbs the 6 months before I got it. Immediately after I got it and in the following months my weight loss came to a screeching halt and I started gaining. It made me ravenous ALL the time. I had it taken out and I feel much better without it.

fitoverfortymom

I got a Mirena about a month ago. It made me ravenous at first and had a near-constant period. Both of those symptoms are waning. It also gave me a big case of the feelings. Wasn't quite ready for that. I'm still waiting for the benefits to show up, but I do have my appetite under control now!

ts333

Before Mirena, I was on the lowest dosage of Lo Loestrin Fe since I was 16, but had pretty constant breakthrough bleeding for a few years. Going to college I gained almost 10 pounds because I stopped being as active and drinking/eating unhealthy ect, so I went from being just under 120lbs (I'm 5'2") to about 130lbs over my freshman year of college (aka 19 years old). It was at the end of that academic year that my gyno decided to give me a higher dosage of birth control (same brand) to help end the breakthrough bleeding, which caused me to gain a whopping 20lbs over 2 and a half months on top of the weight I gained from not taking care of my body, putting me at almost 150lbs. I was SO BLOATED and always uncomfortable and looked pregnant. I decided to switch to Mirena because I was attracted to the fact that it has hormones that "only affect your uterus," after feeling terrible and self conscious about by body weight (especially because it was the beginning of the summer and the last thing I wanted to do was put on a bikini).

The insertion of Mirena was painful, but I thought it was completely worth it! I never got my period since! I also was able to lose about 10lbs, and looked less bloated. Since then, I've been going back to my active lifestyle (run 3 miles at least 3 days a week, joined a HIIT gym) and I eat very clean mostly veggies and protein, trying to lose the rest of the weight and get to at least 125lbs. I do have moments where I break my clean eating and have a cheat day (hey...I'm human lol) but overall I eat extremely clean and consume less calories than I burn off. I'm now 21 and have been stuck at 132lbs for the past two years, and still am bloated (but not nearly as bad as it was when I was on the pill before Mirena. I thought I could have developed food allergies....went gluten free, dairy free, vegan....yet no difference in my bloating. I've also noticed that over the past few years that I've been very gassy. I also do have lower back pain on occasion (I thought it was from not sitting straight but I normally make sure to have good posture), and I find that sometimes my anxiety is worse than its been before.

At first all these things were things that I thought were issues that weren't related to Mirena, especially the weight thing, as some people have told me that this could just be my body changing as I'm growing older, but after reading all of these posts I wonder if Mirena could be the cause. I'm going to visit my gyno for my annual well visit at the end of this month, and am really considering to ask her to take out Mirena, and take a break from any contraceptives for a while to give my body a break from all synthetic hormones. I was just looking for some advice and/or opinions on if this is just me being crazy or if Mirena could actually be an issue?! I want to do whats right for my body and also be more comfortable in my skin, yet I'm also nervous to ask my gyno if she thinks Mirena could be the causing issue, after reading so many posts from people saying their Drs always said Mirena wasn't the cause of their symptoms, and my gyno is a big supporter of Mirena and I'm afraid she'll try to convince me not to get it removed (either way I know its MY body and I will make the choice I feel is right for me). I'm going to visit her in a few weeks so any thoughts from anyone before that would be extremely helpful!!!

SCoil123

I’m on my third Mirena. It was recommended to me to help treat endometriosis. I’m very happy with it. I do not believe at all that Mirena had anything to do with my weight either time I got heavy.

The first time I gained weight I was pregnant and going through a separation preparing to be a single mom. I stress ate a lot! And I kept eating that way until my son was 3, so while I gained a lot with my first one I had already started gaining and the Mirena had nothing to do with it. I was also diagnosed with hashimotos and started losing when I got treatment.

The second time I gained I switched jobs and moved in with my now husband who is a chef. I had a commute so I was sitting more and I was eating more having big dinners every night with my partner. Nothing to do with Mirena

I’ve also lost the weight both times while on Mirena

motivatedmartha

I used a Mirena from shortly after the birth of my second child (1993) until I hit menopause - about 15 years. During that time I had no periods and no problems. My weight gain had started with my first pregnancy in 1990 - pre Mirena - and continued due to snacking on crisps and chocolate and eating meals the same size as my husband's! The Mirena was great for me - I didn't know I was menopausal but after the 3rd my nurse suggested not replacing it and seeing whether periods returned - they didn't - Yay! No probs with menopause either although I accept I may just be lucky with that.

Jadub729

Mirena itself cannot cause weight gain, it does not add calories to your body. What it can do and has been known to do is increase your appetite. I've had the mirena for 1 1/2 years and have gained 10lbs (I just lost those 10lbs by tracking my calories and moving more) I may get rid of it anyways though, my hair is falling out =(

MsMaeFlowers

Jadub729 wrote: »

Mirena itself cannot cause weight gain, it does not add calories to your body. What it can do and has been known to do is increase your appetite. I've had the mirena for 1 1/2 years and have gained 10lbs (I just lost those 10lbs by tracking my calories and moving more) I may get rid of it anyways though, my hair is falling out =(

Lol came here just to say basically this same thing. Birth control does not force you to eat more food. It can just increase your appetite sometimes. I've been on every type there is and none of them shoved food in my mouth for me.

HoneyBadger302

Jadub729 wrote: »

Mirena itself cannot cause weight gain, it does not add calories to your body. What it can do and has been known to do is increase your appetite. I've had the mirena for 1 1/2 years and have gained 10lbs (I just lost those 10lbs by tracking my calories and moving more)

THIS.

I gain weight when I eat more than I should, and I lose it when I don't. Pretty simple.

The worst thing for my weight was the desk job - that's really what did me in as before that, I could just trim back and lose the weight without ever needing to count calories or weigh my food. Sitting on my butt all day, however, that didn't work so well.