Mirena IUD: Pros & Cons

[Turkish Delight]

When you started using the IUD: June 2008
Any issues with insertion?: Nope, under GA for D&C. No pain or bleeding afterwards
Any side effects or problems?: depression, hot flushes
Would you recommend to others? Why?: Definitely. It is the best contraception i have ever used. The good outweigh the bad most definitely.

[alioops]

When you started using the IUD: August 09
Any issues with insertion?: The strings were slightly too long so scratched DH but a trim fixed that
Any side effects or problems?: I bled for a few weeks but since then I have not seen AF or had any issues
Would you recommend to others? Why?: Absolutely!! The Implanon disagreed with me but I love the Mirena. It puts the hormones where they are needed rather than stuffing around with pills which rely on digestion or putting into the blood stream where it can affect other parts of the body before it reaches the intended destination.

[Boybreeder]

*******Please read re; Mirena IUD**********

Hi all,

I had a Mirena put in place around 2 1/2 years ago. First of all it wasn't painful, just a little uncomfortable. My stomach was bloated and my breasts very sensitive for the next few months and my periods had stopped. I took several pregnancy tests because the symptoms were the same (all negative of course just a symptom of the mirena which passed). It was great for the first year. No (or very few) periods..very convenient. I was then struck down with Ross River Virus. The symptoms of this improved after around 6months.

After a year I was expecting to be back to my normal self. This wasn't the case. I was exhausted and became very depressed and anxious...to the point of being suicidal. I was placed on antidepressants. These helped for a while. I was still extremely exhausted. Recently I have had other symptoms like joint and muscle pain (again..I had this with ross river virus), severe bloating (i look like I'm 6months pregnant sometimes), cramps, severe exhaustion, weight gain, terrible lower back pain, painful ovarian cysts, hair loss, acne on my face, back and chest and have been back to have my antidepressant medication changed as I became suicidal again. I am also seeing a psychologist. I feel like I'm walking around in a cloud most of the time...just not connected. I have had blood tests and (full blood count, iron etc). All fine according to my GP. Last week I had an internal ultrasound which confirmed another 5cm ovarian cyst. The nurse who performed the ultrasound mentioned the mirina can confuse the ovaries and can also cause the cysts. My doctor discounted this and said if I wanted the mirena out to make another app for a procedure. For the last week I have been surfing the internet almost until my fingers have bled and have found thousands of similar stories from women who have had the mirena and had exactly the same symptoms. I am so relieved that I have found a probbable cause for my health problems as they just seem to be getting worse.

I have an app to have the mirena removed tomorrow and can't wait!! From all the worrying stories I have read this week I can say there has been one positive and that is the outcome. When the women have the Mirena removed their symptoms have disappeared. I am hoping this will be the case for me. I have three beautiful boys and a very supportive husband to reconnect with. I know that a lot of women have no problems at all but I don't think our GP's should discount the thousands of women who do have bad experiences. To those of you who have the Mirena good luck and just be aware of what can happen. Don't discount the knowledge you have of your own body.
Thanks for reading. I hope this has been a valuable contribution. I will update post Mirena.