Mirena IUD and weight gain?

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hrwinston
hrwinston Posts: 28
in Motivation and Support
Last week I had my Mirena IUD inserted....ever since I have been feeling so hungry! I want to eat all the time. The Mirena does have hormones in it that release into the uterus and some do get into the blood stream (just in case those of you who do not have one wanted to know). Anyone out there have a Mirena and did it cause you to feel hungry or gain weight? (or any other side effects that bother you).
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  • zandrellia
    zandrellia Posts: 26
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    I have one. Had it inserted a month after having my second child who is now 3 years old. Honestly, I hate the thing but it does work so I live with it until I can consider other options.

    I didn't notice any weight gain or hunger that I would have associated with it. However, I did notice other symptoms that could possibly contribute to weight gain and/or hunger.

    I feel more tired now. When I say tired... man... it's almost like I am pregnant again. (I am one of those "sleepy" pregnant women. I know I am pregnant every time because I can't stay alert for more than a few hours during the first month or two.) Especially when I am on my cycle - then I can barely function. I'm pretty sure this does me zero favors on the weight loss and hunger routine as I'm sleeping the day away instead of eating what I should be when I should be.

    My cycles - which were always irregular - are now just plain insane. I had two, quite literally, back to back last month with only 3 days in between. I also feel more bloated than I ever did when I didn't have one. Oddly enough, I also have menstrual cramping and other "typical" complaints of a cycle - which I never had before. (I seriously had never had a single PMS symptom other than occasional mood swings prior to the IUD.) So I can only begin to imagine what it might be like for a woman who normally had these symptoms. I would hazard to guess that whatever your typical symptoms were during your cycle, they are likely to be magnified when on the IUD. So if you normally had cravings that could explain your sudden hunger. (maybe?)

    I get a lot of cramping and lower back pain now. Sometimes I get a strange pinching/stabbing sensation in my lower pelvic area. I also have had odd gassy like bumps occur since getting the IUD. (Like a baby kicking, but there's no baby. It's very creepy.)

    Other than that, I rarely even think about it. It's not the best thing, but it certainly isn't the worst. Plus, like I said... it does the job.
  • aminakhan1980
    aminakhan1980 Posts: 105 Member
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    I've had one for about a year and a half and have had no issues. I love it! In the beginning I had alot of random bleeding, but now I just bleed a tiny bit like once or twice a month. Its perfect not having to remember taking pills or getting shots. I have had no side effects or excessive hunger from it. I don't think it does release alot of hormones either because I am not allowed to have alot of the hormones n stuff they put in oral contraceptives due to another medical issue. If you really think it is bothering you, ask your dr about it. I, for one, love it!
  • JBott84
    JBott84 Posts: 268 Member
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    I love my IUD....no actual period! Plus I don't have to remember to take a pill...yes please! Didn't notice any weight gain or fatigue I feel normal. Minus the no bleeding!!!!! Which is a bonus to me. The shot I used to get YES weight gain, mood swings etc...didn't like it AT ALL. and I got prego on the patch sooooo I am sticking with my IUD!
  • MzMandi1025
    MzMandi1025 Posts: 78 Member
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    I have a mirena, but I don't really blame it for my weight gain. I do kinda feel that it's hampering my weight loss tho. I remember being hungry all the time, but I was breastfeeding & figured my body needed more calories for production purposes.
  • hillm12345
    hillm12345 Posts: 313 Member
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    I had a Mirena for about a year and half.. and it was the worst year and a half of my life. I felt like I was on my period all the time. I would sporadically spot, then have a full period ... then be ok for a week.. then have another period. I felt so bad for (now) fiance.. it almost killed our sex life.

    I guess I was too busy wondering why I was bleeding so much and not dying to register any weight gain, hunger, or weight loss. Sorry :(
  • Leahh999
    Leahh999 Posts: 42 Member
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    I'm on my second one (yes, year 6). My first one was more of irregular bleeding and cramping when I did any sort of physical exertion. My second one, for the first year was exactly like zandrellia described, but I've leveled out as the hormones decrease. This one, I get menstrual cramps but haven't had any bleeding yet. I'll let you know when I get to my third what happens ;-)
  • JBearsMom21
    JBearsMom21 Posts: 90 Member
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    I have had my Mirena for 6 months & have not have any weight gain. The only side effect that I seem to have is raging PMS before my menses. (I'm always kind of a ***** around that time anyway's so I wouldn't really blame the Mirena lol). There is a non hormonal IUD (Paragard) that you might want to try. I don't know if it helps as far as weight gain goes but it can't hurt to ask your doc about it.
  • Brendavega1989
    Brendavega1989 Posts: 1
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    I'm 22 and I've had my mirena since February, and it did make me a little hungry at first. I've lost about 7 pounds since then and now weigh 107, so i truly feel like the Mirena has actually helped me lose weight. A few of my friends also agree with me about it helping with decreasing weight. Every ones body is different though which is key to staying fit.
  • hrwinston
    hrwinston Posts: 28
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    Thanks everyone! Maybe it's my imagination or maybe I just want to blame something other than myself for my weight gain! I just got it a week and 1/2 ago - having a constant feeling of PMS - which suchs because I'm mean when PMSing...lol. I've been tired also but then again I'm always tired. So I guess I need to get on the ball and get this weight off. Thanks again!:smile:
  • Roni_M
    Roni_M Posts: 717 Member
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    I've had mine for over 6 years. Irregular bleeding the first 6 months is normal (your body is trying to get rid of it). 6 months - 1 year your period should become lighter. After the one year mark many women stop having a period (5 years and counting for me! Yay!). I just get occasional spotting....maybe every other month. I have it specifically to control bleeding because I have a bleeding disorder. This was my OB/GYNs last try at controlling the bleeding before doing a hysterectomy. Luckily it worked for me. I have not noticed any "hunger" issues. In fact, my 18 year old daughter got one about 3 months ago and is already noticing her periods slowing down. The first two months her period was worse but the last one was much much better. She hasn't gained any weight (she was always hungry prior to getting it, she's a cheerleader and those girls can eat!! LOL).

    So we bith love them, but everyone is different!
  • Rachellynnb28
    Rachellynnb28 Posts: 8 Member
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    I got Mirena this past January and yes I have significantly noticed that I'm feeling a lot more hungry and I noticed more belly fat since I've had it. So far I do not like Mirena and have been contemplating another alternative for birth control.
  • weighlossforbaby
    weighlossforbaby Posts: 847 Member
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    I've had the mirena for almost 5 years in January and I have no periods plus I am having a hard time losing weight but I don't think the weight issue is the IUD.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I had one. Briefly. Hated it. It totally messed up my hormones, and yes, it made me gain weight, while calorie counting.
  • rcharlee
    rcharlee Posts: 182 Member
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    I've had it since August 2011. I don't think it has caused hunger or weight gain for me. My only complaints about it are I'm still having random bleeding even though I'm 3 months past the 6 month mark, and I am way more sensitive in my PMS time. I'm an emergency veterinary nurse, and see a lot of sad things; right before I cycle the cases make me cry once home from work. I don't normally get emotional over what I see, and have to do so this is annoying the hell out of me.
  • pg1girl
    pg1girl Posts: 268 Member
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    I got one about 3 months ago and within 3 weeks had gained 8 pounds and severe rage. I had to wait another 4 weeks to have it removed and it was the worst experience ever for me. I had extreme bloating in my tummy and felt out of control. That all being said, I know that I am hyper sensitive to any kind of birth control....I got it just to try to help with heavy periods. One of my closest friends has it and loves it. It truly depends on the person and how their body reacts to hormones...even very small amounts of that hormone. Good luck with it.
  • shayoni
    shayoni Posts: 43 Member
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    I can't say much about Mirena ( I have a paragard iud, nonhormonal) But different mixes of hormones affect everyone's body differently. I was on hormonal birth control from 17 until I turned 22 and after I got the paragard and stopped having extra hormones put into my body I went 6 months without a period! I thought there was something wrong with me, but it eventually worked out and I'm very regular now, although I do experience cramping which I never had when I was on hormonal birth control.
  • knk1553
    knk1553 Posts: 438 Member
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    I've had Mirena for about 2 months now, and I've not noticed any change in appetite, no mood swings, and best of all no period, and I'm someone who was put on birth control because of heavy insane periods and really bad PMS/side effects of menstruating, I love it! I also have about 5 other friends who have it and love it as well... I have noticed an increase in my headaches, but my doctors have never really been able to attribute my headaches to my hormones or other factors. I did have some bad cramping for about the first week and some irregular spotting for about 2 weeks though.

    Just so everyone knows, there are 2 types of IUD's Mirena, which has hormones and the copper one, which is hormone free... a lot of the symptoms people are describing with out of control bleeding and mood swings are typically what is seen with the copper IUD, not Mirena, for most women Mirena lightens/decreases your period and can even cause it to not occur. However, every woman is different and everyones body reacts differently to different hormones, so it is possible to have different side effects.
  • Sammie6605
    Sammie6605 Posts: 1
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    I got my first mirena in July 2010..i had been started having a ton of pain around dec 2011 during my period...which never stopped but it did decrease my flow which was nice... but kept putting it off thinking the pain would go away...in feb this year I went to doc and it was coming out. so they removed it and I decided I want a another one so tomorrow i am having a new one inserted I will let you know if I experience weight gain. I lost 30 lbs in the last year...but found out I have a gluten allergy so cutting all that out helped the weight loss.
  • GreenTeaForDays
    GreenTeaForDays Posts: 166 Member
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    I got Mirena in December. No problems here. I love it
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I got one about 3 months ago and within 3 weeks had gained 8 pounds and severe rage. I had to wait another 4 weeks to have it removed and it was the worst experience ever for me. I had extreme bloating in my tummy and felt out of control. That all being said, I know that I am hyper sensitive to any kind of birth control....I got it just to try to help with heavy periods. One of my closest friends has it and loves it. It truly depends on the person and how their body reacts to hormones...even very small amounts of that hormone. Good luck with it.
    This was me.

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