Mirena coil poll

[ValenTeeeeee]

YANBU - Being on the Mirena is/was a positive experience with no or few side effects (e.g. helped with heavy periods or as part of a HRT and peri / Meno management)

YABU - Being on the Mirena caused too many side effects and was / is not worth it for me.

I am trying to make up my mind, as my GP has suggested the Mirena to tackle my extremely heavy periods but I am reading some many negative stories about weight gain, anxiety and even suicidal ideation, as well as putting it in and taking it out being very painful so am hugely torn.

Please help me decide💐

Reading stories online about the coil is the same as with many other things - you tend to only see the really negative or really positive 'reviews'. If you've had a terrible time with it, it was a horrible painful experience and you suffered with side effects awfully, you want to tell everyone you know and spread the word. If it's changed your life from the better, you may also want to recommend it to other people. If it just works fine for you, no real trouble, does the job, you're unlikely to shout about it!

For what it's worth - it's fab for me. No troubles, stopped my heavy periods so basically I don't have periods anymore. Amazing and I would hate to not be able to have it. I'm on my third! And I've recommended it to friends - one spent ages on a waiting list and had hers inserted last week, she had zero problems on fitting, a few cramps that evening. Hopefully it will work well for her. But everyone's experience with it is personal.

I can't vote on the app but had mine in 7 years, waiting for removal but been delayed due to covid. Had maybe 8 periods in 7 years and no side effects. Really pleased.

Mine has been brilliant. No issues and very very light periods and helping with menopause

Was awful for me. Two stone weight gain in 6 months,bloated stomach that made me look 6 months pregnant,depression,fatigue, mood swings. O got it removed after 6 months and 6 months on I'm still dealing with the side effects. It did stop my very heavy periods but I would rather 5 bad days a month rather feeling awful every day of the month.

Mine was ace, bar the pregnancy! Getting pregnant on the coil is more common than I thought.

Mine has completely changed my life for the better.

I was housebound for 4 days a month with chronic flooding, was anaemic. Had a coil put in and for 5 years, no bleeding. I'm on coil no 5 now, and can't recommend them highly enough.

Can't vote but I've had them 10 years and not a bad word to say

My helped my periods but it didn’t stop me from getting pregnant!!

I've had Mirena since Feb for ridiculously heavy periods following childbirth the year before. It's absolutely worked for that, they were immediately reduced to minimal levels and nearly 5 months on most of the spotting has stopped but I pretty much bled for 2 months straight when it was put in, varying amounts but random enough to always need a pad. Even now I wear a liner daily just in case and will randomly get a short burst of bleeding for an hour or so.

I haven't noticed any major side effects. I have put on weight but that can be attributed to no exercise and the rather excessive amount of cake I've been eating. Haven't tried to lose it yet. No mood changes at all, The only thing that has happened is around ovulation until my period my boobs get very sore for short time then eases off. I'm still hopeful that my periods will stop.

My first insertion failed as they couldn't get it in but I went back 3 weeks later and it went in easily. Neither time was painful.

Can't vote but it would be YABU.
Horrendous to put in , low mood / libido.
Very little bleeding which was good.
Even more horrendous to have removed.
Gp wouldn't do it as I refused another.
Clinic couldn't find it ended it up in hospital for a very ,very painful removal!
Would not recommend

I love the fact I get no periods, I tried copper and it was not for me (heavy periods), mirena has been great for me.

I’m sixty and had it inserted four months ago to treat endometrial hyperplasia. I’ve bled every day since - to varying degrees. I’ve not noticed any other side effects. I do feel a bit down at times, but I think that’s because I’m fed up bleeding every day and I think the constant wearing of sanitary towels is affecting my Lichen Sclerosus.

I had no choice because it’s a treatment for complex hyperplasia. Touch wood I’ve had no issues and it’s been positive for me. I did bleed for ages when it was first put in (months!!) but now don’t get periods and my hormones are much more stable. It’s also fixed the hyperplasia which is a cancer risk factor so definitely worth it for me

Horrendous, worst year of my life. Made the bleeding even heavier and gave me cramps to the extent I had days off work sick.

It was a disaster for me. Depression and RAGE, weight gain (i was around 8st 3ish went up to nearly 10 stone!), and made already heavy periods worse. I bled for 4 weeks at a time and would have to empty my cup hourly, sometimes still flooding, and had nights when my cup would overflow multiple times.
However, I know (and tried to tell them) that I don't get on with progesterone products. This was to treat adenomyosis rather than as birth control and was a total failure.

The problem is, you've no idea how it will affect you until you get it fitted. And IME once you've got it they'll keep telling you to give it time to settle down and whilst I never had to get an appointment to have mine removed (because it bled itself out) I've heard people say that they've found this difficult to availability of appointments. At least with pills you can just stop taking them if they don't suit you.

@Christmastreejoy I’m glad to read that your bleeding finally stopped, it gives me hope that mine will too! I don’t want to give up on it yet, due to the risk ofthe hyperplasia changing. (Mine is currently not the complex type).

I've never looked back

YANBU - love not having periods it's changed my life

I had a rough few months at first. Painful boobs, small weight gain, spots. GP said see if it settles and it did. Had Mirenas for 11 years now

Been great for me, despite a rough 4-5 months at the start while things settled down (twisting cramps as my body tried to eject it, some bleeding etc) - but haven't looked back since, and I'm on coil number 3 now which is taking me through menopause. Haven't had a period in 12 years.

It was a positive experience for me. I went from very heavy periods to no periods, and I was post-menopausal before I knew it. The GP insisted on checking this before it was removed. It wasn't painful when inserted or removed, and it was a medical student who removed it.

I think I'm on my fourth now. Got my first one early 20s and it was life changing. Before that I'd been on the pill, for contraceptive but also because my periods were very heavy and long. The pill helped with the length of my period (reduced from 10-12 days to 5) but periods still very heavy and painful for first couple of days (plus severe bloating and diarrhoea). Don't have any periods now and have only minor side effects. Boobs get a bit sore sometimes and that's about it.

I do wonder if I had endometriosis that was resolved by the mirena.

I had mine 5 years no period problems before or with it however the last year I had it I had cycles but no ovulation or bleeding. Once a month I was an emotional mess I would explode over something then cry hysterically it was awful. I also had other period like symptoms bloating, headache, bad skin those were managable though and I did get 3.5 years it worked well. The first 6 months I had random spotting and some cramping on and off but nothing major.

Tbh I think it's a try and see how it goes because everybody is different. I took mine out by myself because I couldn't get an appointment to remove it and couldn't cope with the mood swings anymore.

Was great for me: no side effects, no periods, no pregnancy!