So here's my hopefully short explanation:
I got a Mirena IUD put in a year ago. For the first 9 months, I bled constantly. At times heavier than others, sort-of like a "period" but there was something the entire time. At the end of that, I had a week of heavy bleeding and horrible cramping. I went in for an ultrasound to make sure everything was in place and okay and it was. At that point I was ready to have it taken out just because I was sick of dealing with the bleeding. My doctor convinced me to leave it in a little longer.
The next3 months were great...no bleeding, no problems. But I started bleeding again a week ago. I'm going in for my annual exam tomorrow and am now debating having it taken out, again. Anyone have anything similar or any advice?????
I should mention that without birth control I have very rare periods (maybe 1-3 a year). I fully expected to one of those that doesn't have periods at all on the IUD, so this is really throwing me. I hate the pill and condoms so those are both out as far as birth control, but we're not ready for another baby so I need something. I don't dare just risk using nothing! And my husband isn't willing to have a vasectomy right now either.
Yikes! What do I do????
I should add that for the three months I wasn't bleeding, I thought the IUD was great. I'm just sick of dealing with blood all the time. AND, the chance of pregnancy is slim (I have to take progesterone to bleed and them Chlomid to ovulate in order to get pregnant), but still not a risk I'm willing to take. Somehow in between my two kids, I got pregnant on my own but miscarried so I know it's possible. Having said that, I can't really use a birth control method that is anything along the lines of not having sex when I'm ovulating....I never know when/if I am. Thanks for any suggestions or experience with the IUD!!!
What about the Nuvaring? I don't know much about it, but if dh hadn't had a vasectomy, I would have researched it. Good luck!
I hated the mirana! I had it removed within 4 months! I ended up miscarring on it and had a million other problems on it! I would take it out and talk to your doc about getting something else! Right now we have been calculating when I ovulate, condoms, and pull out! Still no baby! There are all types of birth control out there! Dont let anyone influence your choices! This is your body not the doctors.
I had similiar problems with Mirena. I bled constantly for about 6 mos and then it stopped and I had lighter periods. I had gained weight too and thought it was because of Mirena. Long story short I had it removed and went back to my old birth control, the Nuvaring. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. My main reason for using Mirena was because it was cheaper. It was completely covered by insurance whereas I have to pay a copay every month for the Nuvaring. I have no side effects, no weight gain, lighter periods (that I can control) and I was able to get pregnant 6 weeks after I stopped using it. You insert a ring into your vagine for 3 weeks, then take it out for one week (have your period) then insert a new ring for 3 weeks. You can leave the ring in up to a week longer to delay having your period (like if you're going on vacation).
I too had problems with the Mirena. Mine were slightly different, but similar. I had periods but they were 2x as long as they were without the Mirena although they were much lighter (7 heavy days normally, 14 really light ones on the Mirena). Then came the kicker for me. I had it in for about a year and then I started bleeding REALLY heavy and passing large clots of blood. Called and went into the doctor and they didn't know what was going on, but couldn't find the IUD either. Still not really sure what went wrong and I ended up having a D&C to try and find the IUD, but they didn't ever find it. I think that it possibly came out with one of the big clots that I passed and I never knew it. If you don't like the results with the Mirena I would say have it removed and find other ways to prevent the pregnancy. Good luck.
J.
I had this happen - my doctor removed it immediately. A small percentage of women react to the IUD in this way. I have been very happy using a diaphragm, actually it is much nicer than the other options and has the least potential for negative side effects.
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I had this happen - my doctor removed it immediately. A small percentage of women react to the IUD in this way. I have been very happy using a diaphragm, actually it is much nicer than the other options and has the least potential for negative side effects.
Excue my briefness. Getting older makes me want to make it simple. Take it out. It doesn't sound worth it. You have other things to do. Go back to using the old fashioned diaphram. At least you won't bleed!
I was really lucky with the Mirena, but I did have a similar situation with it as well. My first IUD was great. No periods at all. Got it again after my second baby and still had period for few months. Then it went away for about 6 months. Then all of a sudden they came back...lastet 2 weeks then off for 1 week then back on for 2 weeks...you get the picture. After 3 months of this I called the doctor. Who wants to deal with that??! He told me that it can happen occassionally that they will come back, but usually go away again. He encouraged me to wait a while longer as he knew how much I liked the IUD...I did and within 2 months its was gone. I have had it in for 2 years now and still havent had any issues since...
Its really up to you, but if you really want to keep it, wait a little while longer and see what happens. If you have to take it out, maybe try the non-horimone one...
I had a lot of similar problems on the Mirena. I had it in for a year and finally begged my doc to remove it. Not only did I bleed and cramp constantly, but I started having horrible hip pain, like arthritis. I didn't put two and two together until I got online and started researching Mirena side effects. It's really scary. I was to the point where I felt like an 80-year old woman...could hardly walk without intense pain. Turns out a lot of people have this side effect, and others even worse.
The pain went away within weeks of Mirena removal (along with the bleeding and cramping) and hasn't returned.
Sounds like lots of people having problems with the Mirena. Just thought I'd throw out my "two cents" that I've had the Mirena for 7 months and no problems so far. I'm only having very light periods for the past two months (just quit breastfeeding about 6 weeks ago). In the past, without BC, I have regular periods. I used the copper IUD before I had my first baby and had problems with it, but that is likely because I had not had children yet and the IUD works better for those who have had at least one baby. Good luck!
You know, some people have almost no side effects with the Mirena and love it- this is not your case. Trust your own feelings about your body and what happens to it. No doctor could convince me to continue to constantly bleed for a year.
Personally I had the Mirena for 2 months, was in horrible pain for the first 10 days and then almost constant bleeding for the entire 8 weeks. When I had it removed I immediately felt lighter and so much better.
As far as contraceptive options, have you tried a diaphram or the sponge? If you aren't willing to use a condom, those may be your only options.
And I know that tracking your cycle to know when you are ovulating isn't foolproof, but I still do that in addition to using condoms. I have an iPeriod app on my phone and it is spot on predicting my periods and ovulation. It will also predict my period calendar for a year out. There is also a website that you can use called http://mymonthlycycles.com/ which will send you alerts. The site is secure and free.
Good luck with whatever you choose to do!
I haven't used the Mirena since I'm not a fan of the effects of hormonal birth control. Have you considered the Paraguard (copper) IUD? I've got my second one now (first was between pregnancies), and the only downside for me is a slightly heavier period (but never any bleeding between periods). It worked great, and I conceived just 2 cycles after having the first one removed. Just something to think about if you're not happy with Mirena but still want highly effective birth control.
I used Mirena for 4 years. I didn't have any periods, but recently had it removed because it was causing heavy discharge for over a year that was almost as bad. I switched to NuvaRing and prefer that. It works great, and you just have to remember to change it every 3-4 weeks.
If you're open to possibilities outside of IUD's, I would ask your doctor about the NuvaRing. I have been using it for 4 years and love it. It's once a month, so much easier than remembering a pill every day.
I've had the Mirena for close to two years and have grown to mostly like it, though the first six months I had similar symptoms to you in terms of bleeding on and off and cramping.
I would think you might be a pretty good candidate for the non-hormone IUD. In fact, I'm kind of surprised your OB didn't recommend it. My OB told me women who regularly have heavy periods with lots of cramping may find those symptoms worsen with the copper IUD, but with your light periods I wouldn't think that would be an issue.
Obviously there are plenty of other birth controls out there, but I just found for me I didn't want to worry about taking a pill every day or inserting something before sex.
Good luck.
I have no experiences with the IUD, and I am not currently using BC as we do want another child. However, I really liked the nuva ring. It is one that you put in your vagina, and change monthly. I am like you - rare periods without BC. I did have a monthly period with the nuva ring, but it was very short - 1 to 3 days a month. My husband and I never noticed it during sex, and generally speaking it has been the best BC I have used (and I have tried many types due to adverse reactions!)
Good Luck!
