Mirena Coil or tranexamic acid (AIBU to be hesitant)

[DownTheJohn]

Due to have a mirena coil fitted Thursday. I’m so hesitant as I’m scared it will cause me even more pain (adenomyosis) and effect my mood (already suffer anxiety)

The alternative is to just take tranexamic acid every month.

I don’t need contraception, I just need to stop the heavy bleeding (anaemic)

desperate for advice from people who have made the decision themselves as HCPs just want to push the coil

I've done both.

Transexamic acid made periods a bit lighter (still very heavy) but significantly longer and it just didn't work for me. I was on this for about 2yrs.

Mirena coil has been truly life changing. I would flood through a moon cup and heaviest flow period pants within an hour and I genuinely couldn't leave my house for the first 3 days of my period. Fatigue was extreme also.

Going on holiday was even worse and something I would really worry about.

I now don't have any periods, fatigue or any issues at all. I did spot lightly for the first 6 months, which honestly was far preferably to monthly floods and now nothing at all. It didn't hurt to be inserted. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner- I didn't because I was worried about potential side effects and pain, of which I've had none.

I am in the same boat as you. I have been given the tranemexic acid two months ago and still scared to try it and scared of the coil. However I did have very large cervical polyp removal which may have been making the adenomyosis symptoms a lot worse. In the last two months I've tried an anti flamatory diet (I still have off days) and seed cycling this current period I'm noticing a normal flow and less pain...still pain but not lasting days if that make sense and period days are 8 rather than 10. I understand everyones adenomyosis symptoms vary so much and this may not be suitable for all but worth mentioning if it does help anyone. Wishing you well x

On my third Mirena. Love it. No periods after 18 months of it settling in. I had spotting during that time and my periods got shorter and lighter immediately.

If the Mirena doesn’t agree with your body you can get it removed.

@babasaclover- my flow only became extremely heavy after my pregnancy. My gynaecologist said it’s not uncommon for adenomyosis to start after a pregnancy and in older women (I had my child at 39).

Thank you for the info finally pulled my finger out and called doctors to have coil fitted. Waiting on a return phone call.

This is exactly my experience of taking it. Also I'm not sure whether it's causing more problems like nausea and wobbly legs or whether that's just the bleeding. I've had to work through it all because of my employer on my back and I was supposed to get a coil fitted but can't see what the point is now as I'm mid 50s and the bleeding is only bad for 2-3 days every month. I just wish I could stay in bed and wait it out but I have to work so of course have to be seen to be doing something about it!

Thanks for all previous messages. I’m having it fitted Friday! Strangely exacted now at the thought of not having horrid leaky periods although the nurse said heavy periods may continue for 6-12 months after fitting?!?

Having the Merina Coil fitted was THE best decision for me. I had it fitted when I was 37, a year after DS was born. My periods stopped and I haven’t had one since.

I’m 56 now and well over due having it removed but life is getting in the way, plus I’m wary of having it removed.

Good luck with whatever you decide, my experience was a positive one though.

I hope all goes well for you! I did have spotting and brown bleeding intermittently but fairly consistently for the first 3 months. Was nothing like the flooding I was experiencing before so didn’t bother me. All breakthrough bleeding stopped by around the 6 month mark, so I would say that’s accurate. I wore sanitary towels for the first few weeks but then quickly transitioned to a pantyliner being sufficient.

At the moment I’m changing a green super tampon 4 times a night and still leaking through! So hopefully I will end up with what you have :-)

Loved my Mirena, had one for over 16 years. 3 week long periods disappeared eventually. Added bonus that as I wasn’t having periods I did not know when I was going through the menopause until my GP did a blood test and said it was over ! No symptoms at all .

Mine took many months for my periods to stop completely but they did lessen, and it was so worth the wait!

Yes, mine took a good few months but it was well worth it.

I don't have adenomyosis (or at least I assume they'd have said if I did when they did the hysteroscopy/ablation/mirena fitting)

The ablation and mirena did nothing for my insanely heavy bleeding (incontinence pants level, and still having to change in the middle of the night if I didn't want to wake up in a puddle). Tranexamic is the only thing that's worked for me, like a dream - now they're merely heavy for a couple of days, rather than un-livable with (they'd crept up on me, and I'd been so concentrated on just keeping my head above water that I'd not considered getting anything done.

My consultant said that I can keep using it as long as I need (I'm 49, so might have a while yet until menopause), and the only realistic option otherwise is hysterectomy, which I'm not interested in.

I had no pain for the procedures - but I was knocked out, and I don't have the same condition as you.

Mirena got rid of my periods completely for years. It was wonderful !

Adenomyosis can't be seen during an ablation, hysteroscopy, or mirena fitting. Adeno grows in the muscular wall of the uterus, which the camera in the hysteroscopy can't see. Ablation destroys the lining of the uterus, but the adeno is much deeper. So it definitely won't be detected during a mirena fitting.
Only a TVS or MRI can identify it.

I've had a hysteroscopy, ablation, and mirena inserted, but adeno wasn't diagnosed until I had a TVS.

well I had it fitted this morning. Painful during fitting and a bit of spotting this afternoon like brown not blood weird. Fingers crossed and thanks for all the advice from you all

I was given Tranexamic Acid while I waited for the coil, it took the edge off, didn’t prolong my period but really lightened it.

Mirena coil in July, took around 5 weeks to settle and now no bleeding at all. Wish I had done it sooner.

No issues. Female Gynaecologist inserted it after a colposcopy and biopsy, I really didn’t even know she’d done it. I could have kissed her!

@babasaclover I hope that Mirena helps. Was any numbing gel used for your cervix? The spotting might iodine. My GP does an iodine wash of the cervix to help reduce the chance of infection.

I’ve taken tranexamic acid for about ten years. It works. My top tip is to take it religiously as soon as your period starts. I find if I don’t stay in front of the bleeding, it can take longer to slow it. No mirena because I respond terribly to progesterone. Also horror stories of friends who wanted it out and not able to have it removed - told to ‘let it settle’.

also have Adenomyosis, and anaemia.

edit: sorry, I didn’t realise you’d gone for the coil. I hope it works well for you, ’.

I found out I had adenomyosis when I was in my early 50s - I'd just wondered why I was cursed with pain and heavy bleeding up until then! (I had a late menopause too). Tranexamic acid worked really well for me. I then had a Mirena as part of my HRT and bled constantly for four months, so I had it removed. It isn't necessarily the answer for every woman!

Dd was prescribed txa and had barely started taking it and got pulmonary embolism. Which they reckon weren’t caused by the txa. She has a coil now and put it off for ages as was so worried about possible side effects. She’s been fine, no side effects at all.

Not long been diagnosed with adenomyosis, tried mefanemic (sp?) acid and tranexamic acid with very little affect on how heavy or long my periods were, they were horrific still.

Hesitated over the mirena because I've had a copper coil in the past and it was awful but having it fitted was the lesser of two evils and I'm so glad I did. Just had my second period with it in - two days of the lightest bleeding I've ever had and its over and done with, compared to 10 days of flooding and having to carry spare clothes and pain.

That’s so good to hear. Hope I have the same. Adenemyosis is horrid!

The mini pill made me bleed everyday for 6 months! And I put on a stone. My weight never fluctuates so it was definitely that. Fingers crossed for the coil I had fitted yesterday to work