Mirena IUD and Weight Gain/Loss

I have not had children and I've had the Mirena for about three months now. I have been successfully maintaining my weight during that time.

I have no kids. I was on a combination pill for 8 years but was already on a steady upward weight trend before I started it. I also lost loads of weight while on that pill (I weigh less now than when I started on it). I now have a Skyla (Mirena Jr, basically) and still have no trouble losing weight when I'm trying. Also have no trouble maintaining when I'm not trying to lose.

I have never been pregnant and have had Mirena for almost a year now. No undesirable changes in weight and no difficulty with increased appetite or anything. I haven't had any of the hormonal issues that I did on the pill, my periods are infrequent and very light, and overall haven't really noticed a single negative point once the initial cramping etc ceased after a couple of weeks.

No children. Mirena since February. CICO works like it always has for me. (As in if I overeat I gain, when I track and eat less than I burn I lose).

I have had Mirena for over 5 years and no kids. I actually gained weight AND lost weight during those 5 years but it was not from the IUD from what I've noticed because I also ate such bad foods when I was fat. But overall I've lost 82 pounds and able to keep it all off and still have Mirena. I just watched what I ate and in smaller portions.

Prior to using Mirena, over the course of several years I had lost 60lbs and was maintaining it with ease.

My first few months with mirena, I was bloated beyond control, and in severe pain. Finally the pain calmed down, but the bloating NEVER went away, and I started to gain weight uncontrollably. In less than a SINGLE YEAR, I gained all 60lbs back AND THEN SOME. I also got terrible acne, which I had never had before in my life (spots here and there in high school, but nbd). I had no idea that it would affect me so much.

After about a year on Mirena, I finally had enough, and I had it removed. It took another 6 months or so for my hormones to go back to normal, until which time I continued to gain weight.

Obviously, the Mirena itself didn't cause my weight gain. Overeating did. But the extreme emotional/stress overeating was caused by the hormonal imbalance from Mirena.

All of this is not to discourage you from trying it. You will have no clue how it will affect you until you do. But, as a warning, if you are feeling bloated, emotional, out of control, your acne worsens, and you're gaining weight, I would advise you to get that thing removed as soon as possible. I wish I had sooner.

Here's to starting from scratch!

Edit: I'm 24 years old now, and was 22 when I got Mirena. I've never had children. I had never experienced a bad hormonal issue prior to Mirena.

I just had my Mirena removed after a year, I gained probably around 20lbs purely through eating too much. However, IMO this was caused by the Mirena, in that it gave me such bad anxiety and depression I ate my feelings. I also can't stand being hungry and in pain, and it gave me cramps that lasted the entire year until I had it removed. I ate a LOT over the last few months.

So while it won't make you gain weight on its own, if you get the side effects it may make it difficult to control your calories. Obviously this was only my experience and yours may be totally different. The only way you will find out is giving it a go, if you're willing to risk it.

annpatalexa wrote: »

Thank you ladies. I ended up going through with it. Not the most comfortable thing in the world. It knocked me out of commission for a day. Thank you for confirming that its just like every other BC. While I am secretly (not so secretly) hoping for the "Dramatic weight loss" that some people have spoke of on other forums. I'm trying to get back to just tracking my food and walking more during the day.

A lot of the insane weight gain posts were also tied to comments about postpartum and I was trying to separate how much of it is over eating because of that, how much was over eating because of the hormone. I was on the NuvaRing for almost a decade but in recent months its slipped out randomly and once it slipped out and I didn't notice, so I decided it was time for a change and made my appointment. Hopefully this discomfort gets better, but I was reading to give it a week and if it doesn't go away (which it mostly has), to call my doctor.

Thank you again ladies. I appreciate your candid and honest responses.

So glad to hear this. I am going to get one before the end of the year (when it's still covered by insurance 100%). I'm looking more for a diminished TOM and cramp relief without having to take a pill every day. I took Natazia for a while, which I loved, but not covered by insurance at all. I'm just trying to bridge the gap between menopause because I hate my period. Hubby had a vasectomy 10 years ago, so birth control isn't the issue.

I've had Mirena for almost 4 years. I've had zero children. I've been dieting since last July (nearly 16 months) and have lost nearly 118 lbs without a problem and with almost zero exercise.