Not sure where to post this.. Mirena users??

danielle4992

I just got my Mirena (IUD) today, and while I would much rather slam my fingers in a car door 10 times over before getting it inserted again, I am looking to forward to a complications-free next 5 years. I have been reading reviews online about weight gain and acne and terrible mood swings.. do any of you on here ( females of course lol ) use Mirena or know someone who has and what was their experience? I don't want to gain weight, but some of the ladies that gave reviews said even with eating healthy and exercise they couldn't stop the weight gain. Thank you in advance!

louiseei

I know 2 who had it, one put on 5lbs which she lost when she had it out and had a non hormonal one put in., and my sister, who raves about it, and if anything has lost weight, guess everyone is different. Hope it's ok for you.

fuzzymel

I have had it 2 years now. Mood swings are much less than periods or the pill for me.

Have very irregular periods on them but I had irregular periods anyway. I was kinda hoping they would stop altogether however they are signifcantely lighter and shorter now.

Spots wise, I tend to break out before my period starts. Its much less than in the past but still there.

I don't think there was any weightgain. I was still trying to recover from the massive gain during my unsuccessful month on the pill.

I used to get stomach cramps for a little while after it was inserted. It did get better. The pain of having it inserted was horrible. I was warned that its more painful for a woman who has not had a child.

Any questions feel free to ask.

welshie007

I've had mine for nearly 5 years - best thing I've ever done - during that time I lost 4 stone through healthy eating and exercise (I've put a wee bit back on again, but am working that off). So I think it does just depend on the person. The level of hormones in these are very slight. As for the mood swings, yeah I have them but then again so does my sister who doesn't have one fitted - so again I think that comes down to genetics.

Enjoy your freedom - I've not had a "proper" monthly for nearly 5 years - it's great. Yeah I still get moody etc but without the yucky bit! As I'm coming up to having it removed I have a real dilemma, whether to have another one - I personally think it is worth the short term discomfort for the long term benefit.

Be happy....be healthy xx

brit1329

I have had mine for about 7.5 months. I haven't had any real side effects from it I don't think. I got it not long after my daughter was born. Since then I have gained weight, but I'm pretty sure it was just due to poor eating habits, not working out, and stress. I have recently started working out and watching what I eat and have lost 14 lbs in the last 2 months.

zeeeb

I have my mirena, have had it for nearly 2 years, and well i was overweight when i got it, so i didn't notice any extra weight gain from it. but i love it, i have had about 2 proper periods in the last 2 years, and love not having to deal with all that period stuff now that i am done with kids.

i was going to get my tubes tied after the initial mirena, but i can't go back to having regular periods, so i'm going to stick with the mirena until menopause.

Giantpanties

I got the mirena after I had my little lad, I had it for a couple of months, It didnt agree with me, I was constantly in pain, I put on loads of weight from it and my skin broke out, BUT I have heard its the best thing to get rather than the other stuff out there, It just didnt agree with me but it might be good for you

danielle4992

Wow! Thanks for all the replies so far! Keep them coming, and if you don't mind, I want to know if it messed up your "libido"... you can always message me if you want, or not answer at all.. just curious

Luckymam

I was told by my doctor that compared to the pill/injection etc, the Mirena puts minimal hormones into your blood stream. The hormones are released into your womb, not your bloodstream. I didn't want to take the pill or even the mini pill as I'm really sensitive to hormone-related mood swings. I loved not having 'proper' periods - just very light spotting for a couple of days and no cramps. I definitely didn't put weight on with it. Indeed, I was able to forget all about it.

I'm definitely going to have another one put in.

mamaDaisyJ

I got mine about 2 years ago, after my son was born. I haven't gained any weight from it. My mood swings aren't any worse than they were when I was pregnant :P lol
Personally, my desire, interest, and enjoyment concerning sex has drastically reduced, but I am not sure if it is due to the Mirena or the stresses of new kid and husband that is a hound. Sometimes there is some pain associated with sex if the wrong position. The weird thing is that the same positioning might not hurt the next time.
I experience random spotting without cramping or acne outbreaks, so that's pretty cool.
I guess I would give a mixed review at this time... until I figure out the actual reason for my decline in libido.

Kristen81

I've had mine for about a year now. I've gained about 5 pounds, but I'm not sure if that's due to the IUD or just bad eating habits and being lazy.
I've had no mood swings or acne and my period has gotten WAY lighter.

p222

I got mine about 3and a half months ago. I did gain some weight, but it was combined with holiday eating and stress of finals, so I don't know that it was caused by the mirena. I've had 1 regular period and otherwise just some spotting which is great! I've had a bit of discomfort around period time (when I spot) and was crampy and moody at first. However, I was a long term pill user and VASTLY prefer this, especially due to fewer periods and less mood swings.

ashley0616

I"m not sure how much I love my Mirena. I've had it since about April of last year. I haven't gained weight with it, but I think my weight loss is harder due to it. Before I had it, before I got pregnant with baby 2, I wasn't on anything and could easily lose weight, I lost 12 pounds in just over 8 weeks right before I got pregnant. I'm doing all the same stuff this time and am actually more active and I'm stalling all over the place. I also feel like I constantly have PMS and have irregular periods: they come out of nowhere, they are heavy and then light and then ridiculously heavy, they last forever, etc. and I get cramps even when I am not on my period. I think with me though, my body HATES hormones and even though Mirena only has a small amount, my body is reacting to it. I'm only going to have it in until we decide if we are having more kids or not, then we'll either get pregnant or I'll have the essure procedure.

As for libido, I've actually seen an increase in that department. Related to many things, but you can take from that that I have not had a decrease in desire or enjoyment.

girl_brett

I am on my second one! The one I had before they said it was just and IUD and now I have a Mirena, but I know that the doctor who did it said it has very little hormones and he highly recommended it. His wife had one as well. I've now had one for 6 years and LOVE it! I've gained weight but I think that was just me considering I never watched my eating and wasn't working out. As far as libido...I don't know if that has anything to do with it, but I've never really had an outrageous sex drive but normal I would say. I don't remember the pain being bad when I got my 1st one, but when I went and had it removed and then a new one put in the same day, that hurt...but it is totally worth it. Sometimes after sex I feel bloated I think from it. I've never had any break outs other then normal pimples here and there and I think women in general have mood swings and attitudes so I think I'm still the same! If I do seem a little off and don't know why, usually in the next day or so I will start to spot and that explains it all! LOL! I spot from time, rarely cramp and if I do it's NOTHING just slight discomfort.

Overall I love it and highly recommend it! It may not work for everyone, but for me...a person who will not remember to take a pill it is fabulous!

Ceria

I used Mirena and I did gain weight. I had it for 12 months exactly before the weight gain started. It was mostly in my midsection though. I tried exercise and nothing worked. Finally about 9 months later, the weight all came off in one big push...We named him Ian and he will be two in April! I hope it works better for you than it did for me! :flowerforyou:

misty1208

Ive had mine in for 3 years. Ive never really had any problems with it, and its nice to not have to worry about taking a pill or anything. My periods have become really irregular but they are super light. I think any weight gain ive had in the last three years is from my eating habits.
The only thing Ive noticed since having it in is my ovaries cramp before my period starts. Its weird because they will alternate month to month, right side, left side. I asked my Dr. about it and she said its fairly common.

misty1208

I used Mirena and I did gain weight. I had it for 12 months exactly before the weight gain started. It was mostly in my midsection though. I tried exercise and nothing worked. Finally about 9 months later, the weight all came off in one big push...We named him Ian and he will be two in April! I hope it works better for you than it did for me! :flowerforyou:

LOL get outta here! You got pregnant on Mirena? wow.... does your Dr know what happened? Was it out of place or something?

noltes2

Any weight gain I've had in the past is due to eating too many calories and not exercising. I got it in 3 years ago and have loved it. The insertion was awful, gut wrenching.... And for about a month afterward I had severe cramping. After that it gradually went away and 6 months later my period went away too! Heck yeah! I still get cramps (only one day before when my period should be), acne as usual, and I suppose PMS and chocolate cravings.... but honestly it is super minimal and I think it depends on the woman and genetics as how bad you get those things. It is the best invention ever and you will love not having to take a pill, buy condoms (assuming you are MONOGAMOUS), and have a period. Many get light ones, but many they also stop like in my case.

Just continue to eat healthy, exercise and then you'll know if it makes you gain weight. 99% of the time time it will not be the sole cause for it, from what I've heard. Kind of like there is a 99% chance you will not get pregnant - there is still a 1% chance! It happened to my mom a long time ago!

nickyevans

I nearly passed out when I had mine, screamed more than when I broke my ankle! My poor husband had come in with me to because he was worried it would be painful for me because I haven't (can't) have kids. We were both as white as sheets when we left the surgery! I didn't notice any weight gain and I don't seem to be having any trouble losing weight at the moment. I also had horrible cramps - although less horrible than they were before I had it- for months after wards but it has all settled down now and I am just hoping to hit menopause before the hormones run out because I don't EVER want to go through that pain again........!!

margarita953

I've had my Mirena for a year now and I have a love/hate relationship with it. While I love not having to take a pill every day, I have been spotting for nearly the entire year. It's annoying. I dont feel like it's caused me to gain weight. With regard to libido, mine has been reduced in the past year but that may also be due to having a crazy busy schedule juggling work and two small children.

catlady100

I don't think that I gained weight because of the mirena....and I've always been moody lol...so I don't think it affected me in that way either.

labgirl3

I've had Mirena for 10 years (x2). Nearly passed out getting it inserted - about 5 minutes afterward actually. I don't think they really warn women enough, but I guess some say it feels like a pap smear (that was NOT the case for me). However, after no periods and no cramping for 10 years - it is absolutely worth it! I'm due to get this one replaced - dreading it actually.

I did gain weight, but I can't blame Mirena - I was eating terribly, and I haven't really had any trouble losing the weight now (10 years later, unfortunately). Acne is the same - I seem to have developed rosacea since then, but that apparently crops up in your 30s anyway.

mjames13

Hi, i've had mine for about three months now, at first I had lots of cramping especially during that TOM, broke out in pimples on and off, which I never normally get, then my sex drive went to zero, which usually I have a pretty high drive. At that point I was really considering geting it removed as what was the point of birth control if I wasn't havin sex lol. ...Anyway after googling and googling, I decided to give it some more time and sure enough about a month ago the acne stopped and the cramps did too. About two/three weeks ago my sex drive returned full force as well so I'm happy. I think its different for every one, I would just give it time and see as time goes by how it works for you. ...Oh as for weight gain, none so far, and I've managed to quit smoking for the last six weeks as well which also tends to lead to weight gain, but haven't gained a pound, ..granted I haven't lost one either lol. GL.

danielle4992

Thank you for ALL the replies!! I am on day 2 right now. I snapped on my husband over something very petty last night and then felt tears rush to my eyes when I realized how irrational I was being... can you say HORMONES !! lol I was on the ring before... so I am looking forward to not having to worry about doing anything for 5 years. As everyone has said, and proved, its different for everyone, so I will sit back and see where this takes me!! Thank you again ladies!!

JennsLosing

ive been on it for a few months and havent gained wieght on it. I do break out every once in a while on my chin though.

Mary830

I think the side effects are going to vary drastically from person to person. I know people who had/have it and loved it. I had it and it was a terrible choice for me.

Weight gain was not an issue for me. I had it for a year and a half. In the beginning my weight stayed pretty constant, and when I actually decided to lose weight I lost about 40 lbs.

It also stopped my periods completely, which I thought was great. But I was one of the users who developed ovarian cysts, and mine did not disappear on their own. After having laparoscopic surgery to remove the cysts from both ovaries, we elected to remove the IUD as well.

I will say that I have only met one other woman who had serious side effects, and I know it's not common. But as someone who had the IUD because we wanted a "long term" solution that would allow us to have more children one day, I have been very disappointed.

Ceria

I used Mirena and I did gain weight. I had it for 12 months exactly before the weight gain started. It was mostly in my midsection though. I tried exercise and nothing worked. Finally about 9 months later, the weight all came off in one big push...We named him Ian and he will be two in April! I hope it works better for you than it did for me! :flowerforyou:

LOL get outta here! You got pregnant on Mirena? wow.... does your Dr know what happened? Was it out of place or something?

It was perfectly in place. On my ultrasound you can see the Mirena and my son nestled perfectly in place. I just happened to be the 1 out of 99,000 people that got pregnant on it. The survival of my son was the most miraculous thing though. He was only the 14th healthy baby born with mirena in place (most pregnancies terminate themselves before the 4th month). It was wild. Needless to say, that is not my BC of choice now.

DimenaZhena

I bled for 6 months straight and then in patches throughout the months until about 12. The first year was a pain in the butt, but now I barely have a period. But I won't be doing this again.