Did you lose weight after having the Mirena taken out?

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  • Well today is the day I'm having my Mirena removed! Hopefully everything goes smoothly! Next month I have an appointment with my endo and I will ask him to re-test my hormones and thyroid levels to see how everything really is after Mirena.

    To the poster who keeps doubting everyone's experiences--Canada now has a class action lawsuit again the makers of Mirena for a multitude of issues, including many we have described. Just sayin'.

    Hope you all are doing well and feeling better. Hopefully I will too!
  • Shebri11
    Shebri11 Posts: 7
    Good luck Vampygirl1313, will be interested to hear if your weight starts to drop. I get mine removed on 4 August. Please give an up date soon:smile:
  • lexikaye22
    lexikaye22 Posts: 28 Member
    Just had my mirena taken out... Had it for a year.... Then at about 6 months I started having mood swings, depression, gained a good 20 pounds this past year, and worst of al lost my sex drive ( poor husband of mine).

    Since I have taken it out I feel great! I'm two days mirena free and I am finally getting back to my old self!
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Just had my mirena taken out... Had it for a year.... Then at about 6 months I started having mood swings, depression, gained a good 20 pounds this past year, and worst of al lost my sex drive ( poor husband of mine).

    Since I have taken it out I feel great! I'm two days mirena free and I am finally getting back to my old self!

    The thing is this..it takes anywhere from 4-6 weeks sometimes as much as 6-12months for the hormones to leave your body if you are lucky and the fact you feel "better" after 2 days has nothing to do with it's removal...
  • leighdvm
    leighdvm Posts: 1 Member
    Thank you to everyone who has posted their experiences with Mirena. Here is my story. I am 43, mother of 5 year old twin boys, and totally done having more children. My OB/GYN suggested Mirena for birth control and my boss also told me what a great experience she has on it. No periods or anything.

    Unfortunately, I am not one of the lucky ones as far as weight gain. Although I only gained 6 lbs, to me that is a lot since I had gastric bypass in 2006 and determined to keep the weight off. I gained the 6lbs since I have had the Mirena put in in February 2014. NOTHING changed as far as my diet goes, so I am almost positive it is water weight and it HAS to be from the Mirena. I have stayed the same weight since the surgery in 2006 until 8 years later -- too much of a coincidence for me, especially with no change to diet. It is ALL around my stomach, so I feel fat, bloated and pregnant. My clothes feel tight, especially my blouses. I wish I was one of you lucky women who have had no issues because except for the weight gain, my periods were lighter and I wasn't getting cramps anymore.

    However, I can't gain weight, I just can't. So, I removed the Mirena myself last night. I have taken measurements of my waist today and will see if there are any changes next week and will report back. I pray this bloat goes away!!!!!
  • LadyGrey75
    LadyGrey75 Posts: 55 Member
    I almost feel like there may be a little hope for me yet!! I have had the Mirena for 9 years and have struggled with the same 10 lbs for what seems like forever. I am 39, 5'4 and my weight ranges between 134-139 weekly. I was 112lbs when I got preggers 10 years ago which was way to little for me but I was obsessive about my weight. I got pregnant and shot up to 150 lbs partly due to a lot of pregnancy issues. I dropped 10 lbs pretty fast after childbirth but have been stuck every since. I had the Mirena put i after 8 weeks and have had it every since. Since the end of April I have started using MFP, I do not always measure out everything but considering my deficit I find there is plenty of room left for error. I also know for a fact that I have dramatically changed my eating habits. I was eating a huge bowl of ice cream with tons of chocolate hard shell every single night, drinking regular sodas, never drank water, and so on and so forth and have only been ablke to "loose" 4 lbs. I don't think I have actually lost that because that number showed up once on the scale one day last week and I have not seen that number since. I do not log on the weekends because of beer consumption and eratic schedules and I am still making other adjustments with my "plan" to get rid of this weight. I have heard CICO and "water weight" until I feel like I just want to crawl under a rock and hide because I KNOW how much I have sacraficed and changed and feel I should see some results other than 4 lbs of "water weight". Is my diet perfect? Hell no, but I am trying to make small changes that I can actually stick with. I even took my report to my OBGYN and she had no idea why I was not loosing. After reading this entire thread I am curious as to if my culprit is the Mirena. I am not saying it is all the Mirena but I do beleive now that it could be playing a huge part of my weight loss issues ESPECIALLY since I have already changed my diet and have basically stayed the same wieght as I was when I ate whatever I wanted. I also have had many of the other sympton discussed here, no period, cramping, cysts that cause tremendous pain similiar to the Corpus Lutem (sp?) cysts I had while pregnant, migraines, depression, anxiety, NO sex drive and a tummy that stays bloated out all the time. I think when I get back from vacay me and the hubby gonna have to have a chat about a little snip snip on his part and then me and the doc are gonna have a chat about taking this thing out.
  • Enteth
    Enteth Posts: 1
    I've just had mine out too, after seven years. I'm 45 and have four children. I had it fitted to reduce menstruation after admission to hospital with iron levels so low they were causing cardiovascular issues. Menstruation wasn't the cause of the anaemia but was interfering with my recovery.

    I was in a brain fog from the start, and gained weight steadily after the first year. My hair thinned, moderate edema changed the way I looked and the feel of my skin, I suffered acne, loss of libido and loss of energy. I didn't know myself anymore and struggled with depression. In my situation, I had compelling reasons to stick with it and I did.

    After a few years, I completely lost my sense of urgency. I was missing bill payments even when I had the money sitting in the bank because I simply forgot about them, my body shape was gone - no waist! I was like a tree trunk, straight line down by sides. I couldn't bend forward to tie shoe laces. My uterus was rock hard and so bloated.

    I didn't realise till now that my memory was so greatly affected. I was burning everything I cooked and everyone got used to that. I was stuffing up my grocery trips even with a list. People probably thought I was on drugs. I didn't go to the doctor when I was sick because of the effort involved. This was all gradual - I didn't see it happening at all.

    Worst of all, I lost my sense of fun. I used to like relaxing with a romantic movie and enjoying that get-together moment but lately all I felt in the romantic moments was 'they'll never get that mudstain out of that fabric' or 'lucky he didn't hit her head on the door frame'. I have over the past year or two become more grumpy too.

    I resigned from my job a year ago because I didn't have the energy for it, after blood tests at the doctor showed I had moderately low but sufficient iron levels and no other issues and my fitness level showed no reason for my lack of energy. I have been sleeping 10-12 hours a night for at least three years now.

    Weight - I stopped weighing myself after a while. I'm 5 foot 7 and weigh 185 pounds and never went above 155 even when very pregnant. I have been eating less and less (not a healthy move) because my assumption was that I was eating more than I needed. I live way out in the country and have no takeaway food places, we don't have soft drink or lollies and eat a lot of our own produce. I don't drink alcohol at all or even much bread. I didn't see how I was gaining so much.

    Anyway - the Mirena has been out for five days since the time is up and I have wanted it gone for a while. The improvement was almost instant - definitely overnight. I woke the next morning with a clearer head than I've had in ages. I'm noticing dust where I hadn't seen it before. I feel great! I opened my bedroom curtains and looked outside and thought to myself "I'm back". That's just how it feels.

    My uterus is no longer a hard lump. This part was also nearly instant. I've had spotting and very mild cramping but that's all. The Mirena never did stop me menstruating but it did lighten it.

    Over the past five days I've dropped 2 pounds which I'm guessing was fluid retention. Best of all - my shape is coming back! I have little dips where my waist is, my hips are appearing again. I feel heaps more feminine than I did. I am bendy! I'm loving that part. I didn't realise that all my joints had stiffened up, just a little, but now I have a very nice ease of movement.

    Last night was the fifth night and I only slept for 9.5 hours and woke feeling refreshed. I'm hoping this is a permanent change too. Also - I haven't burned any food in days. My whole family is commenting on it. Acne is beginning to clear, I'm suddenly remembering the dreams and plans I used to have.

    A bit frustrated now that I resigned from my job but it's gone forever. At least I still have my extremely long-suffering husband who has put up with more than any husband should have to put up with.

    Weight loss - this is next. I need to review my diet now. I was slowly turning to more and more easy-cook foods to combat my forgetfulness. I am already more active - pottering instead of sitting, actually walking the dog instead of throwing balls for her to fetch. This has happened naturally, I suddenly have energy to burn and I just don't want to sit still.

    Very few people are posting after the first week of Mirena removal. The point that weight loss still takes work is a fact well worth knowing so thank you to everyone who has pointed that out. I'll admit I was hoping the weight would just start falling off as it used to when I was a teenager. I guess there are no miracles in weight loss, especially for those of us who are getting older :). But forewarned is forearmed and I will work on a plan of attack.
  • angierosed
    angierosed Posts: 17 Member
    I had the Mirena put in 2 months ago. And a week and a half later my stomach went from being flat to being SO swollen and bloated. It stuck out so far that I looked 4 months pregnant. I would get full very fast and my stomach got bigger throughout the day. I felt like I had an expanding water balloon in my stomach. I tried gluten free, candida cleanse, candida diets, no dairy, went to the GI, and wasted money trying everything to figure out what the problem was! I even stopped taking another medicine because I thought maybe that was what was causing it. I realized the bloating started shortly after getting the Mirena. I am now reading so many posts about other people having the same problem. I made an appointment as soon as one was available, so I had it removed yesterday! I soooo hope this is the cause of it so I can be my old self again. This bloating is awful! It's uncomfortable and pushes on my stomach which almost hurts. I can't live like this!
  • littlefoot612
    littlefoot612 Posts: 156 Member
    I have had Mirena for just over 7 years now and didn't gain weight because of it nor had any problems with losing weight.
  • MrsSanthoff
    MrsSanthoff Posts: 272 Member
    I have had mine since January 2014. I didn't really start gaining until March. I have gained 10 lbs with working out and a good diet and the scale hasn't budged. After reading many reviews I am planning on taking it out myself sometime this week.
  • MrsSanthoff
    MrsSanthoff Posts: 272 Member
    Wow guys you are so depressing. I got the mirena sometime in February or March of this year, I have lost somewhere around 40 some pounds since then. I take Wellbutrin so I have been pretty happy. Since this I now weigh what I did in High School, know I can't get pregnant, and more limber than ever now that I am more fit..I can't say enough good things about Mirena. Reading past posts everyone complains about sex drive, depression, and weight gain, I just debunked all of it. Before my son was born in December (and the 9 months and 16 days prior to his birth) I had the Mirena for three year's and I yo yoed on weight and was happy and sad at different points in life. I guess what I am trying to say, is the Mirena didn't change me, life went on like normal.

    Everyone is different. Just because you (one out of many) have had good luck with it doesn't mean the rest of us are making it up. I am happy that you have had a great experience, but don't knock those who haven't. Walk in my shoes and sing a different song.
  • angierosed
    angierosed Posts: 17 Member
    Some people don't have any problems with the Mirena. My cousin loves it. Some people have side effects pretty soon after getting it, and some people don't experience symptoms until a couple years down the road. My stomach bloating is not just a little bloated, it is ALOT bloated! It is bloated like I have never experienced before. I thought something was wrong so I went to different doctors and tried different cleanses, and tried no dairy or gluten for a few weeks. I went through so much trouble and spent so much money trying to figure it out, when now I realized it started a week after taking the Mirena. I even went to the gyono that inserted it. All of these doctors kept saying "just keep tweaking your diet." Ha! What I'm tired of is when doctor give you medicines (or something like Mirena) and you go back and tell them you are having side effects from it, they say, no it's not the medicine that is causing it. Even the side effects lists say it can cause that side effect. Doctors don't get any feedback after they prescribe meds (or things like Mirena). They just give it to you and move on to the next person. They don't get feedback or have time to read message boards or blogs from people that are having issues. I have read numerous posts that said their doctor said that their side effects were not from the Mirena, when clearly it was. I had it taken out 5 days ago. Anyone that had stomach bloating, how long did it take for it to go away after removal? I look pregnant and I'm not.
  • angierosed
    angierosed Posts: 17 Member
    Has anyone tried anything to detox their body after Mirena? If so, what, and did it work?
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Has anyone tried anything to detox their body after Mirena? If so, what, and did it work?

    Your body doesn't need a "detox" that is what your kidneys and liver are for.
  • angierosed
    angierosed Posts: 17 Member
    Anyone that had stomach bloating, how long did it take for it to go away after removal? I look pregnant and I'm not.
  • carmenstop1
    carmenstop1 Posts: 210 Member
    Anyone that had stomach bloating, how long did it take for it to go away after removal? I look pregnant and I'm not.

    My bloat started to go away after the first week. I was like you, I felt like I was 6 months pregnant...huge bloat.

    I went to a naturopath and he put me on some stuff to help my body eliminate all the chemicals from the Mirena. I know it helped me get back on track faster.
  • angierosed
    angierosed Posts: 17 Member
    Thank you! I have hope. Part of me feels like it will never go back to normal, that I will be stuck this way forever.
  • carmenstop1
    carmenstop1 Posts: 210 Member
    I totally understand Angierose... I felt like that too.

    I am still working on the weight loss, it is finally coming off, but very slowly!

    My hubby just said to me this weekend that I am finally acting like I used to. My house is cleaner, my energy level is still not what it was but way better than it has been. I am happier and more interested in life and my family!

    It takes time, but its definitely getting better!
  • angierosed
    angierosed Posts: 17 Member
    Thank you for the hope and encouragement. I'm happy for you that you are finally becoming your normal self again.
  • trz879
    trz879 Posts: 1 Member
    ok I am so freaked out that I didn't research the Mirena before getting it. I see my cardiologist every 3 months and see GYNO every year. I am 52 years old and had my 4th and last child in 2004. wanted my tubes tide but because I didn't sign papers in time....couldn't be done. last 2 years I thought I was going nuts. told every doctor please check for pregnancy. as I am writing this I feel kicking in my belly. so visit to cardio doc says "stop eating, your not pregnant". then rash on leg that 2 dermatologists cant diagnose what it is. scatter brain is so bad I cant believe I have been able to keep my job. finally went to GYN and guess what...they cant find the IUD. surgery will be Tuesday. I am scared. they took sonogram and think they know where it is but I think my body is probably rejecting this foreign thing in my body. I pray all goes well and I can look in the mirror again and I am so ugly and sad. :sad: :yawn:
  • Diamond05
    Diamond05 Posts: 475 Member
    Bu p to read later
  • eagleandthecrow
    eagleandthecrow Posts: 7 Member
    I've gotta say, I LOVE my mirena. I didn't gain weight because of it. I gained weight because I was a Fatty McFatFat and ate everything in sight. I also haven't had any problems losing weight. I love the fact that I don't have periods with it, too. I never worry about TOM weight/bloating. [:

    I second this! i adore my mirena, and while I did gain a bit of weight, it wasn't because of the Mirena, it was because of all the traveling I was doing and all of the OM NOM NOM I would do at airports.

    I also had the Paragard, and while I felt great on the Paragard, I had 8 day periods and 24 day cycles. I was CONSTANTLY on my period. I didn't have any of the nasty painful side effects with Paragard, though, which is why I had it for almost 5 years.

    Anyhow, glad I made the switch to Mirena! :)
  • angierosed
    angierosed Posts: 17 Member
    Has anyone taken Chaste berry (Vitex) after getting the Mirena removed to balance hormones?
  • terriedh
    terriedh Posts: 1
    Had the mirena in 07 after my third child. The doctor promised me I would not gain weight (Was already to prepregnacy weight) Since all bc caused severe weight gain with me. Within 2 weeks of having it put in I gained 10lbs. I went back and they I was just not eating right. I eat like a bird. 5'1 135lbs. Then 4 months later I gained 30lb. Went to 2 different doctors begging to have removed and all said it was my lifestyle. I ate 1000 calories and exercised 3 times a week. Weight had never been an issue. Atkins even failed. A year and half I begged to have it removed. Finally local health department said they would. The nurse was a family friend and bout fell over when she saw me. My weight was up to 210, my face covered in brown blotches, and was diagnosed with pcos after it was removed. I never had any issues with blotches, hormones, or weight. Now 7 years later countless blood test, phentermine pills, atkins,metformin and still eat like a bird not one pound has been lost. I think the last couple of years I have given up. I hate sweets, drink 1 pop if that every couple of months, eat well under the calories im supposed to and no success. I blame the iud for my horrible weight, skin, and every 2-3 weeks I have a period (periods started right after mirena was removed). I did have a child in 09 and lost that weight and without fail stopped at 210. I pray God works and keeps me healthy even if overweight. I have never had depression due to my body. Bout to try 1 last ditch effort and try shakeology with my vegan eating. Prayers and encouragement please. I wish I could sue mirena. So glad I found this forum.
  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
    No problems with mirena in, have to update my ticker, have lost 15 pounds. I also work out a lot, watch what i eat. No brainer.
  • Shebri11
    Shebri11 Posts: 7
    Terriedh - Have you been tested for an underactive thyroid?
  • angierosed
    angierosed Posts: 17 Member
    Terreidh: I'm sorry to hear about your story. My heart goes out to you and I will pray you can return back to normal. You probably already took alot of tests, but it's true, test your thyroid. I think Mirena causes thyroid problems. Also maybe you need to take something natural to help build your natural progesterone back since Mirena messes with hormones. Maybe you already looked into all of this, but just wanted to put that out there.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Terreidh: I'm sorry to hear about your story. My heart goes out to you and I will pray you can return back to normal. You probably already took alot of tests, but it's true, test your thyroid. I think Mirena causes thyroid problems. Also maybe you need to take something natural to help build your natural progesterone back since Mirena messes with hormones. Maybe you already looked into all of this, but just wanted to put that out there.

    No it doesn't mess with your thyroid.

    Mirena is a low dose BC method and has less hormones released than the pill.

    Odd a member since April 2011...finally found this post...most interesting.
  • carmenstop1
    carmenstop1 Posts: 210 Member
    Terreidh: I'm sorry to hear about your story. My heart goes out to you and I will pray you can return back to normal. You probably already took alot of tests, but it's true, test your thyroid. I think Mirena causes thyroid problems. Also maybe you need to take something natural to help build your natural progesterone back since Mirena messes with hormones. Maybe you already looked into all of this, but just wanted to put that out there.

    No it doesn't mess with your thyroid.

    Mirena is a low dose BC method and has less hormones released than the pill.

    Odd a member since April 2011...finally found this post...most interesting.

    I'm sorry to tell you my dear, but yes the Mirena does mess with thyroid function....

    http://www.drugs.com/disease-interactions/levonorgestrel,mirena.html

    It messes with a lot of things!

    Read what this poor woman has been through before you keep putting the rest of us down.

    http://lifeaftermirena.blogspot.ca/2008/02/update.html

    What does when she found the post have to do with anything? I have been a member since 2010 and just found this post in January....???
  • willrun4bagels
    willrun4bagels Posts: 838 Member

    I'm sorry to tell you my dear, but yes the Mirena does mess with thyroid function....

    http://www.drugs.com/disease-interactions/levonorgestrel,mirena.html

    It messes with a lot of things!

    Read what this poor woman has been through before you keep putting the rest of us down.

    http://lifeaftermirena.blogspot.ca/2008/02/update.html

    What does when she found the post have to do with anything? I have been a member since 2010 and just found this post in January....???

    I am looking at the links you posted for information about how the Mirena "messes" with thyroid function.

    Per your drugs.com link:
    Estrogens/Progestogens (Includes Mirena) ↔ Thyroid Function Tests
    Moderate Potential Hazard, Moderate plausibility
    Applies to: Thyroid Disease
    When administering estrogen and/or progestogen therapy in patients with thyroid disorders, clinicians should be aware that these hormones may affect thyroid function tests. Changes have mostly been reported with the use of combination oral contraceptives. Specifically, thyroid-binding globulin (TBG) may be increased, resulting in elevated circulating total thyroid hormone, as measured by PBI (protein-bound iodine), T4 by column or radioimmunoassay, or T3 by radioimmunoassay. Free T3 resin uptake may be decreased. On the contrary, a decrease in TBG and, consequently, thyroxine concentration, has been reported by the manufacturers of the progestin-only (norethindrone) oral contraceptives.

    References

    "Product Information. Ortho-Est (estropipate)." Ortho McNeil Pharmaceutical, Raritan, NJ.
    "Product Information. Deltasone (prednisone)." Pharmacia and Upjohn, Kalamazoo, MI.
    "Product Information. Estratab (esterified estrogens)" Solvay Pharmaceuticals Inc, Marietta, GA.

    Read the first sentence - it says in patients with thyroid disorders, XYZ may happen or have been reported. Mirena's product information is also not cited anywhere in their references. 24 references were provided in the expanded version.

    That would indicate to me that if one has not had a thyroid problem in the past, the Mirena itself would not cause thyroid problems.

    I would also like to point out that the blog you posted was last updated in 2009. She wrote "I have really struggled to lose the weight I gained with the Mirena, which has never been an issue for me before. I am convinced something about that thing changed my body chemistry, but maybe I'm wrong. I somehow doubt it. I will spare you the details, but even switching to a vegetarian diet with no processed or fast foods hasn't worked. The good news is that I started Medifast less than a week ago, and the pounds are starting to shed like crazy, so it seems like my journey with this is going to come full circle.".

    There is nothing wrong with her body causing an inability to lose weight. As she says herself, when she went on Medifast, the "pounds started to shed like crazy". Meaning that her lack of a caloric deficit would have been why she did not lose weight. A vegetarian diet would have had nothing to do with it if she wasn't in a caloric deficit.

    Edited to clarify references.