Mirena/IUD problems

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Nickih85
Nickih85 Posts: 8
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello! I need some advice! After getting Mirena inserted in April of this year, I have found it IMPOSSIBLE to lose weight! In the beginning of the year, I started out at 165 lbs. Mainly due to my own eating habits and being burned out on dieting, my weight rose to about 180 by the time I had Mirena inserted. I don't feel like it caused me to gain weight (I'm still at 180-ish), but now that I'm serious and back on track with my fitness, the pounds won't come off. I know that I am able lose weight because I lost nearly 50 lbs before falling off the wagon a bit this year, and I know how to lose weight properly. Yet for the past 3 months, I've been eating healthy, limiting myself to a 1200 calorie/day diet, and working out 3 or 4 times a week, but since the Mirena was inserted, my weight holds steady at 181 lbs every single time I step on the scale. EVERY TIME! FOR THREE MONTHS! It's as though all my efforts are worthless. I never had any issues like this before Mirena.

After doing some research and finding that this isn't uncommon with Mirena, I'm considering having it removed and using Paragard instead. It seems that with other women, the ability to lose weight normally returned after removing Mirena. And maybe Paragard would be a better option for me since it's non-hormonal.

But here's my huge concern. I'm scared that with Paragard, I still won't be able to lose weight. Is the inability to lose weight just the nature of all IUDs? Or is it the hormone in Mirena that's the problem?

So, have any of you had similar experiences? If so, did you change to a non-hormonal IUD? And what was the result? Did you regain your ability to lose weight?

And for those who have only used Paragard, do you have any issues losing weight? I don't want to change out one problem for the exact same problem. Thanks so much for the advice! I really appreciate it!
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Replies

  • jsmith2377
    jsmith2377 Posts: 208 Member
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    i can't do Mirena because the hormones seriously play with my system (horrible acne, weight gain). So, I had Paragard put in at the end of July. I've lost 12 pounds since then. I haven't been trying very hard either.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
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    Your doctor would probably be a better source of information.
  • Graceious1
    Graceious1 Posts: 716 Member
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    I had a Mirena fitted in May and I am happily losing weight and toning up. My body shape has changed and it hasn't affected me at all. I have lost 7lb since coming on here at the end of August.
  • lroberts5
    lroberts5 Posts: 26
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    I've never had Mirena, but I had Paragard put in 2 mo ago and it's like nothing is even there. I've seen no difference in my ability to lose weight than before. I am loving the Paragard. Good luck in whatever you choose.
  • T34418l3angel
    T34418l3angel Posts: 474 Member
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    I'm on my fifth year of mirena and am scheduled to change it out and get a new one next week. I haven't had any negative side effects. but since it does have an affect on your hormones I think everyone reacts different. I say discuss this with your doctor and see what they think.
  • gabriellejayde
    gabriellejayde Posts: 607 Member
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    I've had the mirena for a few years and not having trouble losing weight at all. I've lost 29lbs in around 9 or 10 weeks.
  • tuffwen
    tuffwen Posts: 1
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    Be honest with your intake of food. Nibbling can mess you up. I found that bananas have to be cut from my diet. The last time I stopped losing I was eating too much cheese. Also, remember liqour can have an adverse affect on your weight loss.
  • SuperSexyDork
    SuperSexyDork Posts: 1,669 Member
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    I would rule out other problems with your doctor before having your Mirena removed.

    Weight gain and difficulty losing weight are not typical side effects of Mirena and eating at such a large deficit should at least partially offset that.

    So, if you're stuck, I would do 2 things, 1. Call your doctor and schedule an appointment to rule out other causes such as thyroid issues. Print off recent diary entries to bring with. 2. Get a food scale and weigh everything you eat. It's very possible to be under-estimating your food intake without even knowing it.

    ETA: I've had Mirena for almost 4 years and have not had any difficulty losing weight with it.
  • LisaGirlfriend
    LisaGirlfriend Posts: 493 Member
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    I've had the Mirena for 3 years and lost 28 pounds when I first got it no problem. I don't think it's the Mirena.

    Have you thought that maybe you're restricting your calories too much and have slowed your metabolism down? That's what happened to me eating 1200 calories a day and working out like a crazy woman! I've since found the 'eat more to lose weight' forum on this site and it is changing my life. I'd check there first before getting your birth control removed. Use the search function above and read away...
  • Nickih85
    Nickih85 Posts: 8
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    I've got an appointment with the doctor in mid-November to check this issue out. I agree that it would be a good idea to do some tests and rule out any other issues such as hypothyroidism or other hormonal imbalances. Yet, it just seems like an unlikely coincidence that I developed a separate, unrelated issue at the same time I had the Mirena inserted.

    It's just frustrating and disheartening to see all my efforts yield no results, especially since I lost 50 lbs doing exactly what I'm doing now before this problem arose, whatever the problem may be.
  • Nickih85
    Nickih85 Posts: 8
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    That's good advice :) While I do believe that in 3 months something should have happened, instead of maintaining a status quo, being better at logging and weighing everything I eat may help to shed some light on this issue. Thanks!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    Mirena caused a 25-pound (by the time it was done) weight gain for me and it would NOT come off. Within two weeks of having it out, I was losing again.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    An FYI to those who insist Mirena won't cause this problem because it didn't happen to YOU, the Mirena website lists weight gain as a side effect for a small percentage of users.

    Just because it didn't happen TO YOU doesn't mean it doesn't happen to other women.
  • Nickih85
    Nickih85 Posts: 8
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    It seems like those who have replied have had pretty diverse experiences with Mirena. Everyone's advice to rule out other causes is definitely appreciated, and I'll be doing that. This is all just so baffling to me since I've never had problems losing weight in the past, once I put forth the effort. I just gotta figure this out!
  • FitnessPalWorks
    FitnessPalWorks Posts: 1,128 Member
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    Hello! I need some advice! After getting Mirena inserted in April of this year, I have found it IMPOSSIBLE to lose weight! In the beginning of the year, I started out at 165 lbs. Mainly due to my own eating habits and being burned out on dieting, my weight rose to about 180 by the time I had Mirena inserted. I don't feel like it caused me to gain weight (I'm still at 180-ish), but now that I'm serious and back on track with my fitness, the pounds won't come off. I know that I am able lose weight because I lost nearly 50 lbs before falling off the wagon a bit this year, and I know how to lose weight properly. Yet for the past 3 months, I've been eating healthy, limiting myself to a 1200 calorie/day diet, and working out 3 or 4 times a week, but since the Mirena was inserted, my weight holds steady at 181 lbs every single time I step on the scale. EVERY TIME! FOR THREE MONTHS! It's as though all my efforts are worthless. I never had any issues like this before Mirena.

    After doing some research and finding that this isn't uncommon with Mirena, I'm considering having it removed and using Paragard instead. It seems that with other women, the ability to lose weight normally returned after removing Mirena. And maybe Paragard would be a better option for me since it's non-hormonal.

    But here's my huge concern. I'm scared that with Paragard, I still won't be able to lose weight. Is the inability to lose weight just the nature of all IUDs? Or is it the hormone in Mirena that's the problem?

    So, have any of you had similar experiences? If so, did you change to a non-hormonal IUD? And what was the result? Did you regain your ability to lose weight?

    And for those who have only used Paragard, do you have any issues losing weight? I don't want to change out one problem for the exact same problem. Thanks so much for the advice! I really appreciate it!


    Mirena is Satan wrapped in a cute plastic device. Get that thing out of you. Do a search on "Mirena Complaints"... there used to be a site that had THOUSANDS of women that had posted their problems. For me it caused acne that I NEVER had before, SEVERE fatigue and muscle fatigue, you name it. It was awful.

    Within 24 hours of having that horrible thing removed, I began to feel better. It was near instantaneous... but it did take my body several months to return to "normal"....
  • redheaddee
    redheaddee Posts: 2,005 Member
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    Praguard has no homones, which is why I chose it and I LOVELOVELOVE it!!! I feel like I am myself for the first time since being on birth control...20 years (sheesh)
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    Praguard has no homones, which is why I chose it and I LOVELOVELOVE it!!! I feel like I am myself for the first time since being on birth control...20 years (sheesh)

    The problem with Paraguard is it makes periods heavier, especially if you're prone (I am) to heavy periods to begin with. It isn't an option for everyone. It's why I chose Mirena.

    But I'm done having babies, so on Friday they're tying the tubes and doing an endometrial ablation to deal with the heavy periods. Until then, I'm on the pill again.
  • m_shuman
    m_shuman Posts: 179
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    I have mirena and I have lost 20 Lbs since last November. I also was eating 1200 calories and hit a plateau. I increased my calorie intake and I am losing again.
  • ce_newjourney
    ce_newjourney Posts: 3
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    Mirena is the worst thing that ever happened to me. I was in probably the best shape of my life when I decided to try it. With or without working out and keeping my regular diet of no more than 1,200 calories, I put on weight consistently ( about a pound a week) for the 6 months I had it, I went from 137-140 to 165. In addition, my mood swings were just horrendous and my sex life became no existent. I had no desire to have it. I got it out, quickly lost 12 pounds but the rest has been very slow and hard to lose. It'd probably help if I could work out as much as I used to, but I can tell my body is not responding like it used to.

    Definitely a before and after Mirena, and not for the best.
  • TeachTheGirl
    TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
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    I looked into the complaints about Mirena after I bled for three months straight and had horrid mood swings. However, giving it a chance, now I'm 9-10 months in with absolutely no side-effects and I've lost over 30lbs since then too.

    I'd talk with your OB/GYN about it and see what they can suggest.

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