Questions About Mirena

Updated on April 23, 2009
J.B. asks from Birmingham, AL
21 answers

Hi all!
I had a Mirena IUD inserted on April the 1st. I had absolutely no problems with the procedure. My issue now is that I have been bleeding every day since. I had my second son 6 weeks before and had not had a period yet. I was on the pill for 7 years and came off of it in 2003. I had no problems when I took it, however I did feel better when I did discontinue it. I will not even consider starting them again. We used the calendar method after our first son was born. We were surprised when we found out that I was pregnant again! I am not a fan of hormone based contraceptives. I only chose the Mirena because of the very low dose of estrogen and the fact that there is a minimal amount absorbed systemically. Now I find that I'm having problems anyway! My doc said the bleeding would differ from person tho person. All of my friends that have one have not had this problem! Has anyone had this problem and if so what did you do about it?

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A.W.

answers from Birmingham on

Hi Jennifer, I've had Mirena since last August and I bled & spotted for about 6 weeks after it was placed, and I still haven't gotten into a regular monthly cycle, but so far it has been worth it because I tried 2 different pills, the Depo shot, the calendar method w/otc contraceptives just in case my dates were a little off & got pregnant with all of them, back to back to back, I have 3 daughters under 3, had 1 miscarriage & have a 7 year old, only 1 was "planned". So far with Mirena Ive had great luck (knock on wood) & LOVE it even with the irregular bleeding. Just hang in there & give it some time. Good Luck

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P.M.

answers from Montgomery on

Hi Jennifer,

What you are experiencig is normal, I think mine continued for three months. However, it can last up to six month. It's annoying but well worth the annoyance. Good luck.

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T.M.

answers from Enid on

I did not have the bleeding problem with the Mirena, but my sister did. She had it inserted not long after her sons birth and she bled from the day they put it in until they removed it. She opted to do the nuva ring instead. She bled every single day and sometimes so heavy that she would soak through the heaviest pad. The doctor told her that if it did not quit it would have to be removed and that is what happened. I would talk to your doctor, it might just not be agreeing with your body.

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D.B.

answers from New Orleans on

dearjennifer, to be quite frank with you I had one. I had begun bleeding and my doctor basically told me the same thing your doc said to you, that it differs in each patient and not to worry. Then the bleeding increased. I was bleeding most of the month, feeling very exhausted all the time, and then the pains begun! By the time I went to see the doctor again insisting he remove the IUD, I was bleeding profusely (hemorrhaging, to say the least!) He still refused to remove the IUD, but I demanded it and threatened to report him until he broke down and took it out of my body. Some years later I discovered I had endometriosis. My new Ob-gyn in the new city where I'd moved after the IUD incident told me it could have been caused by that IUD!

So my suggestion to you would be to have it removed ASAP for your health's sake! Then find an alternative method of contraception, preferably a more natural method staying away from pills, IUDs, and other invasive therapies for prevention.

take care and Good Luck!

D.

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C.M.

answers from Fort Smith on

I had the same thing happen to me. I had my son last summer and 6 wks later I had the Mirena inserted by my OB/GYN. I bled at least 6 wks after it was inserted. It was spotty & light. I hated it because it only warranted a liner and hate pads/liners, but I put up with it and I'm glad I did. The periods are very light and I think I've even missed one here and there. Hang in there--it's been well worth it for me.

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G.A.

answers from Biloxi on

i have the mirena and that happened to me as well...it's normal for some people...everyone is different...however when you do stop bleeding your next periods over the months you will see a dramatic decrease and you might be one of the lucky ones that don't have one at all..i still have a very very and i do me very light period every month...so light all i have to do is where a panty liner...you will be fine ...i get mine out next week and another one inserted in...

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J.M.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Hi Jennifer. I lightly bled and spotted for about 2 months. It was really annoying but finally went away. I haven't had a period since. I have spotted for a day a couple of times. My DR. says this is all normal. Hope this helps.

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K.C.

answers from Huntsville on

Jennifer
I have had the Mirena since October and have experienced the bleeding you have. I was informed to have the Mirena inserted while on my period because it would produce bleeding. I dont have the bleeding now but an occasional spotting. I was told this would stop anywhere from 3 months or more, since every woman is different :)
We have all heard that before. Other than the occasional spotting I don't have many issues with the device. I had tried the pills and the depo-shot previously. Our bodies will react as if the Mirena is a foreign object and will try to accomadate for that and we may experience some difficulty until it balances out. It will also cause a change in our PH levels. All in all it has been relatively easy.

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L.C.

answers from Fayetteville on

Hey there! I also had a Mirena IUD inserted about 2 years ago. I had the same problem at first too, which my doctor said would happen...and my bleeding was real irregular at first. But I do remember bleeding off and on the first few months. It should get better though! Just give it some time. I was concerned at first too, but my doctor said it was nothing to be worried about! Hope that helps!
AND just to let you know I don't ever have a period anymore...an occasional spot every couple months or so, but that is it! It's nice!

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D.H.

answers from Fayetteville on

Hi Jennifer. I had a Mirena for almost 3 1/2 years. I bled off and on for almost 8 weeks, then had a few very small periods and after 6 months, nothing at all...HEAVEN! I am trying to get pregnant again now and miss my IUD becasue my periods are pretty heavy now. The first 3 months after removal was awful, but things have leveled off now. Give it a few months and hopefully you will be period free by summer! I plan to get another after we (hopefully) get pregnant, I miss being period free!

Good luck!

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B.S.

answers from Jonesboro on

I had the same IUD, I didn't trust it. I had a couple periods where i bleed all the time and then the rest of the time I barely bleed. My mother has always said that a womans period is her alert system. Your period messing up tells u that something is going on with your female parts that isn't suppose to be happening. So I didn't trust it because it had my periods so messed up. I got mine removed after about a year, and had my tubes tied. Hope I have helped.

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J.S.

answers from Little Rock on

I have had the same exact problem. I called my OB and they said that it is normal to bleed for up to 6 months because you are sloughing off your uterine lining, which makes it so you cannot get pregnant. Yes it is annoying but not as annoying as taking the pill.

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J.T.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I had mine inserted 6 weeks post partum also and had not yet finished spotting from the pregnancy. It increased for a little while and then returned to minimal spotting, and has since resolved (although I have had some spotting around the time my period would have been had it returned) I would say it wasn't until 6 weeks after insertion that it stopped completely. Unless you're in pain, or it is really heavy (I would think consistently like the heaviest days of your period for more than a few days or worse warrants a call to the doc). Ultimately, although I think it may have prolonged it by a few weeks, my experience with the mirena wasn't really any different than the bleeding I had after the birth of my 1st and didn't have mirena.

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B.A.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I have had the Mirena since November, I bled a little but mostly major cramps. Since then I have spotted a little but have cramps like once a month. My neighbor bled for a month and then stopped, so it does do different things to different woman. I have another friend who only bled for a weeks. If you are really concerned call your doctor and let them know because there are some side effects that can occur. Hope that helps, have a nice week.

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K.S.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I had the mirena placed in early march - From what I've heard from a lot of my friends on it that the spotting and bleeding usually lasts the first few months then balances off.If your having no pain and just bleeding then from what I've read and first hand I think thats completely normal until your uterus gets used to the constant dosage of hormones. If you start having abdominal pain that doesn't subside and isn't like cramping go to your dr or ER immediately. I developed PID from having my Mirena placed incorrectly, which can cause infertility and lots of damage to your reproductive organs. Luckily we caught in after a month and mine was removed. Bleeding normal- tons of pain not normal. Good Luck!

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A.W.

answers from Baton Rouge on

I've had the Mirena IUD for 2 years now, and had the same problem at first. It only lasted about a month for me, then eventually went away to almost nothing. Every now and then I get a little spotting, but that's it.

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K.C.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I bled for 10 weeks after the insertion. My last child was 8+ years old at the time. I had no idea I would bleed that long. My doctor assured me this was normal, and that everyone is different. My blood kept changing from new to old (bright red to dark brown) and the amount would vary day to day. I had it placed 12/27.
It's been 4 months, and after that 10 weeks of bleeding, I've had 2 more long drawn out periods of about 7 days. Prior to the insertion my periods lasted 5 days top.
I'm not sure I like the Mirena. I'm still trying to decide.

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M.O.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I had Mirena IUD for 4 yrs. I had the exact opposite problem. No periods for 4 whole yrs. You'd think that would be wonderful. Yet, I know it was not normal. I recently had it removed. The doctor said that it may take up to 3 months for me to have another period. I decided to search the web to see how long it would take to be fertile again, & this it what I found: http://mirena-awareness.synthasite.com/research-and-side-...
Check it out. Its scary quite frankley. It states that there are numerous side effects not listed including weight gain, insulin resistance, & depression, amongst a listful of others. On the website, they have a petition for signing, to force doctors to tell their patients all possible side effects. Don't mean to scare you, but I wish that I had been fully educated before I had mine put into place. Maybe I would have gone to a different form of birth control.

A.H.

answers from Little Rock on

I have had my IUD since October 2007 and I love it!! I bleed for a few months after it was inserted and I was also worried about it. Once the bleeding stopped I started having a very light period about every 3 months. I had a teeny tiny little scare and I thought I was pregnant, the doctor couldn't find my IUD so they did an ultrasound and it was exactly were it was supposed to be. I wouldn't worry to much about it.
Hope that helps.

A.

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A.P.

answers from Tulsa on

Hi, When I first had mine inserted I spotted every day for almost two months!! Yes it did suck but afterwards my periods were regular in timing and super super lite and only a day or two long!! which was awsome, so dont worry about it your body will adjust. I had mine in for 3 and 1/2 yrs till I had it taken out to get pregnant again. I LOVED it for the most part .

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R.E.

answers from Tulsa on

I had a copper-T IUD inserted, which is similar to Mirena, after my first child was born. My period had not yet returned. I started bleeding very lightly at first, then heavier and heavier over the course of a month until I was bleeding heavily every day and concerned I was hemorrhaging. At the end of a month I got a week-long migraine, and my OB said this was all likely just from the return of my cycle, but I didn't want to take the risk and keep bleeding, so I insisted he remove the IUD and we decided to take our chances with birth control (since I'm not consistent enough to make the pill effective and I couldn't use the patch because I was nursing). Within a day of removing the IUD, the bleeding stopped, and so did the migraine. Granted, I get migraines anyway, but I'd never had such a persistent one. My OB assured me that such a response to the IUD was rare, but I'm glad I insisted on having it removed, because the risk of an unexpected pregnancy was less worrisome to me than of continual bleeding and other complications. (And I got pregnant again when my son was 9 months, so we now have TWO boys!)

So, I'd recommend removing it, because so much bleeding is not healthy for you, and could lead to worse things. :) Congratulations on your lovely family!

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