Can the Mirena Coil be slowing weight loss?

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elsbbels
elsbbels Posts: 190 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My weight loss is SLOW, like so so slow, and it gets me down regularly. Yes, my body shape has changed and I feel better but why isn't my weight shifting, I love the fact my body is changing but the fact it still says a high number on the scale is beyond annoying.

I eat healthy, about 1,800 cals a day, exercise regularly, lots and lots of water. I'm 5ft 10, 188lbs.

Has anyone experienced super slow weight loss with the Mirena coil?

Replies

  • jmnicholas
    jmnicholas Posts: 58 Member
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    I didn't lose any weight at all whilst I had the Mirena coil in, despite dieting and doing MFP alongside increased exercise, but did lose inches and tone up a lot. Since having it removed, I have lost 11lb in 5 months, so it is still slow for me (although I'm not eating at a huge deficit form maintenance as I am less concerned about losing now). I was 73kg for 5 years, and I'm 1m60cm. My fitness instructor and the nurse at the GP both said I was not overweight despite having a BMI into the overweight range (mainly because I was more toned). I do think the hormones in the Mirena can have an effect, but it affects everyone differently - I found my breasts stayed larger than pre-pregnancy as well as having difficulty losing weight (I'm still waiting for them to shrink down.. :wink: ).

    My advice - don't worry about the scale - claim all your nsv's and focus on why you are doing it - for you. Also, don't slate the Mirena too much, after all, you've got it for a valid reason!

    My biggest bugbear was always that my husband could drop about 3-4kg per month, on any diet, but I'd be stuck at 73kg! I did start weighing at different times of day to see what happened, but got too disillusioned:grumble: !
  • Oriole15
    Oriole15 Posts: 58
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    It doesn't slow it as much as getting pregnant does.
  • Ninhydrin
    Ninhydrin Posts: 18 Member
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    I was on the pill before (femodene) and found I was retaining a lot of water, since switching to the Mirena that's hardly an issue at all.

    There is such a low dose of hormone in the mirena and it's localised to your uterus so it's not as likely to be causing stubborn weight issues. It's more likely that you are changing the composition of your body and muscle is replacing fat.

    Case in point: I went from a size UK24 to a UK18 without losing more than 5kgs - get a tape measure, go have your body fat percentage measured, don't rely solely on the scale.

    I can't fathom how if anyone is losing inches or their bodies are changing shape you'd get so hung up on a number on the scale. If you aren't losing weight AND you aren't losing inches, fine, delve deeper. Otherwise forget about the scale for now.
  • elsbbels
    elsbbels Posts: 190 Member
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    I can get hung up on the number on the scale, I know the inches are going down but the scale isn't, it still shows above 13st, and it's taken me 4 months to lose 1 st, just annoying, thought the coil could have something to do with it. Just curiosity :)
  • jemcclu1
    jemcclu1 Posts: 15 Member
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    I switched to the Paraguard (hormone free) and I've lost significant weight since stopping hormonal birth control all together. Before the Paraguard, I used the Mirena, NuvaRing, and various types of pills. Weight has been flying off since switching to hormone free for me at least. In fact the first time I started taking note of my weight was in August 2012 when I started using the Nuvaring I was 141. During the time since then I tried a mirena and eventually got a Paraguard in February, which was around the same time I started getting more committed to working out. Today I'm 125 (fluctuates) and I've lost it all basically in the past 3 or 4 months, so it could be my commitment mixed with the hormone free IUD. Take it for what it's worth, I guess. Just thought I would share my experience!
  • wbandel
    wbandel Posts: 530 Member
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    It's totally different for everyone. I had one several years ago and I had a ton of side effects (also couldn't lose weight, but that might have been lack of education and will power). Went off of it for two years before getting convinced into getting another one (my options are incredibly limited). While I was off of it all the side effects went away and I felt better, but again didn't lose weight because I had given up on weight loss at that time, so no clue how it might have been different. This time I think the placement was better as I've been having no side effects at all. Started MFP obese, and lost weight 2lbs a week, now that I'm in the healthy range it's slowed down to .5lbs a week. So for me personally, I'd say it has had no impact on weight loss.

    There are a lot of women who have had problems with side effects and weight loss, and they talk about it a lot online. There are also a lot of women who don't have problems at all, who never come online to talk about it, because it doesn't even cross their minds to. So take everything as advice, but know that your body is still different from everyone else's. Even my two experiences are totally different from each other. Talking to your doctor might be best.
  • Stefroutley
    Stefroutley Posts: 1
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    I agree with Ninhydrin I have had the Mirena for almost three years and the first year of it I managed to lose 80 lbs. I also agree that some times losing inches instead of weight is all apart of the process. My husband who is a nurse told me at one point when I was discouraged that taking a week from exercise (still eating healthy of course) and then going back to the scale that I would see a weight decrease. I did by about 7 lbs. It has something to do with adipose tissue and fat and allowing our bodies to distribute it. Anyway don't be discouraged doing weight loss properly by eating healthy and exercise is a bit of a slower process but it is in my humble opinion the only way to lose and keep it off!

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