Mirena and Weight Loss

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  • Starkle09
    Starkle09 Posts: 238 Member
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    Ok so no shot!!!! I want anything with low to no hormones!
    the depo shot was the worst...i gained about 20lbs and all my hair started to get really brittle and was breaking off a lot
  • Minnesnowtagurl
    Minnesnowtagurl Posts: 406 Member
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    Ok so no shot!!!! I want anything with low to no hormones!
    the depo shot was the worst...i gained about 20lbs and all my hair started to get really brittle and was breaking off a lot

    Yeah no shot! I gained a lot of weight after the birth of my daughter with that and then I was told by my MD that my right ovary had "seized up" and I may have needed to consider surgery in the future if that didn't change... and I had hair down past my shoulders and lost it in patches ; (( <
    That sucked!
  • msmandyjo
    msmandyjo Posts: 95 Member
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    I have the mirena IUD, I've had it for about 16 months.. I don't know for sure if the IUD is partly responsible for my gain or not.
    When I delivered in Feb 09, I don't remember the poundage, but I was between an 8 and a 10. By Nov. I bought a size 12, and now I can't button them. I've been here for a month, working hard, watching what I eat, drinking water and I haven't lost anything... welll, I "lost" two pounds, then gained them back, then 1 was gone, so basically, I started here at 184 a month ago, and all my hard work has me sitting at 182.5 as of this morning. And, I don't think it's building muscle, because I still can't button my pants...

    When I first started tracking my food, more days than not, I'd end up eating a nighttime snack to keep above a 1200 net cal., it didn't make sense how I gained sooo much, even though I don't always make the best choices. I'm starting to think that maybe it's not all my fault, and something else is at play.

    As for the ladies who say they look/felt pregnant... I had a cashier ask when I was due, and my mom even thought I looked pregnant, and she's seen me pregnant twice. I've never carried my weight like a baby before, it was always hips and butt., except of course when I was pregnant. And, yes, I have had a panic moment where I took a test, but it was negative...

    Again, I don't know how much is me, and how much is the IUD, but I know I nursed a VERY hungry boy for 14 months, and gained steadily. I pig out on occasion, but not every day, and I rarely snacked. Some weight gain, I could understand, but this much I don't get. I'm giving it another month, and then I'm gonna go to the doctor to see if there's something else at play, and have the IUD removed if need be.
  • Gemini_1980
    Gemini_1980 Posts: 349 Member
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    Thanks Minnesnowtagurl cause I felt alone. Sometimes I'd swell to look pregnant too! My GYN said Friday he is taking it out. He has had plenty of woman complaining of the same effects I have (weight gain, swelling, joint pain and feeling as if pregnant). And Megz that is how it started with me.....Im going to start using either the shot or Nuva ring.....I havent decided.

    Have you thought about the paraguard IUD? I have had mine for 7 years and it is fabulous! No hormones or any of those side effects.
  • vdavis_89
    vdavis_89 Posts: 334
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    I asked a similar question yesterday... but it was about the shot (depo-provera). I have been on it a combined total of 4 years almost and I finally sat down with my fiance and said Im not doing it anymore. I gained a TON of weight from it and the pill doesnt do me any better. Not to mention every hormonal BC I've tried has put me on a roller coaster of emotions :( Im done with the birth control stuff and I trust my man and myself enough to be careful about using protection. Yes I know there are many many people that will disagree with me but it is mine and my fiance's decision. Talk to your doctor about maybe trying something different. Good luck!
  • vibrant80
    vibrant80 Posts: 42 Member
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    I've had the Mirena for 4 years and I know I'm one of the lucky ones. No side effects, no weight gain, NO PERIODS. :love: I also haven't had any problems losing weight now that I'm actually making an effort. OTOH, I've had friends who have had the nonstop period thing, some with weight gain and one who went completely crackers.

    I really don't know what I'm going to do when I'm due to have it removed next year...either go with another one or switch to the copper/non-hormonal.
  • mamaboobear
    mamaboobear Posts: 52
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    Hi, I got the mirena this past December, I didn't gain any weight, I have still had periods but are now finally down to almost nothing. I think you just have to get past the first six months to decide if it works for you. I have lost seven pounds since re- starting MFP in mid June. Hope that helps and good luck whatever you do. ..I always say I'm coming back as a man lmao.
  • saradas
    saradas Posts: 19 Member
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    I had mirena for a year and half . Had crazy periods during the first
    6 months , with periods like that I really did not need birth control.
    After that periods stopped and no matter what I did I did not lose the weight.
    I was doing boot camps watching calories , only gained and tummy grew bigger. PMS symptoms were horrible even though all I had was spotting. Finally got it taken out. Have not been watching what I eat so did not lose weight. I started with MFP two weeks back. I like having my period , and do not have crazy PMS problems
  • Swimgoddess
    Swimgoddess Posts: 711 Member
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    Any hormonal contraceptive works by tricking your body into thinking it's pregnant to some degree or another. One of the things women do while pregnant is gain weight. Some women only gain what can be directly accounted for in the breakdown charts of so many lbs attributed to baby, amniotic fluid, placenta, required fat stores for nursing, etc. but MANY MANY women gain excessively while pregnant due to cravings, to stave off nausea induced by low blood sugar, the biological feedback to "store fat and hang the heck onto it" from the brain, etc., so it's no surprise really that many women complain of weight gain when put in a hormonal state simulating pregnancy.

    I use Paraguard myself. Here's a study on weight gain in Paraguard users: (it boils down to an average of 6lbs over 5 years and 8lbs over 7 years... that can be more chalked up to simply aging, I would say)

    1. Weight Variation In A Cohort Of Women Using Copper
        IUD For Contraception.


    Objective:
    The objective of this study was to assess weight changes over time in reproductive-age women using non-hormonal contraception [copper intrauterine device (IUD) users]. Baseline variables recorded included age, parity, decade when the IUD was inserted and the presence of hypertension.

    A total of 1,697 IUD users were followed for 7 years of use. The mean age (+/- SD) of the women at the beginning of follow-up was 27.6 +/- 5.8 years and the mean height (+/- SD) was 150 +/- 10 cm.

    The mean weight (+/- SD) at the time of IUD insertion was 58.5 +/- 0.30 kg. After 5 and 7 years of follow-up, the mean weight (+/- SD) was 61.2 +/- 0.33 kg and 62.4 +/- 0.51 kg, respectively.

    At insertion, the body mass index mean (+/- SD) was 24.5 +/- 0.12 and after 3 years it was 25 +/- 0.14, remaining above 25 up to the 7th year of observation. During the 7 years of follow-up, older women gained more weight than younger women.

    Parity, decade of IUD insertion, and hypertension were not noted to be significant determinants of weight variation.
  • Heatherbelle_87
    Heatherbelle_87 Posts: 1,078 Member
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    I had to have the Mirena removed due to a rare complication where it started rubbing against the side of my uterus, imbedding itself Fortuanntly I healed normally. Other then that I miss the thing! The 3 week period sucked! but after that I didnt gain but didnt lose either (wasnt trying either) I miss the convenience I am horrible about remembering my pill. HORRIBLE. and my son was a BC baby when I was good and taking my pill daily. The shot has the highest rate of recorded weight gain. The arm implant (banned in some countries) has the next highest. The only issue I know of with the NUVA ring is a complication where you develop ulcers along your cervix and vaginal walls where the ring sits, my sister had this happen to her. Its more common in active and plus size women. Im hoping to lose enough to be within requirements for the patch soon.
  • lkenn67
    lkenn67 Posts: 215 Member
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    I have the Mirena IUD and have lost weight over the past 3 yrs. I am down 109lbs since the birth of my daughter. It does seem harder to lose weight now then when I was younger, but I blame that on my age (over 40..ugh). I do have to say I like not having periods. I'm not sure what I am going to do in Jan when I need to either replace it or choose something new. I am considering a tubal, since I really should not have any more children. I have 3 children and each birth has resulted in ever increasing blood loss. So I need a very effective birth control method.

    I would definitely NOT recommend the shot. I had that after my second child and was severely depressed. I really wanted an anti-shot. It was horrible.

    Good luck on your search. It is a hard decision. And what works for one person, does not always work for the next.
  • lkenn67
    lkenn67 Posts: 215 Member
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    Oh yeah the patch....

    I liked that one. The only problem was the sticky residue around the patch site. not that attractive :(
  • hush7hush
    hush7hush Posts: 2,273 Member
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    I had my Mirena inserted in January.
    It has not caused any weight gain.
    Any gain I had since then was because of my own poor eating habits and sedetary lifestyle.
    I have not noticed any problem losing with it, either.
    I've been at this since April, and I just passed the 40 pound lost mark.
    I am 20 years old, 5'6", started at 220, I am now at 179.2.
  • hush7hush
    hush7hush Posts: 2,273 Member
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    I've had the Mirena for 4 years and I know I'm one of the lucky ones. No side effects, no weight gain, NO PERIODS. :love: I also haven't had any problems losing weight now that I'm actually making an effort. OTOH, I've had friends who have had the nonstop period thing, some with weight gain and one who went completely crackers.

    I really don't know what I'm going to do when I'm due to have it removed next year...either go with another one or switch to the copper/non-hormonal.


    I'm also one of the lucky ones.
    Bled like crazy the day of the insertion, and NOTHING since.
    It's a beautiful thing! [:

    I don't know what I'll do when I have to take it out. ]:
    Definitely do NOT want to lose it!
  • crystalslight
    crystalslight Posts: 322 Member
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    I'm not sure if it's the Mirena that makes it hard for me to lose weight. Or breast feeding. But I struggle to drop weight.
    I've had the Mirena since April.
    Before having baby #5 I had it for about 18 months. It fused to my cervix and I had to have it surgically removed.
    I'm having pregnancy symptoms ALL the time.
    I absolutely did NOT want to get the Mirena put back in but it was the only option for me. As soon as my husband gets snipped, I'm getting the Mirena taken out.
  • vivid2012
    vivid2012 Posts: 31
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    Thanks Minnesnowtagurl cause I felt alone. Sometimes I'd swell to look pregnant too! My GYN said Friday he is taking it out. He has had plenty of woman complaining of the same effects I have (weight gain, swelling, joint pain and feeling as if pregnant). And Megz that is how it started with me.....Im going to start using either the shot or Nuva ring.....I havent decided.

    Have you thought about the paraguard IUD? I have had mine for 7 years and it is fabulous! No hormones or any of those side effects.
    paraguard IUD? never thought about that.
  • jalapenos
    jalapenos Posts: 345 Member
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    Ok, I have had the Mirena for almost 7 years (on my 2nd round). I have 3 kids, and since all of them have been c-sections, and because my cervix has never been stretched like a vaginal birth, it was painful but not unbearable. I bleed for a couple days ( with both insertions) and haven't had a period since!! I gained weight but that was because I was lazy and ate like a pig. Other than that, no cramps, no pain, I always "check" for the string BUT my hubby doesn't feel the string while we "burn calories" :laugh: I do want to take it out after this round and give my body a rest, but then again, I don't want to get pregnant.
    Good luck to ya!

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