Hi. I've just had an bad experience from having the Mirena coil fitted. Don't want to worry you but do keep an eye on any symptoms you get which are listed in the patient info leaflet that comes with it. Don't put it down to other conditions necessarily and be prepared to insist on it being removed if you're not feeling well on it.
I'm 41 and had my mirena fitted 4 months ago. (Had my family now and wanted long term contraception in place.) I noticed weight gain initially, but put it down to turning 40 and mid life weight gain going on around the tummy area. Then I noticed I was moody. I also put that down to looking after a toddler / giving up work for a few years and the stay at home Mum lifestyle taking it's toll. I had low libido, but also assumed it was due to tiredness / relationship difficulties. Then what really was a wake up call, was around 3.5 months after it was fitted, I had this really swollen belly as if I was pregnant. Within 10 days I went from looking podgy to actually looking about 4 months pregnant. I tried starving myself a few days here and there to see if I was reacting to food. I cut out bread, wheat, dairy etc. Made no difference I just looked pregnant still. Eventually, this week I noticed the swollen "bump" was so large it was pressing on my diaphragm and making me wheezy. So I took myself to A&E as it felt as if I was having a bad reaction to it. On the patient info leaflet it does say 1 in 100 people may experience swollen abdomen and that you should go to your Dr immediately if you experience this.
A&E medics were confused that it was making me swell up that way when the mirena coil had been inside me for 4 months by this point, and couldn't fathom it out. I got scanned for gallstones because my tummy, gallbladder and liver were enlarged. But I was clear of that. I got x-rayed for anything else they could find, but it all looked normal. They tested me for ovarian cysts and did blood tests for cancerous growths. All of it came back clear. It was a bit of a scary time waiting in A&E by myself at 2am to hear news, but thankfully I didn't have anything serious.
Eventually, the Dr in A&E agreed it could be the mirena coil making my abdomen bloat up so much, and that I should get it removed ASAP in primary care. No one was willing to remove it in hospital as they didn't have the training apparently! I had to get an appointment at a sexual health clinic in the centre of town, designed for emergency contraception. By this point I was going round the twist wondering what could be wrong with me. I was also incredibly frustrated that once its been decided the coil is making you ill, very few Drs are actually trained to do a removal! So you have to wait to get back in with your GP practice or find an alternative family planning clinic.
I had the mirena coil removed about 48 hours ago and now the bloated tummy / abdomen has totally gone. I can fit into normal clothes again (and not maternity jeans!). The wheeziness has gone and the stabbing pains in my tummy and cramps in my uterus have stopped too. I honestly think my body went into some sort of allergic reaction to either the progestin hormone or possibly the sillicone that it's made out of. I've had bad allergic reactions to penicillin and nickel metal in the past, ending up in hospital, so I am obviously one of those people who can have a bad allergic reaction to Mirena.
I had to fight my corner to get the damn thing out and convince medics that the bloated abdomen was definitely linked to the date i had the mirena coil inserted! Very few medics seem to have come across this happening to women.
So to anyone out there considering whether to get the Mirena coil or whether to remove it, then do your homework online and speak to a sexual health specialist and not just your GP. Check out whether there is anything in the fabric of the actual coil that you could be allergic to. The trained sexual health counsellor who removed mine actually said the reaction I had was well documented and was definitely the coil. Yet several Drs in A & E and my own GP who was allegedly the lead family planning Dr, didn't seem to think there was a connection with the bloated abdomen at all!
I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole again. I've gained 8lbs in 4 months, and had 3 days out of action, going back and forth to A&E and family planning clinics to understand what was happening to me! It has been a bit frightening and painful to say the least. I just wish the medical professionals who insert it (often your GP) would give more advice about the side effects that can come with Mirena. I don't think they experience enough patients with negative outcomes to think that it's significant, whereas staff in Sexual Health Clinics seem mire aware of the downsides.
Hope this post is helpful.