Who has a Mirena?

I have had two Mirena's for a total of about 8 years. I spotted for the two weeks when the first one was put in but then didn't have anymore periods. I have suffered from PCOS since my teens and have horrible periods, so I loved this. I am not one to remember to take a pill every day (my daughhter Breanna is a miraculous exhibit A) so this worked really well for me. I have to be honest though, after reading the other replies I am a little concerned. I have always had issues with my weight, but this became worse in the last few years. I have also had depression/anxiety issues that have progressively gotten worse over the last few years. Now I am wondering if there is a connection. This is still a better option for me though than anything else they offer at the moment.

i've had mirena for about about 15 months. haven't had a period in almost a year now i think 3 times in the last year i had the faintest spotting - usually after bragging about how wonderful mirena is, no period, no cramps, no babies. then i get the spotting that night. so i'm sure it will happen tonite now :P

i tried to get it at my 6 week post partum check - for whatever reason it hurt way too bad & i made doc stop. i finally got brave enough to try it about 6 months later and there was no problem then - like bad cramps that's it & it's mainly when they measure the depth of the uterus.

no probs with strings - neither of us can feel them.

i love it - didn't have the guts to have my tubes tied after #2 but pretty darn sure we are done so this seemed to be the easiest route - have been on the pill or the ring for years and years.

i didn't notice any particular weight gain with it either

I've had a Mirena for 2 years and also love it. So much easier than having to take a pill everyday, way less hormones and I only get one day of spotting every few months.

Of course everyone is different, but as far as birth control goes the Mirena tends to fix things that mother nature gave you (like heavy periods) without giving you the side effects that many other forms do (i.e. weight gain, mood disturbances, heavy periods.... all these things are POSSIBLE with the Mirena but just much less likely).

The biggest downside is the pain with insertion and the upfront cost but overall I think it's the best form of contraception out there.

Hi, I had a Mirena inserted about five years ago. Although I went to the ER for pain the day after having it inserted, they only gave me pain meds and sent me home. They didn't even check for the strings, so I was unaware it had perforated my uterus. To make a long story short, I got pregnant but I had a hole in my uterus so I lost the baby and prolapsed my uterus. I have had to have a hysterectomy due to all my complications.

I hope you have better luck than I did!!

So Sorry you went through this.

I got it today so I'm no help.

I got a Mirena placed at my 6 week postpartum visit to my midwife after the birth of my third child. I thought it was great for a long time...no period, no worries, no nothing. Unfortunately, I actually WAS having side effects, I just didn't know the were Mirena-related until everything else was ruled out. I was angry ALL the time (and I'm not an angry person ever normally), to the point that I found myself screaming at almost anyone who spoke to me. Additionally, I was growing facial hair and having a lot of trouble losing weight. I didn't connect the dots because I generally GAIN weight on hormonal birth control, and I hadn't this time, so I thought I was sympton-free. I was tipped off when I decided to do some searching about my anger problem because the hubby told me that he didn't want to be around me anymore and I was going to ruin the children. Also, I had been wondering why I had been very careful about my diet and exercise routine (controlled calorie and carb, plus half-marathon training) for over six months and had only lost a net of about ten pounds (normally I lose weight pretty easily). So anyway, I did some scavenging and found that these ARE sometimes side effects of the Mirena, so I had it taken out yesterday, after having it for just short of two years. I had never been fond of hormonal birth control, but everyone had convinced me that it was so great so I tried it. At any rate, I already feel better, and can't wait for my normal hormones to regulate so I can get back to my normal, happy self again.

On a side note, I truly believe that hormones affect everyone differently, so just as everyone has slightly different pregnancy symptoms, so too will everyone have a slightly different experience with a given BC method. Some people have every imaginable issue, and some people have none at all. While it's useful to see what range of experiences people have, it really doesn't mean that you will experience all or any of what anyone else did. Sooo, don't let the bad testimonies dissuade you if you really want it, and don't let the good ones convince you that you couldn't possibly have issues yourself. Whatever you decide, good luck!

Ive had various IUD/IUS devices over the last 15 years, excluding the times ive had my children.
With the mirena i found i gained weight on it, but apart from that it was fine. Not nearly as many problems as with most hormonal contraception, which i just cant be doing with.

I now have a copper IUD which i much prefer. I hate artifical hormones. Havent had any bad side effects from it, hasnt affected my periods at all really, and no dulling of moods and depression and libido problems like most hormonal contraception causes to some extent