Mirena, do I do it

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Had some awful birth injuries after DD1 (3b tear, levator ani avulsion, nerve damage, spasm in my vagina that was treated with Botox). Settled down after DD2 and some great physio/gynae.

Fast forward and my periods have been HORRIFIC. Floods overnight etc. I just thought it was normal until my iron dropped so low that I had to have iron infusion. I am now on Tranexamic Acid but GP recommended Mirena.

After a lot of thinking decided to go for it, took the pills, the jelly, happy pill etc. GP could not get cervix to open anywhere near enough, gave up and said I would need to go to specialist.

Question is - is it worth it? I am conscious of not wanting to mess with my poor vagina too much plus I do worry about the side effects but my periods aren't exactly light (and TA seems to make them last longer) so always worrying about iron. Are there any other good effects of the mirena that could persuade me?

YABU: Leave things as they are, keep taking TA
YANBU: go to specialist and get the mirena for period free heaven

Mirena gives you the lowest dose of progesterone possible to do the job, because it's delivered directly to your uterus & doesn't have to go through your whole system like the mini pill or contraceptive implant. That's why it's the lowest - dose form of progesterone you can have as part of HRT. Specialists say that the dose of progesterone reaching the rest of your body is so low that you are unlikely to notice any other effects. There are some people who react badly to it though, as some PPs have shown with their own experiences.
I've had 2. The first one stopped my periods after a few months. At the time I blamed my migraines worsening for a few months on it, but in retrospect I don't think it had anything to do with the Mirena - I can see other factors were there and I just blamed it because it was hormonal. My first one was left in place for 10 years. The threads had disappeared and it was a difficult removal, but my GP referred me to the community gynae clinic where they do this all the time. They used numbing gel and really it was OK despite being technically very difficult according to the doc; it was lodged in a fibroid.
My first Mirena probably took me well into the menopause with no periods. I assumed it was still stopping my periods after 10 years but two specialists have assured me it will have been well out of hormones by then. Anyway, I had a shiny new one, full of hormones, and noticed..... Zilch. No migraines nowadays, nothing.
For those using Mirena as part of HRT, one thing to be aware of : if you're currently using oral progesterone at night, that helps send you to sleep. You don't get that effect from Mirena because it's using a tiny dose of progesterone released constantly. So if you have Mirena then get insomnia, it's not that Mirena is "causing" insomnia, but that you may benefit from oral progesterone just to help sleep.

@DivorcedAndDelighted that is very helpful thank you

Can I also ask people if they had, local anesthetic, mistropol, happy pill, were on their period etc - when they had it inserted? I had all of that but still would not go in.

I had 3 generals when inserted - but I also had to have other gynaecological issues addressed at the same time (removal of ovarian cysts and endometrial tissue.

I had my last one removal in the gynaecologist's office - ouch. I swear only women would have this type of medical intervention without any pain killers.

Gynae issues nowhere near as serious as yours, but I'm on third mirena. No side effects after first two months of spotting. Now no periods and no side effects. Friend with vv heavy periods loves it too and now has v light periods.

You can get it removed if it doesn't work for you.

Whatever you decide, do keep a solid diary of any changes once you've had it in.

Mine stopped my periods (had 2 for 7 years), but had a litany of side affects the GPs wouldn't accept as issues with the mirena: chronic back pain, incessant sweating, eczema, acne, facial hair, anxiety, insomnia, depression and suicidal thoughts.

Finally went private to get it put after arguing for 18 months with gps. The depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts lifted the very next day (noticeable by all around me) and the physical symptoms cleared up within a month of it being removed.

I suggest getting it fitted at a GUM clinic. The professionals there will have much more experience fitting it than the GP. It's fab and I've found it well worth it.

Mirenas are marvellous. My first was so satisfactory and made such a difference, I had a new one put in when the old one ran out. This meant I literally went all the way from peri to post menopause without even noticing. It wasn't just no more flooding - it was no more periods and no other symptoms of menopause either. Marvellous. Revolutionised my life

Love mine. No periods at all, wish I'd done it sooner.

God I really hope I’m one of the lucky ones 🤞

I've had one for years and not had any periods at all, it's great.
My daughter's also have mirenas fitted and also have no periods.
We love ours.
I had to have an epidural for my last one though as I found it extremely painful, which was surprising as the ones fitted previously, although uncomfortable, weren't painful.

I had the implant for years. As just didn't want the Mirena insertion/issues.

Suited me much better than the pill as a lot lower dose. And made my periods much lighter.

I had a Mirena for 4 years and I had zero periods and it was very enjoyable. I didn't have any pain relief when I got it and it felt a bit unpleasant but nothing too bad. I think the hormone levels in mine dropped after 4 years (or something like that) because I suddenly started getting acne all over my chin and right cheek. It felt like hormonal acne and I suspected it was due to the Mirena, so eventually I had it removed and within months my acne cleared up. I also noticed that my sex drive improved massively after taking the Mirena out and sex has become better too, so I guess the low hormone levels in the Mirena were high enough to affect me in some ways.

However, I was still symptom and period (and worry) free for 4 years so can't knock it!