Mirena....talk me off the ledge please ladies!

Will_Thrust_For_Candy

Hey all!

So as some of you from the chat thread may know, I had a Mirena inserted at the end of November. At the beginning of January when I took my measurements and scale weight, I was up 6lbs and some inches. I freaked out and then regrouped, reminded myself of the Mirena and continued on with my diet and exercise as normal. I had decided to wait until the end of February to take the next official batch of measurements and scale weight, but my curiosity got the best of me and I weighed on Friday. Up another 2lbs. :sad:

Okay, breathe, you got this. Doctor said 3 months. End of February is 3 months. Just keep going. Your body will adjust and all will be well again.

Then I Googled.

Thinking that I would find women that have had the same situation.....and then they went back to losing as per usual.

No. :noway: It seems to me that women that experienced weight gain on Mirena didn't see it go away until they had it removed.:mad:

So here's the deal.....I love this thing. I love not having a period. I love not having to remember to take BC every day. I don't like that I *may* be gaining from it. My question is this....

How long should I give it? I was initially thinking 6 months? Do any of you have any experience with this at all? Or have you had any experience with hormones in general affecting your weight?

Thank you in advance! :flowerforyou:

Fittreelol

I don't have experience with Mirena, or birth control relating to weight gain other than sometimes you get those pms cravings all month long. GRRRRRRR.

I've been on hbc since I was 17 mainly for menstrual issues with the side effect of no babies being a perk. I used the pill then eventually switch to the ring, and happily used that for a few years. I stopped using it for a few years for various reasons (and my periods stayed v light and less crampy during this time.) Eventually my periods became heavier and more crampy, and my monthly migraines returned so I went back on the ring. It definitely took a good 6 months for my hormones to balance out and everything to go back to how it was when I was on the ring originally. The personal history is basically just saying- based on my very limited experience 6 months seems like a good time frame to test things out.

Also if you do get it removed I highly recommend the ring! It has similar advantages: localized delivery, no remembering a pill every day, can easily skip periods, etc.

Another option is to post your before and after pictures so we can tell you whats going on. Even if you gained fat weight you know well tell you while complimenting you on how smoking other parts are so you won't feel as badly!

Will_Thrust_For_Candy

My doctor told me 3 months but I'm really thinking it must take closer to 6 months plus my BFF is a medical diagnostics instructor and she is saying the same thing.

I actually have thought about doing the pictures....I just actually haven't taken any progress pictures at this point :embarassed: But I will on Friday for the beginning of my second cycle of SL.

Just frustrating to come this far....even not gain through quitting smoking....and then this *kitten*!!!

Fittreelol

Wow. I'm impressed you didn't gain from quitting smoking. Thats why I'm on MFP! Well it was the more not learning to shove things in my mouth when I'm stressed part. :laugh: But if I didn't get fat I probably wouldn't have started lifting or found all of the lovely ladies in this group, and what a shame that would have been.

sarahz5

I have two questions, and then I'll share my experience:

(1) Are you sure your intake is appropriate? How many calories are you on, how closely do you measure your food, and how consistent have you been with logging?

(2) Have you been taking measurements? Weight is pretty irrelevant for lifters. Go look at Lorina's latest success post that is bumping right now for proof.

tl;dr: Give it 6 months, but chances are pretty high that this issue is not related to the Mirena. Look into other possibilities now.

My experience with Mirena was... I got it inserted 3 months post-partum. I definitely lost more slowly than I did with my son, when I was not using any hbc, but I did still lose weight. I did not do anything to try to lose weight. I plateaued about four pounds higher with her than I did with him, but I also weighed in at six pounds more right before I delivered. I started really trying to work on the weight at one year, like I did with my son, and it came off with him in about three months of fairly careful WW. After my daughter, I was running, but I wasn't being very careful about my intake. I lost weight excruciatingly slowly from 1 to 1.5 years with my daughter. Then I joined MFP, and the weight slid right off and continues to do so. I now weigh less, with the Mirena, than I ever did between my son and my daughter. And I'm definitely more buff.

However, I will say that I bled for a ridiculous amount of time after insertion. They say something like 4 weeks, right? It was NINE for me. NINE weeks of straight spotting or bleeding. I was completely depressed. It did eventually end, and after that, I felt fairly normal. I would say that my periods, such as they are, became more normalized around 6-9 months into the Mirena, but that's probably more due to changes with my DD/nursing/PP stuff than anything that is general to the Mirena.

Now... I was REALLY depressed. Probably PPD, looking back. I went to my midwife and said "taking this effing thing OUT of me!!!!" She said she was 99% sure that my problem was NOT the Mirena. She wanted to try testing to identify other problems, vitamins, and even anti-dx before she wanted me to consider taking out the Mirena. And she's a midwife, so it's not like she's totally pharma-happy. And I did get over it, without removing the Mirena (and without taking happy pills). Got my libido back, my happiness, my hatred of all other humans disappeared, my irritation went way down, and I'm losing weight. So I can't complain. That all happened right around 6 months into the Mirena, if it did have anything to do with it.

I guess this is all to say, yes, give it at least 6 months, BUT ... I suspect that you are dealing with something that is NOT the Mirena. Remember, all the women who say they are having problems with it are also just generally getting older. They have almost all had children. Gaining weight is just part of that. It doesn't mean the Mirena is causing it. And any sort of hormonal BC is likely to come with the same side effect. Mirena is actually a pretty low dose and localized like Tree said, so it's not really going to have as strong an effect on the rest of your body systems.

ruststar

I had one put in in 2007 when I was at my highest weight ever, and I just had it replaced last week - after losing more than 45 pounds. I doubt the Mirena had anything to do with any weight gain. Keep going, keep working, and the weight will come off.

Bonus - when it gets replaced? They say it will be 2-3 weeks of spotting? I was done with it in one day. In my mind, Mirena is the best thing invented. EVER.

tacosandbeerthatswhyimhere

I gained 7lbs 6oz's with Mirena. He is 5yo now!

Will_Thrust_For_Candy

Okay first off to answer your questions...

1) Between beginning of December to early Jan I was on 1800 cal/day and I log every day, with the exception of a few days over Christmas. I did not let up on exercise over the holidays however. During that 6 week span it was a gain of 6lbs and inches also. I measure and weigh everything I eat and have logged in my notebook since September 2011. TDEE is around 2400, so even if I was missing something it still should not have been a 6lb gain. I was also doing SL during this time as well as doing cardio, running, hiit, tabata finishers and such.

To be honest, once I got over the initial shock of it, I just kept on with keeping on. I took a diet and exercise break as per advice from SideSteel and Sara and when I restarted my diet I went to 2000 cal.

When I did my unofficial weigh in on Friday the last thing I expected to see was an increase of 2lbs.....now I did not take an update in measurements at that time because I'm doing that this Friday....I farted around with the tape measure and it looks like there was a little movement down but we'll see on Friday.

I am not one of those women who is interested in blaming hormones on weight gain....honest.....up until now I actually really thought it was a load of *kitten* to be honest BUT the women that I have seen write their experiences with this range in age from early twenties up to menopausal...and many stories sound the same. I mean I realize that many just shoved too much food in their face, fair enough, but many also clearly stated that they were extra diligent with their diet and exercise.

I'm going to give it the 6 months....head into the next 6 weeks with the exact same strategy as I have been using for the last 6 weeks with the exception of changing calorie target to 1800-2000 instead of 2000-2200 (although I have always been closer to 2000). Continue with cycle 2 of SL and my yoga and treadmill and see how I go.

I also never had any side effect from the pill and I was on it for years upon years, so I really didn't think I have a sensitivity.....I guess right now I'm just wanting to hear others experiences to a) put my mind at ease and b) keep me diligent and informed. I Don't want to get to the point where I'm a year in and 30lbs heavier all while I'm busting my *kitten* to live this healthy life that I love so much because I was too busy keeping my head up my *kitten*!

Juliejustsaying

Vegas...I've been resisting this thread since my experience with the Mirena was so over the top horrendous. I do blame my body for this ...but for what it is worth here is my experience.

I was having some horrendous periods early last year...I mean "should I go to the ER?" and "I just fainted from blood loss" type of periods. I was so desperate for a solution and so resistent to surgery that I took the Mirena way out. Now if I had been thinking clearly I would have KNOWN that this wasn't a good solution for me. My body is highly sensitive to every hormonal and chemical change and reacts strongly. I KNOW this...and yet I had high hopes. So mid July I had it put in....then the fun started...I had one bacterial vaginosis infection, then another and another and another...one right after another..my weight started to go up and the mood swings were killer...throw in there that I was just ending one relationship and starting a new relationship. Yeah, it was a freaking train wreck. End of September I had it removed, my tubes tied and an ablation. I have continued to gain weight since then, but if I'm honest I think it has a lot more to do with it being winter than anything else. I'm slowly getting back to normal hormonally speaking, I am still having BV infections from the hormonal fluxuations..but only about every 6 weeks now...For me it was a total sh*tstorm of effed up.

I honestly don't know anyone who hasn't gained weight...but my sampling is small...I know my experience has to be on the extreme end, so if you like it...I'd just stick with it.

WOW, I'm a total Debbie Downer...

Will_Thrust_For_Candy

@ruststar....I do love it...honest! I really don't want to have it removed and like I mentioned in my last post, I am not one of those women that looks to blame weight gain on something else. I have never been sensitive to hormones, so I am completely open to giving it more time. I just want to be diligent in my knowledge and hear other peoples stories so that I have more information


@reneack....:noway: I hope that doesn't happen to me! Oh wait....sex is required for that kind of weight gain :laugh:


@julie....yeah, I don't know that the Mirena is a good option for everyone :frown: I'm sorry you had a bad experience :flowerforyou:

sarahz5

So this is the one thing that I would look into with respect to Mirena:

"Levonorgestrel may affect glucose tolerance, and the blood glucose concentration should be monitored in diabetic users of Mirena." <-- from the Prescribing Info.

I already know I have some level of insulin resistance, but even so, I don't really see that it caused any weight increase. But it wouldn't hurt to have a glucose tolerance test done, especially if you have ever suspected that you have PCOS, diabetes, or the like.

I would be tempted to say that 2000 could just be too high, but it sounds like you really gained the bulk of the weight on 1800. I don't really think you can count two pounds as significant "gain" - I can gain two pounds based on a beer I had two days ago. But the six pounds in that short a time is definitely something worth considering.

Will_Thrust_For_Candy

So this is the one thing that I would look into with respect to Mirena:

"Levonorgestrel may affect glucose tolerance, and the blood glucose concentration should be monitored in diabetic users of Mirena." <-- from the Prescribing Info.

I already know I have some level of insulin resistance, but even so, I don't really see that it caused any weight increase. But it wouldn't hurt to have a glucose tolerance test done, especially if you have ever suspected that you have PCOS, diabetes, or the like.

I would be tempted to say that 2000 could just be too high, but it sounds like you really gained the bulk of the weight on 1800. I don't really think you can count two pounds as significant "gain" - I can gain two pounds based on a beer I had two days ago. But the six pounds in that short a time is definitely something worth considering.

I will be making an appointment for my annual checkup right away here so I'm going to request a whack load of tests. I will just keep going....I'm not going to give up. And I know that a couple of pounds is not a big deal, especially with lifting and I'm okay with that if the inches are going down. Let's see what happens on Friday!

DaniH826

How long should I give it? I was initially thinking 6 months? Do any of you have any experience with this at all? Or have you had any experience with hormones in general affecting your weight?

I had 2 shots of Depo-Provera and it took me several years for my hormoes to get back to balance and for me to lose the weight I put on. 2 shots was all it took for my body's hormonal balance to tell me to go eff myself, basically, and that it was not happy. Oops.

You may be sensitive to the hormones in the Mirena.

I'm overly sensitive to any prescription meds which is why I mostly go the natural route.

I understand not wanting a period and that it's a pain in the a** to deal with (believe me, I know ... mine are super heavy for a few days), but maybe cutting them out completely is just not for you and your body is telling you to stop?

xidia

I didn't gain on depo, so I can recommend that. No idea about Mirena, I'm afraid, since the whole IUD/coil idea just squicks me out (for me - fine for other people!).

sarahz5

The Mirena doesn't really stop you from having a period. You still have your normal hormone cycle, it just inhibits your lining and makes your cervical mucus uninhabitable for sperm. I am more regular and ovulate more frequently on the Mirena than off.

But, I did just realize... I am probably a bad example. I gained a ton of weight when I came OFF the pill for the first time. Hormonal birth control keeps my wacky system more in check. So don't count me in the statistics, I guess. :laugh: I'm one of those special snowflakes you hear about.

Will_Thrust_For_Candy

Ugh....sometimes it just plain sucks to be a girl!

The only thing I can do is wait it out a bit longer! I have never had a hormone sensitivity before and I was on hormonal birth control pills since I was 16 with the exception of when I was pregnant. I am trying to be optimistic that it's not the Mirena! Here's to hoping!

faeriewings1

I haven't had Mirena, but I know I'm sensitive to some of other contraceptions. I recently took Estelle to help with issues other than contraception and bang +2kilos!! I went to my doctor about a month later and pleaded to come of it, he suggested I wait another month! I stayed on it for another month and no matter what I did I couldn't lose the extra 2 kilos, I was working out every day and eating 1200 cals, still wouldn't budge. When I stopped taking it, about a month later, by body started responding to diet and exercise and I went back to my happy weight. (and yes I started eating more cals)