Mirena - Princeton,WV

I love my IUD! I have a very busy life and that is one less thing that I have to worry about. It is much like the pill, so whatever side effects you have to the pill, that is what you can expect from Mirena. The only difference is that Mirena seems to be amplified. For example, I had extremely light periods while taking the pill. With Mirena, I have spotting every five months for one day and light cramping for one day a month, that is it. I don't get bloated or have the massive mood swings. It is great. I will say that the first month was the hardest. After insertion, I had cramping, bleeding and spotting for most of the first month. After it settled in place and they trimmed the wires, smooth sailing. I have had mine for almost five years now. I will be replacing mine this spring. I highly recommend it. Good luck and God bless.

Hi Ashley,

I personally used the paraguard copper IUD, just got it last yr. Love it, and have no complaints. The best part for me is that it is hormone free. I have a previous preg. where I had blood clots, and the added hormones in the Mirena can increase clotting, and stroke.. so it is not an option. I know some complain because periods are a little heavier, and can be longer. I have not had too hard of a time with that, I have naturally long, and heavy periods anyway. I have known a few people that swear by the Mirena. Best advice is that you do a ton of research!!!! Talk to your Dr. too, mine was extra helpful in making our decision. Word to the wise, don't forget to call the insurance co. some IUD's are covered, and others are not.

Hope this helps!
K.

I have the Mirena IUD, after 3 kids I wanted to make sure we didn't have another....but only temporarily....because we are still so young. I am going on my 3rd year (after insertion) and have had no problem....not reactions, NO kids :>).......and NO PERIOD!! Heaven!!! I recommend it to everyone I know.....hope this helps. Enjoy!! God Bless.

I tried birth control pills right after the birth of my son and could not remember to take them. I tried the Nervo ring and that did NOT work either. Then my OB/GYN told me about the Mirena IUD and I was very skeptical, because I remember the days when IUD's were painful and created a lot of issues for women. I knew I didn't want more children, but I just couldn't go through the operation of getting my tubes tied. So I tried the Mirena and I love it!!! I have some bloating and cramping once in a while during ovulation, but that is rare. And I haven't had a period in months. Now, I have to admit that scared me at first and I had to get a pregnancy test just to make sure I wasn't going crazy. But my OB/GYN told me that this was one of the "positives" with the Mirena. Little to no periods! And when she told me that she had it too. Well I was sold. As with other birth controls, it is not for everyone, but I would recommend it. Good Luck!!

I also have the copper IUD (since Nov. 07) and love, love, love it. Heavier periods is a small price to pay for worry free, hormone free, set and forget, non-permanent birth control that's good for 10 years, but could be removed any time I wish. I think that the benefits WAY outnumber the risks. Since there's no hormones, the only risks are heavier periods and the usual risk of uterine puncture that you get with any IUD. As the other poster said, check with your insurance company, they may cover the copper one if they don't cover the Mirena one. Even if it's not covered, I would say that a copper IUD is definitely worth the money.

I recently had the copper (paraguard) IUD pulled (2 1/2 yrs of long heavy torture periods) and the Mirena put in. The first 3 weeks were heavy bleeding, now spotting. It has only been 6 weeks, but I like it better than the copper already. Most of my friends have had light or no periods after having it and love it. Unless you work for a religious institution, they should cover the iud if they cover the pill. I would petition them. In the long run, I worked it out that the cost of me paying my copay for the pill over 5 yrs was much more expensive than the price of the IUD.

I have had the Mirena IUD since March 2007 and I love it. I don't have a regular cycle on it. Usually I don't gt my period but sometimes I get light spotting for a few days. The ease of mind IUDs provide is priceless really, so even if you have to pay for one I would go for it. I don't have any cramping with the Mirena and usually forget its there at all. Best of luck with your decision.

I have the copper version (no hormones) and no problems so far. I love not having to worry about it. Mine was fully covered, but my mom got hers at planned parenthood for $400 and they have payment plans, so you might want to check that out. The copper IUD lasts for 10 years as opposed to the 5 year mirena, and also doesn't have any hormones in it, which is important for me. They'll push the mirena on you though because there's more money in it for them. Check your options and see whats right for you.

Hi, mirena is a great birth control if you know you don't want the kids for a while. I think it's good up to 5 years! As for me, I have tried Mirena. But, not trying to scare you, mine went through the uterus and had to be removed surgecly through my belly.. So it's not for everyone. I used Depo Shot which I got every 3 month and now I'm back on the regular birth conrol pill.
Hope this helps!! Good luck!

I have had Mirena since June 2008 and I love it. As the other poster stated - no periods except for light spotting and I do not even know that it is there. The only caution is that it was quite painfull to have it implanted (at least for me) - bad cramps for a few hours, but after that everything was fine. I would definitely recommend having it. GOOD LUCK.

I got the mirena about a month and a half ago after my second child and its not to bad there was a little bit of pain when they put it in so take some motrin before you go. I also bleed speradicly for about a month but it wasnt alot ....my sudjestion is to wear a pantie linner or a thin pad for a month unless you want to spring for all new undies . good luck

L.

My insurance also did not cover Mirena, but they did cover Paragard, the copper IUD. I have been happy w/ Paragard and have had it for 6 months; it has made my periods heavier and I have more bloating/light cramps when I ovulate (not sure if that is the cause), but that is a small price to pay for worry-free, hormone-free birth control. It is good for 10 yrs, but can be taken out if you want more children.

I have had the Mirena for over 2 yrs. We were pretty sure we didn't want anymore kids but not ready to make the permant decision. My doc recommended this IUD because I every time I am on THE PILL i end up pregnant, WHO KNEW??? Either way. It was not confortable for a few days but I have not had any problems. I no longer have a period, no cramps, but still the occational moodyness still persists, maybe that is a personality trail and not a PMS trait, MMM. I would recommend this IUD to anyone, as long as it is ok by the doctor. My doc says, if we decide to have more, it is easy to remove and we can starrt right away.
T.

The IUD is a very effective birth control. I used it for awhile. Advantages are you don't have to remember to take a pill, it doesn't cause cancer, and you don't have to do any preparation before making love to your husband. AF

To be completely honest, no...it isn't or at least not in my case. I had the IUD put in place the end of Dec 2007; I lasted a little over a month. They say you have a little crapping and bleeding for the 1st two weeks. Ha, mine lasted for the entire time that Mirena was in place. Not only did I have crapping and bleeding but headaches, bloating and sometimes I had trouble using the bathroom (bowel movements). I had it removed in early February. Again, this is only my case but I have read other horror stories on blogs throughout the internet. If you’re paying out of pocket I suggest viewing some of those sites/blogs before hand. I think that whole experience has pushed me to take/remember the pill on a daily bases.

please at least consider the horomone-free copper IUD.
periods can be mizry, but it is so unnatural for the female body to be deprived of 'em altogether.
khairete
S.

I love mine. I had it placed 8wks after having my 3rd child. I had some initial problems with bleeding but that went away after a few weeks. I disagree with the posters that say that you won't have a period. Everyone is different. I still have a period every 28-30days but instead of it being really heavy and lasting for 7 days, it is on the lighter side (still need tampon) and lasts only 3 days. I used to have terrible PMS and cramping and that has all but gone away with the Mirena. The copper IUD's have the similar effects except they don't just don't have hormones in them.

I had the Mirena inserted in August 2007 when my (last) child was 6 weeks. I haven't had a period since then except for some light spotting. It was fairly painless to insert, no worse than an annual pap (disclaimer: I DID just have a baby 6 weeks ago :-) It was an in-office procedure and only took a few minutes.
I haven't noticed any side effects; I'd like to claim that it contributed to my weight gain but that could be my zoloft and overeating (wink). Knowing that it's good for 5 years takes a weight off my mind, I have enough other things to remember. Plus, it can easily be removed and then you are ready to try.
I read up on many types of b.c. and felt this was the best for me in this day and age. I've been very happy with it and totally forget it's there.
I suggest you talk to your Gyn to find the best b.c. fit for you and they can give you more info about Mirena and how it would fit your life.
g' luck

My first Mirena IUD worked great. However, my second one isn't doing as well. It is comfortable, no pain or cramping at the insertion or replacement, and I am not worried about getting pregnant, but I am almost constantly bleeding - it was replaced last June so we are talking more than just a month here that I have spotted/bled more days than not. I don't know if this is because my weight has gone back up (doubtful as I was having the same problem 15+ lbs ago) or because I am older (49), but I have heard from others who have stories similar to mine. My GYN assures me it has little to do with peri-menopause as I had the blood work done to see how close I am to no longer having periods and it came back indicating that I will have at least a few more years of periods.
So, if you may want more kids in about 5 years, it is worth the investment in worry free birth control. After that, you may want to try something else.

i hope it works for you! i wanted it and the day i went to get it put in, we learned my uterus is too small!!!! i was so disappointed. good luck!

I like my Mirena. It can be a pain at first but after a while you don't even know you have it in. I enjoy it, it allows me to do some things.

Although you have to consider the side effects, but I haven't had any problems as of yet, and I got it in April.

Good luck!

I have a Mirena IUD and I LOVE it. It hurt going in but I havent had any period related symptoms since. I have very light periods every so often but its getting lighter and further between episodes. Its supposed to stop altogether after 6 months. My insurance covered everything 100%. Its so easy and I dont have to worry about birth control now for 5 years, worth it financially even if you have to pay for it.
Good luck :)

It's fantastic!! I had it and once you get checked that the placement is correct that's it for five years. Then my husband and I decided we wanted another baby, so I had it removed, which I'll admit was a bit painful, like really bad cramps, but it was gone within 24-hr and your fertile right away, there is no period of waiting that can occur after the pill.

Good Luck!!

After reading the other responses, I felt I should add this, I did bleed for a VERY long time. I think it was just over a month. After the long wait (and only the begining was heavy) I had VERY short, VERY light periods. I had some form of discharge everyday while I had it, it wasn't a lot or bad, mostly clear, standard infertile mucus, I wore a panty liner and was fine. Then once a month the discharge would turn colors to a red/pink, that was my period. I took it, I loved not having to worry about getting pregnant or having to remember about birth control with a small child around!!

A friend of mine just had hers removed because of breathing problems. After she was having problems, she did research and found many others with the same symptoms. Of course the doctors said there was no relation between the two, but I would do research online before taking anything.

My sister used it and loved it for 6 years. Then decided to have another child, she now has her first son. I know several people that have them and have had no problem.

I looked into it and my Dr said it's not worth it unless you plan to have it in for more than 2 years financially comparing it will other contraceptives. We want to have another before then so decided against it.

Good Luck.

Out of the 10 or so people I've encountered that have had it maybe 2 liked it. The others either got pregnant or had complications due to the hormones. I got the Paragard copper IUD because I do not tolerate synthetic hormones. I've not had any problems so far and it's been in place for a year yesterday.

I thought I was done having kids and opted for the non-hormone IUD. My husband and I changed our minds a year later, had it removed, and now we have one more beautiful child. I didn't go back to it only because I had tubal during the C-section. I certainly recommend it, though I also recommend having it checked regularly. I had no idea it was almost out when I went back to have it removed. I think they tell you to have it checked yearly, so it can coincide with your annual exam. It worked for me. Good luck.

I got it in October. I spotted every day until December. It was annoying and I had to wear a pantyliner, but now it is great. I don't feel it at all and I'm not bleeding anymore. Just make sure you feel for the strings, so you don't have unprotected sex.

I have had the Mirena IUD for one year now and I also love it. Some pain upon insertion, initial bleeding for a little over a month, then for me my normal periods, perhaps somewhat less bleeding and cramping.

Possible drawback is that they may migrate and perforate the uterus, I don't know how often this occurs, but I understand it usually happens during the first month, so it's not something you would have to worry about for 5 years. Then after that, the normal one year checkup.

So much easier for me then worrying about the pill, gaining weight with depo, etc.

My medical was covered in the Army, so the cost aspect wasn't a factor in my decision, but if I had the money, I would definitely do it. Add up the co-pays for birth control pills, etc.

Good luck!

Hi A B,

I had the Mirena IUD inserted about 18 months after my 3rd child. The first three months were hard - the constant spotting meant I was wearing a mini pad every day. After that it was great. I have very minimal periods and never have to think about birth control. The only problem is a minor (5 lbs) weight gain.

I.

Well like they always tell you, everyone is different. I got one after having my daughter when my son was 16 months old. They say to expect cramping initially, I didn't have any. They also say to expect abnormal periods and that I have had since getting mine and it is really not a big deal. I'm glad I got it because I don't have to worry about Birth Control Pills while keeping after 2 toddlers.