Mirena is the same as depo?

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Registered: 05-14-2003
Mirena is the same as depo?
6
Fri, 02-23-2007 - 7:30pm

I know that depo provera and Mirena IUD are both single hormone (progestin?) based birth control but I didn't think that made them the same. My friend's doctor told her that depo is the exact same thing as the Mirena. Since she successfully had a Mirena IUD he told her she should consider depo because it is the same thing.

I was considering getting the Mirena IUD after I have my baby but I was on depo once a long time ago and it had very negative effects for me. Does this mean that the Mirena is not an option for me? Why are there no bone loss warnings for the Mirena if it is supposed to be the same thing as depo? Thanks for any input :)

Chris

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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-18-2006
Fri, 02-23-2007 - 9:59pm

I have Mirena and I NEVER heard that. I read all the information possible about it too. I thought it was different because it is a localized hormone. Maybe someone has definitive answers cause now I'm curious too.

-Mel


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Registered: 08-11-2004
Sat, 02-24-2007 - 8:13am

The same hormone doesn't mean that they act the same. Depo is a massive injection at one time. Mirena is released a little at a time locally in the uterus and has a much lower incidence of side effects.

Mirena isn't supposed to have the same problems with bone density loss. It typically lessens bleeding, but it doesn't consistently stop ovulation or normal hormone production from the ovaries like Depo does. In addition, if you did happen to have problems with Mirena, it can be removed and the effects stop immediately. Depo stays in the body for a very long time and there's nothing that can be done if you have horrible effects from it.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-06-2003
Sat, 02-24-2007 - 9:56am

Agree with PP. The hormones in Mirena are released and work on the uterus. It's not systemic like the shot is. It works like the Paragard. It helps prevent implantation. With Paragard you will still ovulate and the copper works as a spermicide, and the uterus is not receptive to a fertilized egg. The Mirena works similarly, it just has the added tiny amount of hormone instead of the copper.

Sallie

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Registered: 12-30-2003
Sat, 02-24-2007 - 6:43pm

Hi chriscanuck, welcome!


      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-12-2002
Tue, 02-27-2007 - 4:20pm

What Jill said.

The Mirena and Depo have completely different progestins.

They work in completely different ways. Depo works systemically, while Mirena works primarily on the uterus.

Depo is more likely to cause a number of side effects than the Mirena, because it's systemic, while Mirena isn't.

Depo is the only hormonal contraceptive known to cause bone density loss.

With the Mirena, if there is any side effects, having it removed can allow for those side effects to resolve themselves at about the same pace that stopping BCPs does. With Depo, it can take 18 months to 2 years for your body to correct itself, and many women report issues for years after.

Take it from someone who has been on both - if I HAD to choose between Mirena or Depo again, I would go with the Mirena. I wouldn't wish Depo on my worst enemy.


 


 


iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Wed, 02-28-2007 - 10:42pm

Agreeing again--MPA (what's in Depo) and Levonorgestrel are chemically very different from each other. They behave the same (as far as suppressing ovulation) and both are derived from the testosterone molecule, but the similarities between the progestins stop there.

It doesn't seem like much, but moving a couple of atoms from one place to another on a molecule can make a huge difference in how it feels to you!

I wouldn't begin to consider Depo and Mirena as equivalent. I've heard doctors making that assessment with the progestin-only pills too, and that couldn't be further from the truth. All progestins are NOT created equal.

Good luck!

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control