Mirena + peri - or just stress?

[BillyDaveysDaughter]

Apologies if this has been done to death, but I'm a bit baffled.

I'm 44. Had Mirena for 6 years (1st year into my 2nd). Haven't had a period for a good 3 years, not even spotting. Almost never have hormonal symptoms.

Recently I've noticed some odd things...flushing of a kind, not sweating but more reddening of the face and chest for no discernable reason; sore eyes; nausea at night; poor skin texture all over. Even more recently - intense irritability, reduced sex drive and inability to achieve orgasm.

I do get one-sided migraines but have done for years.

I've been very stressed at work for a specific reason and thought I was irritable due to anxiety, but that stress has largely passed now yet the slightest thing annoys me or drives me to tears. I feel quite down as well. I'm snappy with DH and friends and family and DH has commented on my suddenly low tolerance level. I'm generally a cheerful happy annoying person.

I'm reluctant to approach the GP as I doubt they'll say much. Is it worth going and asking for a blood test?

[PollyPerky]

GPs are advised not to do blood tests if women are using hormonal preparations. Have to admit I'm not sure about the Mirena because a tiny amount of progestogen is absorbed systemically. However, as you are 44 it's a bit on the young side for menopause so I think you should go and have a chat. if you are menopausal at 44 you would need HRT (recommended by NICE) but the beauty is that you already have the Mirena so would only need oestrogen alongside. You don't want to be without oestrogen 8 years too soon (average meno age is 52) due to the risks of osteoporosis and heart disease.

[BillyDaveysDaughter]

Thanks Polly.

DH has helpfully pointed out that I also have bladder weakness and keeps calling me Menopausal Barbie

[buckingfrolicks]

"intense irritability, reduced sex drive and inability to achieve orgasm" sounds like my menopause, certainly.

How's your middle? If it's starting to expand into an uncontrollable wobbly waistless blob then it's definitely the 'pause.

[BillyDaveysDaughter]

OMG Frolicks, yes it is. But then I am a bit overweight anyway....

[buckingfrolicks]

Ah yes Billy, but you know that old weight, don't ya! this is a new horror! Whatever your belly might be like before menopause kicks in, it will be a whole new belly afterwards... it's an unmistakable widening and thickening I'm sorry to say.

Do you shift from irritation/murderous urges and out of them more quickly than before? A kind of intense-but-less-meaningful irritation that goes away fast (it may come back shortly of course...)? That's menopause ime.

It's not funny really, I felt totally unprepared for the menopause and its symptoms, I actually ended up being investigated for cognitive decline.

[BillyDaveysDaughter]

Hmm well it's been wide and wobbly for a while but it is very stubborn...

Yes, I go from intense irritability to being sad, to normal, to silly, and back to murderous rage again. One mood never seems to last long...like I say I'd been putting it down to work stress.

Funny you mention cognitive decline. There have been a few occasions where I've forgotten entire conversations, and once I had finally managed to free up enough time to write a complete and complex section of a procedures manual at work, only to find I'd already done it. It was really good, very detailed and I had no recollection of writing it...

[buckingfrolicks]

sounds like peri menopause the more you describe it. But as you said earlier, could also be stress! so there you go - no help at all from me, sorry!

this too shall pass, is all I can offer :)

[BillyDaveysDaughter]

Haha, yes exactly...it is what it is, and my body will doubtless sort itself out!

Thanks for your posts though.

[juneau]

The mood swings definitely sounds like peri-menopause and AFAIK mid-40s is a reasonable time to start getting these symptoms. Many GPs (in my somewhat limited experience), are pretty clueless about peri-menopause. I'm 43 and went to see my GP because my periods were getting closer together and I had constant spotting and asked it could be peri - 'No', said GP, you're too young for menopause. But I wasn't asking about menopause, which I know is much more likely to happen in early 50s, I was asking about peri, which is the slowly declining levels of female hormones that can start to give you symptoms 10 years before you hit menopause. TBH, I'd go and see a gynae or someone at a women's health clinic who's a bit more clued up.

[juneau]

Having said that - it could also be stress. Stress can do crazy things. My hair was falling out when we were building our home

[buckingfrolicks]

good point Juneau - I went to what used to be called the Clap Centre (now sexual health clinic or something like that) and they were FAB, so much better than the GP at all this stuff.

Not about peri symptoms but something else that GP wasn't interested in - hard to describe really but a flooding of vaginal mucous that wasn't sexual, soaked my knickers and happened more or less all the time for about 18 months. I was worried I was incontinent! Turns out that's a pretty common peri symptom too. It's gone now I haven't had a period for 2 glorious years.

[CheesyWeez]

That sounds similar to my story OP. I had a mirena with no problems really for 4 years, then my gynae replaced it with a new one (I live abroad, where you go direct to a gynae for contraception).
After a few months I had the drop in libido, rise in murderous thoughts, thickening waistline, brain fog, no longer able to think through complex problems, puffy skin. Felt tearful. Weird dreams that woke me up, not able to go back to sleep, too hot, too cold. I was 47. I read this blog lifeaftermirena.blogspot.fr/2008/02/so-you-think-your-iud-is-causing.html
So I had my mirena taken out ASAP! Within a week many of the symptoms improved, particularly the brain fog and puffy skin, and my waistline came back. I never had another period. I'm 51 now. I think the peri-menopause was worsened by the mirena. Having it removed improved my symptoms and then I had a "normal" menopause over many months but with bearable symptoms.
I still have low libido but can cope much better with life. There was a thread recently on here about mirena, and GPs are seemingly reluctant to take them out and say "see if it settles down over the next 6 months" SIX MONTHS! Who wants to feel like that for a second more than necessary? Some posters pulled the mirena out themselves, I won't recommend that but some women were so frustrated that they resorted to it.
Good luck OP.

[BillyDaveysDaughter]

Blimey it never occurred to me that the Mirena might be causing it....

[gibbo410]

Hiya everyone IMA newbie to this I'm 45 now and had the mernia now for 17 yrs and no periods but I am getting hot sweats itchy skin and redness on my chest, dry mouth, I did buy a menopause testing strips but that came back normal. I due to have it out next march. But don't no if I should see my gp again.xxxx