Side Effects or Problems After Mirena Removal.

Updated on July 29, 2014
T.D. asks from Yorkville, IL
19 answers

I have had the Mirena IUD for 3 1/2 years. I recently was doing some research on it, and have found there are SEVERAL other women suffering from some of the same things I am (depression, anxiety, loss of sex drive, mood swings, tiredness) and they all believe it is due to the Mirena. After some thought, I have decided to have it removed. I also haven't had a period in 3 1/2 years which is a great thing, but I don't think its natural NOT to have a period. I was just wondering if any of you Moms have had it removed, and if so were there any side effects that you noticed? Did you gain weight after having it removed? Or have any of you suffered from any of these symptoms and related it to the Mirena? I am just hoping that after I get it removed, my depression, mood swings, anxiety and sex drive change!! Cause if not, I don't think my relationship will last very much longer!!!

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D.R.

answers from Chicago on

I have an appointment next weekend to have my Mirena IUD taken out also. I don't think adding hormones can benefit you, and potentially harm you. I think it's healthy to have a period, and I'm concerned the added hormones are doing more harm than good, as you and the other posters referred to. I also did my research and asked my doctor lots of questions, but my gut is telling me something different so I'm going to listen. Good luck to you.

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K.

answers from Chicago on

Can't comment about Mirena in particular, but I had a definite loss of sex drive when I was on oral birth control pills. I attributed it to the hormones. And sure enough, when I went off the pill I felt much better. Now I've had 2 kids and decided to get a copper IUD instead of Mirena because I didn't want any hormones. I've had it for almost a year and so far so good.

As for not getting a period being "not natural" - well, yes and no. Back "in the day" women spent most of their reproductive life either pregnant or nursing, both of which do NOT involve getting your period. So I suppose it depends on your perspective. Anyway, my thought based on my experience is that there's very little downside to removing it to see if it makes you feel better. IMHO, your whole body mood/feeling is much more important than birth control or getting your period, since you deal with your mood EVERY DAY. There are lots of other birth control choices out there that don't involve hormones.

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J.P.

answers from Chicago on

I would recommend the copper IUD. I chose it because hormones in BC pills gave me those same side effects. I feel great with the Paraguard (had it for about a year). The only drawback is heavier periods than I had before. Best wishes!

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B.E.

answers from Seattle on

i had it removed 4 months ago, and the problems are still here. had 2 serious infectiond inside my uterus. i still have most of the cramping, depression, and mood swings. as far as sex drive...what sex drive?? the pain would get so bad i went to the er 2x. my peirods now last a day at most. im wondering if theres a law suit in progress i could join, the damage it has done has almost ruined my merrige. i sugest removal asap! never recomend to anyone. good luck

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D.N.

answers from Chicago on

When I was looking into this one, I read that what you describe are side effects though not everyone gets them or at the same intensity. It can also lower and/or shorten the menstrual cycle. If you do have it removed, it could take a couple of months to get back to normal. Or you may get back there right away. It depends on how long it takes the hormone to leave your body.

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M.L.

answers from New York on

I am sooooo glad I searched about Mirena. I thought I was literally going crazy. For the past year it has been like my body is just falling apart. Let me start with my story!

I was always pretty active in high school. You know, the usual played ball, etc... and stayed active after high school. I am 5'5" and weighed 115 when I got pregnant with my son at the age of 21. After I had him, I went back to the weight of 125 without even trying. Just doing my usual things. I could have probably gotten back to my original weight but didn't want to. I thought I looked better and healthier at 125. Now, fast forward ten years later. At the age of 31 I get pregnant with my second child going in with the weight of 127. After I had my daughter I get Mirena. Stunned that I can't lose the weight and doing every possible thing you can imagine. Going to the gym five days a week doing cardio three days and strength training two days. Doing calorie counting and still can't lose not even half a pound. So I hire a personal trainer. She makes me bust my but harder and lowers my calories even lower each time and increasing my exercise when I'm not making any progress. Not to mention all the other things going on with me...hair is falling out and I have acne problems (has never happend to me, not even in teen years) plus the cramping oh my goodness the cramping... I can't even talk about that it hurts so bad on some days. Well I went to the gym one day last week crying to my trainer because she is telling me you have to be cheating or something on your diet. I said I'm not I promise I'm not I want this weight gone. Anyway, as I was doing my workout she asked me What kind of birth control are you on. So I tell her Mirena. OK, she informed a few days later after she done some research she calls me out of the blue and tells me I really need to read about it...so I did. Needless to say I am scheduled to get mine taken out this morning. I have weighed myself and measured all this morning. I weigh 150 pounds. I know that is still not a bad weigh but when your use to your body being one way then you want it back. I am now 33 and my youngest is 1-1/2. I should have at least been back down to 135 by now. So I will see what happens over the next couple of weeks and re-post for an update. But I can about be absolute positive that it is Mirena.

Thanks to all who have posted their stories.

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J.C.

answers from Chicago on

You do not say how old you are, so if you are having mood swings, it could be your own body changing due to peri-menopause if your are in your 40's. If not, you may want to consider a copper IUD, I had one when I was younger,
in my 30's and it worked just fine. The other possibility would be to stay on Mirena and treat the other symptoms with anti-depressants.

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L.F.

answers from Chattanooga on

T.
I had my Mirena in for about a year and a half. Had it removed because we wanted to start trying again when my son was roughly two, to make the kids three ish yrs apart! I never re- started my periods on my own. Went to the dr and they put me on three months of provera to make me regular again.
Two years after that they kept upping the provera dosage. I had to take that to have a period and then clomid for my eggs!
Long story short, I ended up bleeding for 9 months straight, literally! Not a day of not bleeding. I used super tampons and thick pads EVERYDAY!!!
Finally they got me to stop bleeding.
My son is now five yrs old and we have been told that I no longer can get pregnant. I feel cheated that I can't have just one more baby. Mine and my husbands hearts just ache for another baby.
Not trying to scare you but please be careful with the Mirena. Sometimes it works right and sometimes it doesn't. Out of five friends who have it only two can get pregnant again.
I wish you all the best!

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G.W.

answers from Springfield on

I and six of my friends all have had the Mirena IUD. It seemed great at first - no pills, no periods, no problem! Or so it seemed...
All but one of us (myself included) had it removed early for unfavorable side effects, which included depression, mood swings, irritability, anxiety, loss of sex drive, weight gain (and the inability to lose), oily skin and bad acne. We all had different degrees of side effects: one only had weight gain, but I had them all, and everyone else fit in somewhere in between. While I had no periods or cramping, one of my friends had extremely heavy, painful, irregular periods.

When I was first experiencing symptoms, I attributed them to pregnancy hormones that hadn't yet left my body, but after a year I knew that couldn't be it. I was thinking I was going crazy, and thought I needed to go on some kind of medication to control my moods. It was like I was a completely different person. No amount of diet and exercise could shed the 15lbs I'd gained in the year AFTER giving birth. I had worse acne than when I was a teenager. My husband thought it was the Mirena and I didn't believe him, because I had read all of the literature on it beforehand and none of what I was experiencing was mentioned. And I had been on the pill for over 10 years before we tried for a baby, and had no problems with those hormones whatsoever. So he did research and found two forums dedicated to Mirena, with thousands of women complaining about the side effects.
So I had it removed after having it just over a year, and I am not kidding you, that very evening it was almost like a cloud had been lifted - all of my senses seemed clearer and I felt calm, and within a week I actually WANTED to have sex. I felt myself again! And finally I was able to lose the weight. I'm not back down to where I was before I was pregnant, but I'm back to where I was before I had the Mirena put in.

My one friend who still has it in claims she loves it and is not experiencing any problems, but yet has recently had to go on Paxil for anxiety and irritability, when she had never had a problem before. Coincidence? I think not. I want to tell her I think it's the Mirena, but she's convinced it's great.

My husband and I believe that since the makers of Mirena suggest that it's best for "women who have had at least one child," they're hoping women will choose it as the first means of birth control after having a baby, and therefore any side effects experienced (which for me, seemed like pregnancy times ten), will be attributed to, or blamed on, lingering pregnancy hormones.

I am happy for those who have it and think it's great, and I don't want to convince them otherwise, but I would definitely never recommend getting it. If you have it and you're feeling things you wouldn't normally, then I am positive that is the culprit.

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Y.P.

answers from San Antonio on

Well after 3 1/2 years I finally had my Mirena removed today. I developed PID (Pelvic Inflamatory Disease). I have been very tired & can fall asleep anywhere. My cramping hurt more than labor pains & I began to bleed after not having a period for 3 1/2 years. I also noticed my anxiety was getting extremely bad, I was always moody & irritable. My sex drive was never affected. But I did gain some weight. I lost 7 lbs in a week from not eating right from the pain of cramping. The removal of my Mirena was so painful I cried & came home in so much pain. All I was told was to take Aleve, Tylenol or Ibuprofen. I was given a antibiotic shot & a phenagryn for the nausea I felt. I hope I feel better in the next 2 days. I spoke to a friend who after 2 1/2 years had it removed & she said she experienced everything I did but after 2 wweeks she began to feel normal. I really hope this works cause I have too much stress at the moment & need to be back to normal.

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C.O.

answers from Fayetteville on

I have had Mirena for 5yrs. and let me tell you, i thought it was the best thing for me, so i couldn't get pregnant. I couldn't take any pills and i thought this was the one for me. Through the last five yrs. my life have change. My sex drive died, i was very moody, very depress, and just not myself, like i was five yrs. ago. Next month, i will be taking it out, it is expiring, and know i have to decide if i should put another one back in. i think not. i need my life back. it has been really a depressing five yrs and i do not want to feel like that anymore. However, the best thing about it was the no show periods. But maybe that's want i need get some blood flowing and feel like a woman again.

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N.A.

answers from Chicago on

Ok Ladies, this probably won't be popular, but I plan to advise my 13 and 18 year old daughters to NEVER use ANY sort of hormone based birth control. I was on the pill for many years in my youth, and have now dealt with breast cancer TWICE, and I'm not yet 50. I know this is controversial, and we each need to do as our conscience and common sense dictates, but as for me and mine, we will only take medications when we're sick. It doesn't make sense to take pharmaceuticals that our bodies don't need (to be healthy) when there are other alternatives that have virtually no side effects. Yes, condoms are a hassle, but not nearly as big a hassle as chemotherapy! Blessings to all- N.

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D.C.

answers from unknown city on

There's a very informative site with lots of information on how to lose weight and get rid of the mirena iud side effects and find other natural birth control options. Check out: http://mirenadetox.com/mirena-weight-gain/ Her detox has also been immensely helpful to my recovery and I seriously recommend it

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S.C.

answers from Chicago on

Have you talked to your doctor about it? I have the Mirena IUD...going on 2 and a half years now and I have not had any problems or symptoms with it. I asked a TON of questions before getting it and my doc sat and talked with me about it and assured me that it was ok for me to not have a period. Said the Mirena was more relieable than a vacectomy and it's not permanent! I don't want you to go get it removed thinking this is the cure for what you are going through and it not be. I'd talk to your doc before removing it. Good luck! (((HUGS))))

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D.T.

answers from Chicago on

I had Mirena for 5 months and hated it!!!!! I had it removed and was back to normal within 2 months.

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J.M.

answers from Huntington on

I had the mirena for almost 2 years I liked it until it moveand I had to have it removed. I never had any symptoms while I had it in but now that its out not so good. Its been 7 months I have gained about 15lbs and I've always been small so its driving me crazy cause I can't loose it no matter what I do. I'm always sick at my stomach and have horrible headaches. So I'm considering getting it put back in.

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T.D.

answers from Chicago on

I am interested in seeing the responses you get. I have had my Mirena for 1 1/2 years and I also have some of the side effects you mentioned. I never know if I should attribute the effects to the Mirena or life in general. Other symptoms I have are migraines and weight gain. It may sound crazy, but I have actually thought I was pregnant recently. When you don't get a period is messes with your head I guess!

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C.M.

answers from Chicago on

I am actually interested in using mirena or any IUD for that matter. I have been on BC for 3 1/2 years straight and i can totally relate to the mood swings, depression, loss of sex drive. i thought these were the reasons i had them so that is why i decided to switch. I will be interested to hear other thoughts on the matter.

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M.D.

answers from Chicago on

I guess I didn't read about the Mirena making you have loss of sex drive but man did I!!! I didn't realize how bad it was till I recently got it removed. I was probably having sex once a month and felt like it was chore. I got it removed Oct 6th this month. Two days after it I got a cycle that lasted about 5-6 days. After that we have probably had sex now at least every two days!!!! I took it out to plan another child but now I don't think I will get it back in. I think I might go back to old fashioned birth control pills or get my husband to get sniped!!

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