Question about Mirena

sarahcs424
sarahcs424 Posts: 46 Member
edited September 30 in Health and Weight Loss
So I am about to get the Mirena Iud and I have been hearing a lot lately that it cause weight gain. Then I was reading up on some other birth control and they all seem to have this side affect. Who has the Iud and still is losing weight? Is there anything you guys would recommend?

Replies

  • natskedat
    natskedat Posts: 570 Member
    One of my MFP friends is coming off a major weight gain with Mirena. She had some very bad hormonal reactions when the IUD was removed.
  • TinaS88
    TinaS88 Posts: 817 Member
    Mirena in no way makes you gain weight.
    I know depot does, but sooo not Mirena.
    I have had one for 4 years and the only reason I gained weight this last year is because I sat on my butt, drank TONS of soda, and crap all day everyday after quitting my job...
  • ceschwartz
    ceschwartz Posts: 240 Member
    I didn't have any weight gain, but I had some serious cramping for about a month after. All I did was sit on the couch, cry and try not to move...and I am no wimp. Everyone is different though.
  • hush7hush
    hush7hush Posts: 2,273 Member
    I have it.
    I love it.
    Got it in January.
    I've been losing weight steadily since April (when I started trying.)
    It has NOT prohibited me one bit.
    In fact, I think it's helped because of my lack of periods.
  • louisvillelady
    louisvillelady Posts: 54 Member
    I have lost 44 pounds and have had mirena for a year and a half .
  • Heatherbelle_87
    Heatherbelle_87 Posts: 1,078 Member
    Weight gain is a minor side effect of mirena effecting less then 5% of case study paticipants. That being said, it does happen. The only way to truly prevent weight gain from using birthcontrol is to use the non-hormonal versions, the copper IUD, diaphram, cervical cap, condoms, ect..
  • deadstarsunburn
    deadstarsunburn Posts: 1,337 Member
    Everyone's body reacts differently to different drugs. I think if you ask your doctor about the likely hood of you gaining weight from it would be best.
  • kristies2
    kristies2 Posts: 1
    I lost weight while on Mirena because I ate right and worked out. I gained it back when I stopped doing that. So it wasn't the Mirena that made me gain. The level of hormones is so low that it doesn't make much difference. I LOVED the Mirena because I didn't have a period for 5 yrs. But somehow it got stuck in the uterine wall and the dr couldn't get it out when it was time. I had to be put out so they could get it out because it was so painful....BUT, I have a TON of pelvic pain issues, so this is in no way normal. I have interstitial cystitis, adenomyosis, endometriosis, cysts, a hernia and a tumor in my spine at T12 where the nerves are for the bladder and bowel function. So I experience a lot of pain below the waist ALL the time, so add to that one stuck IUD and it was unbearable for me.
    Did Mirena cause all these things? No, I had them before the IUD. Many were just undiagnosed. Long story short, Mirena is awesome and I would do it again in a heartbeat if I weren't getting a hysterectomy soon.
  • Ljc3
    Ljc3 Posts: 46
    The only weight I gained was because I overate alll the time! Since I started mfp last april I have dropped 35lbs. Mirena has had no effect on my weight! Its been a good thing for me and I've had it 3 years :)
  • MrsCon40
    MrsCon40 Posts: 2,351 Member
    Mirena in no way makes you gain weight.
    I know depot does, but sooo not Mirena.
    I have had one for 4 years and the only reason I gained weight this last year is because I sat on my butt, drank TONS of soda, and crap all day everyday after quitting my job...

    ^^^^ THIS!!! ^^^^

    I have had a Mirena for 2 years now and **I** am responsible for my weight gain.

    Mirena, on the other hand, is totally responsible for my erratic periods. I consider that a small price to pay for not creating any more reasons to be gigantically pregnant and have a little leech on my boobs for 2 years :wink:
  • BOGmama2010
    BOGmama2010 Posts: 599 Member
    I've had the Mirena for almost 3 years. Love it - no periods. I've lost weight and toned up. I did gain a lot of weight at first, but I was healing from my miscarriage and emotionally eating. In no way do I blame my IUD for the gain.
  • Sherry1979
    Sherry1979 Posts: 457 Member
    I
  • kunibob
    kunibob Posts: 608 Member
    I didn't have weight gain at all with Mirena, but we're all different! My problem was that I had a 7 month period on it, but that's a very rare side effect. I went back to copper after that. Love my Flexi-T!

    Hormones CAN cause weight gain through water retention, for some folks. I gained 9 lb after two months on one pill...it all came off again a week after I stopped that pill. Mirena has a very, very tiny amount of systemic hormones, though, which is one reason it agrees well with many folks who normally don't do well on the Pill.
  • ruststar
    ruststar Posts: 489 Member
    I've had the Mirena in for 4 years and didn't gain any weight from it. There was some cramping and light period for the first couple of months but since then I haven't had a true cycle at all. Heaven!
  • dodd319
    dodd319 Posts: 228
    I got my first Mirena after having my son (he's 4 1/2 now). I had little cramping & bleeding the first month or so and that was it. We had it removed, I got pregnant a couple months later, and got my 2nd Mirena after my daughter was born (now 16 months). I had less bleeding this time around and I don't remember much cramping. I absolutely LOVE Mirena & will continue to use it! I'm pretty sure we're done having kids!

    And the only weight gain was when I chose to NOT eat right or exercise. Now that I AM eating right & exercising, I've lost 23.7 pounds!
  • NatalieWiley
    NatalieWiley Posts: 147 Member
    I've had mirena for a year now and love it. Ive had a boyfriend say he can feel it so he wasn't a fan of it but it's nice to not have to think about taking a pill everyday. Unfortunately, i still have week long periods but they do seem a little lighter. I do also get cramps that were worst than before but I can handle it.

    I was glad I was the last appointment at the doctor's office because I dropped the F bomb a few times when it was inserted. I had a friend who cried over the insertion and had to get pain meds for the cramps after. It wasn't that bad for me. Just enough to swear a few times :)
  • 1a1a1o
    1a1a1o Posts: 3
    I've had my Mirena for almost 3 years. Any weight gain was totally my own doing. I've been with MFP for a few months now and am finally below my pre-pregnancy weight from my 2nd child. (I can't even remember what I weighed before my first kid. Let's just say that I never really lost the weight between pregnancies.)
  • kateopotato
    kateopotato Posts: 215 Member
    the problem with listed side effects is that if ANYTHING happens to someone while they are testing out the drug they HAVE to list it as a possible side effect in case it was due to the drug that it happened, so yeah, Im sure 5% of people happened to gain weight in the study.

    THAT being said. I have had it for about 3 years now. I lost weight initially because I was eating well and all that, then I got lazy, and gained more weight, but have lost 40 in the last year. I really dont think it has hindered me at all and I have FAR fewer side effects than I had on other forms of BC.
  • lovinlulu
    lovinlulu Posts: 65 Member
    I had mirena.. I had it in for about 5 months and rapidly gained 20 pounds. My dr tried to convince me it wasn't the mirena but that was the only change I had made.
    As others have said, everyone's body reacts differently.
  • ShapeUpSidney
    ShapeUpSidney Posts: 1,092 Member
    I didnt gain any weight. I did get stubborn cystic acne on my back. I now take an aldactone inhibitor because progestin only BC can cause you to have elevated testosterone levels (hence the acne). It's gone now, but it was kind of terrifying for the 6 months it took to figure out what was wrong.

    Otherwise, I love Mirena. Hubs complained for a while though...
  • Nic0522
    Nic0522 Posts: 38
    I had the minera for almost 4 years, no problems having it put in or taken out, and loved not getting my period. I will not blame my weight gain on it, as I was about 20 pounds overweight and then added 10 more pounds with each of my 2 pregnancies. HOWEVER - while I had it in it was impossible to lose any weight. My OB said that there are a small percentage of people who have this problem, I truly believe I am one of those people. Low dose or not, there are still hormones in it. I had it taken out a few months ago and have started to lose pounds...finally!

    Good luck, in whatever you decide.
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