From hair loss to anaemia to mirena??

[mrsrhodgilbert]

I posted here in early summer about how my hair was becoming very thin and I was getting increasingly worried. I finally saw my lovely GP about it last week and she arranged blood tests, I got the results this morning. Turns out I am anaemic and she has prescribed iron tablets along with the requested lactulose! But she wants to correct the cause of the anaemia and after discounting everything else has decided that heavy periods are probably to blame, I take tranexamic acid to cope but that suits me fine. I am 46 and probably peri- menopausal. She has suggested a mirena coil and insists that weight gain is not a side effect.I am already 1/2 stone over my comfortable weight and worry about this becoming worse and struggling to lose it. I am also terrified of having it fitted having read too many posts. I don't want to feel like a statistic that has been ticked off without other options being explored. I hope the iron tablets prompt my hair to start growing again and I need to decide about the mirena.

[carocaro]

I had vile heavy periods for years, endometriosis that settled after children, but DS2 is now 3 and they were getting worse, could not leave the house more or less for three days. Anway I could not decide about the mirena for ages, like you heard all sorts of horror stories BUT I had it fittend three months ago, which was OK, like a smear test really and TA DAAAAA! it has changed my life! In fact this month was the first month with such a tiny bleed i hardly noticed NO PAIN NO LETHARGY EXHAUSTION and ruining endless pairs of pants!

I had not put on any weight at all and I feel so much better that I don't have to dread period time each month and I feel fitter and healthier that I don't have to go through that draining process of having a heavy hideous period.

Do it. If it does not suit they can take it out. I have had no side effects at all.

[mrsrhodgilbert]

Thank you for replying. I do not consider my periods to be as difficult to cope with as others. I am a SAHM and can stay in on the days when I feel grotty if I want to. However if I am anaemic then obviously things are worse than I thought. But I have ended up going on holiday several times on the first day of a period and coped well, something many people would not manage at all by the sounds of it.

What I do find is that I feel generally grim for a day or so, nothing specific, but a bit ill and 'otherworldly', like I'm just not with it at all. Do you think these bizarre symptoms might disappear?

I'm to go for an internal exam in a couple of weeks just to check there are no other problems so I have some time to think about this.

[Bearcat]

I had mirena coil fitted 20 months ago for heavy periods.
This year I have managed to lose over 2.5 st with eating more sensibly and exercise.
I didn't notice I got any fatter after having it fitted, but decided that I had to get down from a size 16

[JamieLeeCurtis]

Hi, I have had Mirena for a total of 7 years now (on my second one).

I haven't noticed any weight gain (that isn't down to scoffing Jaffa cakes)

The reason I chose Mirena was to stop my very painful periods - this it has done and I'm very very happy about that. I get no bleeding and only a very tiny bit of pain, and a bit of PMT (much less than before) - ie I will feel a bit more irritable one day a month.

I do notice more vaginal dryness.

The first one was painless on insertion, but took months to settle down (spotting and slight pain) BUT I was 3 months post-birth and I think whilst my cervix was nice an soft, my uterus was very grumbly!

In contrast. the second one was very painful insertion - for my next one I'll take some strong painkillers beforehand, but has settled very quickly.

HTH