Mirena

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-14-2005
Mirena
11
Mon, 07-23-2007 - 3:55pm

Hi All:

I am having the Mirena IUD put in on Thursday. I have been on BC pills for 20 years, and I just want to stop the pill and my doctor said Mirena is wonderful.

So, today I am surfing the net and am finding horror stories about Mirena.

Has anyone had a good experience with the Mirena IUD?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-18-2006
In reply to: sh3569
Mon, 07-23-2007 - 5:22pm

I have Mirena and LOVE it. No one ever writes, and nothing happened on the internet. Of course you're going to see the horror stories. IRL I know of only one person who had a bad experience with an IUD.

Do you have any children? If so were they vaginal birth(s)? I had mine put in at my 6 week post partum check.

If you don't have children then the insertion might be more painful then for someone who has had a vaginal birth. But that's temporary.

My DH can not feel the strings, have your doctor leave them a little long (shorter is not good in this case).

The things I love about it:

I don't have to remember to take something every day
lighter shorter periods (and hopefully none eventually)
Libido is normal not low like when I was on the pill
I've lost 20 lbs

Things I dislike:

I can plan to skip my period like I did with the pill

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-14-2005
In reply to: sh3569
Mon, 07-23-2007 - 5:48pm

Thank you so much for your reply!

It is so good to talk directly to someone instead of reading the internet stories.

A couple more questions for you please?

I have not had any children, how bad will it hurt to have it put in? Should I take a motrin before hand? Did you hurt afterward?

I keep reading about spotting and pain, did you have any?

Also, how long did you have to wait to have sex after it was put in?

Thank you so much for your reply!!!!

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-18-2006
In reply to: sh3569
Mon, 07-23-2007 - 6:00pm

I took 600mg of ibuprofen beforehand. I only had minor cramping. I know one of the other ladies who has it and no children said it was quite painful, but tolerable.

I felt swollen for about a day but didn't have any pain. I had heavy spotting for a week and off and on spotting for about 6 weeks. My doc said I could have sex right away. I waited about a week til the spotting was sporadic.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-14-2005
In reply to: sh3569
Mon, 07-23-2007 - 6:18pm

When you were spotting, could you use a tampon?

My nurse told me no sex or tampons for two weeks after it is inserted.

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-18-2006
In reply to: sh3569
Mon, 07-23-2007 - 6:23pm

no tampons for 1 month. It wasn't enough spotting for tampons after the first week. Just a panty liner.

I think the sex recommendation is different from doctor to doctor. I specifically asked my doctor if I could have sex right away. She said if we were comfortable and I felt up to it it was fine. Like I said I waited a week because of the spotting.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-14-2005
In reply to: sh3569
Mon, 07-23-2007 - 6:32pm
Thank you again!
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-11-2004
In reply to: sh3569
Mon, 07-23-2007 - 6:50pm

I've had my Mirena IUD for about 3 years now. It's been easy and wonderful and I absolutely love it. I continued having periods for a few months after getting it, but from the very first one they were so light that I've never needed tampons again. I have some spotting sometimes when it's time to have a period, but it's always very light. I did have some irregular spotting the first couple of months, but it wasn't too terrible.

I haven't had children and my insertion was very easy. I took 800 mg of ibuprofen before the appointment. There wasn't any pain at all for me, just a weird crampy sort of feeling that was over in a second or so. I did have some minor cramps for a couple of days but ibuprofen took care of them.

My doctor said I could have sex as soon as I felt ready. As it happened, I was ready the first night. One caution though, if an IUD is going to be expelled, it's most likely within the first month or so. Check the strings often to make sure everything is still ok.

Avatar for maybees02
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: sh3569
Mon, 07-23-2007 - 9:22pm
I've had a Mirena since March 23, and no horror stories here. I had quite a bit of spotting, but after the 12 week mark that went away. I've noticed that my periods are longer and I have had some acne, which can be a side effect, but those are minor things. I love the fact that I don't have to think about it, remember to get more, or pay for it each month! I'm also hoping I'm one of the women whose menstrual bleeding decreases drastically over time.
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iVillage Member
Registered: 11-20-2000
In reply to: sh3569
Mon, 07-23-2007 - 10:56pm

I also love my Mirena!! I've had it for a year and a half.


You know, it's funny. There are definately more horror stories on the web then there are good stories. The reason: people post online to find out if their problems are normal. And if someone is having a good experience, they have no need to post about it online. So don't let what you're reading online scare you. There are many MORE people having good experiences... they just don't have a need to write about it on the internet.


I have not had children and I will tell you that having the Mirena inserted hurt like the dickens! I will be completely honest with you. It was the worst pain I've personally ever experienced. An intense cramping in a part of my body I've never felt before. Very deep inside. The good news is that it is very brief and it passes quickly. (Don't let my story scare you, as there are many other women who had no discomfort whatsoever).


But despite the pain - I WOULD DO IT AGAIN! That's how much I like my IUD.


It's so convient, my periods are shorter and lighter (I only need to wear a pantyliner for about four days), it's cheaper, etc etc.


My one down side is that my pre-birth control pill acne has returned. When I was on the pill, it controlled my breakouts. But now I have pimples on my face, back, and chest. I do not think the IUD is causing it... I think it is just me and with out the hormones of the pill controlling it all - they are out of control.


I'm think of having mine removed next month - to begin trying to conceive. But we haven't come to a final decision on that quite yet. I will definately have another Mirena inserted as soon as we've had our first child!


Good luck in your decision!

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-12-2002
In reply to: sh3569
Thu, 07-26-2007 - 5:25am

Hi there,

I'm one of the women that didn't have a good experience with Mirena. That said, I didn't have any luck with any hormonal birth control, so my experiences aren't really typical.

I was in for a hysteroscopy when I had it inserted (I haven't had children), so I can't tell you what it was like, but afterwards I had quite bad cramping for about three days, and spent a lot of time watching DVDs and having a hot water bottle on my lower abdomen. After that I was fine.

There were some things that I did like about it. I didn't have a problem with spotting for the few days after like some women do, but I had extended periods for the first sixth months that would be up to two weeks long. Part of this I put down to ongoing side effects from when I had quit the depo shot. After that my periods slowly reduced down to very light spotting that was barely noticeable, and so I was able to have sex all the time (I don't like having sex during my period). I never worried about my IUD being dislodged, even though my strings were cut too short, and most of the time I couldn't feel them. The fact it was so low maintenance was wonderful.

If you didn't have any major issues with BC pills over the last 20 years, I'd say there is a good chance that you will be fine with the Mirena.

 


 


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