IUD / Mirena?

[sarahlou]

I've had a mirena in for nearly 4 years and think it is great. I've never had kids but had it inserted in Australia where my doctor didn't seem concerned about that. It is soooo much better than the pill. My only (maybe) problem with it is that I've developed some darkening above my upper lip in recent years that comes on with UV exposure. I've heard that this can be a result of birth control but I don't really know that it is linked to the mirena. Anybody else with this problem? Any solutions to it (other than copious amounts of sunscreen and a hat)?

[three]

Bringing back this thread (thanks Grog) and hoping those of you with the Mirena, or other IUD, will return with additional information.

With the experiences listed on this thread, things seem a little less scary than the vast horror stories I found online.

I am wondering, however, if those of you with the Mirena have experienced: loss of libido, acne breakouts, weight gain or mood swings.

Hoping to gather any additional information possible...

Thanks!!

[Blueberry]

Bringing back this thread (thanks Grog) and hoping those of you with the Mirena, or other IUD, will return with additional information.

With the experiences listed on this thread, things seem a little less scary than the vast horror stories I found online.

I am wondering, however, if those of you with the Mirena have experienced: loss of libido, acne breakouts, weight gain or mood swings.

Hoping to gather any additional information possible...

Thanks!!

I had mine for ~6 months, I would guess. I didn't experience any of the above. I think since the hormones are more localized, you're much less likely to have side effects. Of course, my body then rejected mine...

[roadie gal]

I had IUDs for almost 15 years. I LOVED them. I hated the thought of putting hormones into my body and I can't remember to take pills, so the IUD was ideal.

The insertion was painful and the first few months I had worse cramps. After that, though, my cramps were much less than before I had the IUD. If I still had to worry about birth control, I'd still be using the IUD.

[Andrea]

Wow! What a great thread! I asked my doc about an IUD at my last checkup & she refused me one because I hadn't had children (don't plan to, but, like a lot of you, not quite ready to get myself snipped @ age 27!)

I'm gonna give planned parenthood a call since several of you mentioned their willingness to give them to those that haven't given birth.

[GLC1968]

I had mine for ~6 months, I would guess. I didn't experience any of the above. I think since the hormones are more localized, you're much less likely to have side effects. Of course, my body then rejected mine...

I think CA is exactly right. I've had mine for exactly 3 years now (weird timing!) and I can say that I still have MUCH less hormonal issues than I had with the pill. I had some serious facial discoloration from the homones in the pill and that's all gone now. I also had pretty wicked mood swings and those are definitely a thing of the past. My acne is the same as it was prior to going on the pill. Many women report worse acne on an IUD, but the same women would likely also report worse acne for just going off the pill. The pill regulates your hormones so that acne flare ups tend to be less. Remove those hormones, and old acne issue often arise. I don't think you can blame the IUD for that, though.

I do question whether or not I'm seeing a loss of libido and weight gain. I have no way to link these two things to the IUD specifically or if they are just related to my current situation. Because I did not notice these things right away after insertion, my guess is that they are NOT related to the Mirena. I plan to have mine removed in January (or shortly thereafter) so if I find that my weight gain reverses and my libido returns, then I'll start pointing fingers. Until then, I'm reserving judgement.

[Andrea]

I talked to a few friends and found a doctor that wasn't against using an IUD before having children. So yesterday, I got the Paraguard (non-hormonal) IUD. WOW! That was like a punch in the uterus! But it was over very quickly, though I did have some pretty bad craps until I got home and took some ibuprofen. I also made myself go out for a run since that's always helped me with cramps. Today the cramps aren't as bad, but they're still there.

I'm looking forward to finding out if my birth control pills were preventing me from losing weight as easily as I'd lost it in the past (when not on hormones). I'm also wondering if my on-bike performance will be any different. All the research I've found is pretty inconclusive (as far as exercise performance goes) because of differences in pills, between women, training status, etc.

[badger]

Are you going to the Willow Women's Clinic on Burrard? that's where I got my copper IUD 4 years ago.

I don't have kids and debated about Mirena, but I was psycho on the pill, and at $300 (at that time, could be more now), I just couldn't chance it. So, the cheaper copper one won out, and I haven't looked back. I did notice that my periods were heavier and cramps were more, but they got back to normal after about 6 months.

I should mention that it wasn't without subsequent trips back to the clinic. Insertion was a bit traumatic as the doctor couldn't get it past my cervix. It eventually did. Then after about 2 months, the strings disappeared. After the ultrasound, it was determined it crept up my uterus. No biggie, they'll just have to go "dig" for it. Thankfully it dropped back down last year.

I was recently at my GP for a pap, and she mentioned that even though most doctors say the copper ones are good for 5 years, the manufacturers only guarantee for 2.5 years. I'm due to get mine out next year and I'll likely get it again.

[Meaux]

I got the Mirena in February, it has been wonderful. No periods at all since it was inserted (they were previously painful and irregular). No more pills to worry about, it has been such a blessing. My OBGYN didn't even blink when I asked of it, and I do not have any children as of yet. Insertion was a bit painful, but the cramps subsided after a day or two.

[Andrea]

I was recently at my GP for a pap, and she mentioned that even though most doctors say the copper ones are good for 5 years, the manufacturers only guarantee for 2.5 years. I'm due to get mine out next year and I'll likely get it again.

My doc said that I can keep the same one for 10 years!

I'm glad to hear that the cramping goes away in a few days- it's better today, but still bugging me a bit.