Please Tell Me Its the IUD and Not Me..?

I've never had an IUD but my sex drive went poof after I had my son. It's not like me either. So far I have not gotten an answers from doctors. I'll be interested to see what responses you get.

Smash:

Sounds like the baby blues to me. Talk with your OB/GYN and tell her/him what you have told us.

I don't think it's the IUD, personally. But I've not had an IUD.

Please talk to your doctor, baby blues (postpartum depression) can get out of control if not treated properly. And it's NOT YOU...it's hormones. Don't beat yourself up. You CAN get this fixed!!! Please talk with your doctor, I can't emphasize that enough!!

GOOD LUCK!!

I'll tell you that it's likely NOT the Mirena. You said yourself that you're depressed, super tired, exhausted all the time, breastfeeding, etc. and you have two children one of whom is a very young baby. Who ever feels like being intimate with all of that?

Talk to your doctor about post-partum depression. You can be rested and still be tired with depression. Depression also seriously affects libido. It also affects all other areas of your life. PPD is very much about the changes in your life as well as hormones, and there's no shame in seeking out treatment.

Mirena has progesterone. Progesterone is a depressant. It very well can be the cause of all of your problems. I went on the progesterone only "mini-pill" after my first child was born at my 6 weeks apt as that is what is considered safe while breastfeeding. I became so depressed that I was at he point where I had the bottle of Zoloft in my hand. There were a host of issues I was dealing with. No sex drive, becoming violent. It was horrible! A friend of mine is a nurse and mentioned that it could be the pill that was causing problems. I asked my OB and she sort of brushed me off and said, yeah..it could be that but here's the prescription anyway.
I stopped taking the birth control pills before trying the Zoloft. Within the first month I was noticeable a different person, the one I was before I went on the pills. I was beginning to function again like I used to. By the second month I was myself.
It was a drastic enough difference that everyone around me noticed and knew.
I never took the Zoloft. So I know it was 100% the progesterone. When asking about birth control my OB and later Midwife both said I could not use the Mirena because of the progesterone.
I would have it removed and see if you begin to improve over a couple months. If not there may be other causes.
Yes, sleep deprivation and the hormones of breastfeeding can contribute but they may not be the only cause.

I have the Mirena and I don't have these side effects, but that's not to say they aren't related. Do you have the Mirena or the copper one? I know that if you look them up on line there are a whole litany of possible side effects, so yes, it's possible this is too, but Cheryl brings up a good point about possible post partum. I would at least put a call into your doc to see what he/she has to say about it.

Well....
The # 1 libido killer is sleep deprivation.
#2 is depression
#3 is hormones

You have 2 out of 3, and maybe 3 out of 3.

Right after birth babies tend to sleep a lot, and then it takes a couple of weeks for sleep dep to have lasting physiological effects. So it could purely be sleep dep, and 6 weeks is when most moms start going a little nuts. (Part of why in some areas a social worker is sent to your home between 6-8 weeks... To see if you need help/ have enough support)

Depression can be caused by sleep dep, OR hormones (PPD and milder Baby Blues - ha! I just mistyped Baby BLURS!!! I think that stands in even better), OR both.

#3 we KNOW your hormones are wacky, because youve given birth within 6 months

So... Yep. Could be the IUD.
And... Nope. Probably one of the top 3 libido killers.
UNLESS its the copper IUD with no hormones. In which case, the chance of it being the IUD is slim to none.

I'd say it's the IUD. I had the Mirena for about 6 months - it was placed 6 weeks after I had my 3rd child. I couldn't stand it! I had SEVERE panic attacks, depression and having sex was the furthest thing from my mind. Once I had it removed, things went back to normal. Good luck to you!

I just got the Mirena in April and I have not had any of the symptoms you are experiencing. My sex drive is a little stronger now. My youngest is 10 so it's been a long time since having babies for me (and I'm 44 years old and possibly in peri menopause - I'm using Mirena to eliminate my period). You should talk to your doctor about your options. Everyone is different. It could be the IUD or it could be a combination of things. Good luck. I hope you find a birth control method that works well for you. You really deserve to have an enjoyable sex life with your husband. I'm sure he would agree ;)

I had the copper one and I felt sick all the time, just bleh. I had it for two years though and was SOOOO happy when I had it removed. I felt much better. I don't know about mirena but I have done some searches on here when I was having problems with my iud and from what i recall there are some people who experienced the exact same thing as you described.

What kind of IUD? Are you breastfeeding the baby? Those would all be factors. I think this is something to discuss with your doctor. It could be hormonal. It could even be PPD since you mention you feel tired and depressed. It's pretty normal to experience a loss of libido after having a baby six months ago, especially a second one since you already have another child to care for too. I've had both a copper IUD and a Mirena and didn't have that side effect, but I DID have that problem when I had a colicky, exclusively breast fed baby. Make an appointment to talk to your doctor before you decide to have it removed. Good luck.