Weight Gain/ Difficulty Losing With Mirena IUD?

NeverGivesUp

mirena hasn't affected me at all, and its been 7 years

i just think its too easy to blame birth control/female problems!

Are you kidding me???? Stop judging!!! Obviously having a non stop period for 7 months since the minute I got the thing is due to the MIrena and hair falling out and pimples. I have never had any of these symptoms to this degree before, so it is obviously the birth control. Too easy to blame the hormones???? please, what planet are you on???? Just because you don't get side effects, doesn't mean others don't and by the way since I got it out only a few days ago and replaced it with the copper one again, I already feel a lot better within my body.

Diyingtolosethisweight

Ladies I must say I have had a terrible experience with mirena Iud this time around.The first time I got it four years ago it was an amazing birth control,no side effects,no periods,no weight gain no pregnancies. I got it taken out 2 and half years later got pregnant with my second child and after having my second baby I got another mirena Iud inserted and it has been awful I gained 20 pounds and I keep braking out. I had lower weight after my second child prior to getting this Iud and I've never had problems with acne I have had it in since August 2012 it is now may 2013 I tried to weight it out see if any of this got better and I'm still getting the same results so I am calling my gyn tomorrow morning to have this removed. I am very sad,what Ian going through seriously stresses me when I look in the mirror

FSHFUD

I have now had my mirena for almost two years. I had it implanted shortly after the birth of my son. I am more active then most people and with the weight gain during my pregnancy I was very very anxious to take off the weight. I gained 65 pounds pregnant, eating well and running through 8.5 months of pregnancy. I had the IUD put in and I could not lose the weight. Literally I worked out twice a day, hour long intense bootcamps in the morning, running and kickboxing per day. Watching calories and what I ate. I went to the doctor and had my hormone levels checked. I went through acupuncture and went to eating no whites - no sugar, no white anything. All in all i am in overall better healthy but my battle to get back down to normal was difficult. All my other friends who had children at the same time and did not exercise as much nor go to the extremes I needed to go through had any issues losing weight, the one difference I had the IUD put in soon after child birth. I firmly believe that this slowled my weight loss and had made me go to extremes to lose the weight. I am now lower then I was pre baby weight but it has taken two years or working out like a full time job. I still crossfit 5 times a week and run an average of 20 plus miles. I am lean but will put on weight very easily now with the Mirena still in. I am coming up on two years and I am considering having it removed. Clearly though I didn't think of it at first it is having serious implications on my training and overall body balance. I also had intense cramping and bleeding in the beginning - the OBGYN said it was common and would go away. I should have known then that maybe this IUD was not the best choice. If you are struggling through weight loss and feel like you are giving it your all, please consider the other factors.

thrillho3

I got an IUD in 1 year ago. I was told that my cramps and period would go away within months. This never happened. Cramps were worse in the beginning and my periods continue til this day (although they are much much much lighter). Also, in the beginning, my periods lasted up to 2 weeks. It was a shi*show. BUT, one year later, I still get emotional around my period, and cramping for a few days, but my periods are barely existant AND it's a huge relief not to take a pill every day or worry.

I think the takeaway from all this is that Mirena affects everyone differently. If you're having difficulty losing weight, I would first check your blood, then make sure you're eating enough (working out every day and eating only 1200 cals might cause your body to go into starvation mode). Switch up your routine and nourish your body and see if that helps.

newmanel

Bottom line is that being a girl can be a huge drag. It sucks that the onus is almost always on us to be responsible for this.

kimraymonde

I have an appointment to have mine out next week. It's been 2 years and I've gained 20 lbs, unable to lose weight, hair constantly dropping out, crazy PMS all the time even though no periods. It's taken me a while to figure out it's the Mirena causing my problems, because I had one in before for 5 years with no issues. But this time around my body is reacting totally differently. After reading the above posts, I'm convinced I should follow my instinct and have this device removed. I'm not expecting to magically drop the 20 lbs but hoping to at least be able to lose it with reasonable effort. I keep losing 5 or 6 lbs only to gain it back and more. I want to at least remove the hormones as a variable. And hoping that if I'm not constantly feeling PMS-y I won't have to fight the constant chocolate cravings too. Wish me luck, will post again with an update.

DopeItUp

Are you pregnant?

PikaKnight

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

Hauntinglyfit

Who is Mirena? Does she eat a lot?

stanleypoobrick

the decision to use long-term contraception isn't always to do with a man not wanting to wear a condom though. I've had to use contraceptive pills, injections, and now the mirena IUD since the age of 14 because of heavy irregular periods/excruciating cramps. you should count yourself lucky that you have manageable periods and can make the decision not to need hormones to regulate them.

on topic though, I've had the mirena coil for slightly over a year and I have noticed that I gain weight more easily with it (which I doubt, at 20, is related to age) but that, for me, has been the only long-term negative side-effects. when it was first placed, I fainted on the way home from the clinic and I had no pain from it whatsoever for a week (which is unusual) before it started to come loose and had to be taken out (which happens to 20% of people who're fitted with it). when it was fitted properly, I had cramping pains for about 5 days which varied from "ow that stung" to "holy crap! I can't get up off the floor" and then had a brilliant, period-free, year!

tekiegirl

I have read recently about how sex hormones affect how your cells react to insulin, and so getting older and contraception affect how we store fat (we store more!). Your oestrogen affects how much glucose is taken into your fat cells and how much is released.

This is why women put on fat during pregnancy (usually around the bum and hips) and then around the breasts in later pregnancy, for milk production. This is also why breast feeding helps you to lose baby weight as it affects your hormones.

Apparently the best way to stop putting on fat, and actually burn it, is to cut out starchy/low quality carbohydrates such as potatoes, rice, pasta, flour products, pastry, sugar, etc. Our bodies don't actually need carbohydrates, they just use them first because they end up in our blood as glucose ('blood sugar') and high levels of glucose in the blood are toxic (hence insulin's role in reducing it). Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose. It is hard to imagine that the new potatoes you had for dinner were turned into sugar in your body! Starchy/low quality carbohydrates spike your insulin levels as much as pure sugar.

An example of this is that you are much more likely to be overweight if you are poor. Rice, potatoes, etc, are cheap and form a major part of the diet for poorer families and communities. You get the conundrum of overweight parents and skinny children: are the parents eating all the food? No, their bodies are reacting to the high levels of carbohydrates and storing fat (at the expense of other cells), but their children are using the carbohydrates to grow and are therefore skinny and malnourished, whereas their parents are fat and malnourished.

You may think you cannot live without those foods, but once you cut them out you do not crave them any more. I now crave things like meat, eggs and broccoli (I tell no lies!).

For even better weight loss you can reduce the higher quality carbs too (your body doesn't need carbohydrates and can get everything is needs from low-carb foods), just don't exclude the leafy green vegetables. Root vegetables like parsnips, and also squashes are higher in carbs, so can be cut out. Also low fructose fruits are best, e.g. berries and apricots. Bananas are very high is carbs and sugar.

I hope this is useful. Please consult a doctor if you are diabetic, etc, as your medication may need to be adjusted if you try this.

More info: Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It - Gary Taubes (this is a science book, not a diet book!) ~£4 for the ebook
Note: I do not get anything from sales of this book, but I have bought it for several family members now!

vickylhutton

Definitely talk to your doctor about other options. I have the copper coil as its hormone free but means longer heavier periods and stronger period pains (pretty much as I was pre hormonal contreception) . The biggest decider for me was that I could ttc as soon as its removed. There are lots of options you could try, injections, implant in your arm etc.

sylviaveith

I have gained 20 pounds in a year, acne and depression. Getting it out. I hope the weight gain then stops! I miss my goal weight.

aprild8282

I had the Merina IUD placed in 11/2/2012 and have not gained weight. I don't know if that is what caused some hair loss but it also could have been my gluten intolerance I recently found out about. I have had no periods and less acne since I had the IUD since it was this or remove my uterus.

Dulike26

I am 51 and have had the Mirena IUD's for 15-20 yrs., have gained some weight recently, attribute it to my age, my doctor wants me to have it removed, haven't had too many side effects until now(some menopausal symptoms), but then how do you know if it's the IUD's fault or not? Tried the copper IUD many years ago, bled like a stuck pig and I'm not exaggerating, my OB GYN tried the plug(coil) in my fallopian tubes for BC, could not get them in, my tubes are too small, will get blood work done soon, may not need BC anymore!

kshadows

I haven't read all the comments BUT:

I had Mirena after my son was born in 2008. Had it for 3 years, no issues.
I had it taken out, conceived my daughter and she was born in 2012. My Mirena wasn't put in until March 2013 and I had it out in November 2013.


I had acne, wasn't losing baby weight, was having migraines, etc.

BUT guess what! Now that it's out, my acne is just as bad (I'm seeing a dermatologist this month), my headaches are still there occassionally and I'm only losing weight because I took a good hard look at my diet and exercise.

Are you eating at a deficit? Weighing/measuring everything? I honestly wish I'd kept mine in now that I realize it didn't help me to have it out.

cicerot2

Wow! after reading most of the comments i realise what my problem has been. I had mine inserted 5 months ago and i've gained so much weight which was surprising as an avid gym fanatic and health freak. I'm definately having mine taken out as soon as possible!

maurerin

My Mirena was placed December 2013 and it has put havoc on my body. I have always had issues with cystic acne, been on Accutane 2x, everything was better. Then I had this IUD placed and every since then, my face is back to it's nasty self, dealing with cystic acne. I have been EXTREMELY irritable, *****y, moody, headaches are more consistant, I have about had it with this thing. Along with all of those lovely additions is trouble losing weight as well, very sloooooowwww process. However, it is so convenient. I don't think I will be getting another one in 5 years...

heatherandhenry55

How did you loose weight after you had your Mirena IUD taken out? I gained around 40 lbs in one year with having it in and nothing different food wise.

Shebri11

I am 56yo and have had a Mirena for 7 1/2 years now. I had the Mirena inserted as I had extremely heavy bleeding each month. I thought I had no side effects, but since doing some research on the Net, I now think my Mirena may be causing some of them. I had the first one inserted when I was 48 (peri menopause). I have had very bad lower back pain, almost like a tight band across my lower back, urinating frequently, sometimes up to 7 times during the night, depending on what time of month it is, swollen hands and bad joint pain in my fingers. I have had to get all my rings increased in size. I can't say for definite that these complaints are due to the Mirena, but I am convinced that my inability to lose weight is

Since getting my second Mirena inserted 2 1/2 years ago I have since gone through menopause and am now post menopause. My doctor ran some blood tests early last year & gave me this information. Around about the same time I did put on weight (went on a couple of cruise ships!) and managed to lose some of weight gained from those cruises. The past year I have continued to put on weight even though I had not changed my eating habits. Like others who have posted, my belly looks as though I am around 5 months pregnant, it is huge. In January this year I started to watch my diet and exercise regime very carefully and found I was unable to lose weight. I went to the doctor and got all the blood tests done and they all came back normal

The doctor referred me to a dietician and exercise physiologist. I followed a diet and was exercising and getting my heart rate up to where it should be to be able to lose some weight. I was doing this 3 times a week with the days in between power walking the dog and Pushbike riding. I lost nothing! I started to get very depressed, as I was hoping to get back into my clothes & not have to buy a new wardrobe. I started to look at the internet & was amazed to find so many other people with the same complaints as me. I have since gone back to the doctor & she told me that it wouldn't be the Mirena. So I asked her if there was any other medical reason I can't lose weight and the answer was no. Since my last Mirena was inserted I have since gone through the menopause and my hormone levels have obviously changed, hence the inability to lose weight (I did not have trouble losing weight with the first Mirena). I have made an appointment with a gynaecologist for the beginning of August to get the Mirena removed. It will be very interesting to see if my weight drops and I do not have the other symptoms. I would also like to point out that since being on the diet and now back to eating normally, my weight has stayed the same - absolutely no change. I will post after I have my Mirena out to let you know how my symptoms are going.