to think GP's should be far more clued up about Mirena coils and their potential side effects?

[thatsnotmyfruitshoot]

Because according to my GP, my rapid weight gain (10 lbs in 7 weeks - eek), painful breasts, teariness, hair loss and permanent bloated feeling can be nothing whatsoever to do with the fact I've recently had the Mirena put in. Not even if the symptoms have only come on since having it fitted, and are exactly what always happens when I try the pill or any hormonal contraception.

Aaaarrrggggh. I originally went in for the copper coil, and felt a bit arm twisted into trying the Mirena - now I'm stuck feeling rotten until they can (grudgingly) take it out. Why does my GP think she knows my body better than me? It's so frustrating, especially as I asked about side effects before having it done and was told how extremely rare they were!!

How interesting - When I agreed a c-section with my consultant, she said that it might be an idea to be sterilised at the same time (this is my 3rd child, I will be 41, will be having corrective surgery after the birth - and have been advised not to have any more children after that).

I mentioned this to a different consultant at my last appointment, and she said, 'Oh no no, you want the mirena coil, so much better'. I said that the pill had not agreed with me (gave me bad headaches, brown pigmentation on my face and achey legs) and she said that the side effects of the Mirena were minimal compared to the pill.

On googling, the side effects of being sterilised don't seem half so dramatic, and the main issue with being sterilised during a c-section, is that there is a small risk of it failing.

I wonder why she was so keen to push the Mirena onto someone who really doesn't want any more children?

Does anyone know if it has more effects on someone with PCOS?

My sister has PCOS and had a Mirena fitted because she also got fibroids.

Her cysts got really bad, it never stopped her admittedly irregular periods, and she had to have it out.

She went for endometrial ablation and it worked a treat.

I'd go for sterilisation under csection if it's been offered to you over Mirena any day.

If you're sensitive to hormones, there's a reasonable chance it's not for you.

Conversly Prolesworth - I had breast pain and low libido with the mini-pill, and migraine with the combined pill, but none of these with the Mirena, so it's not necessarily the case that those with probs with hormonal contraception will have probs with Mirena

Blimey, that is quite a list!

Thankyou for that Expat and Prolesworth.

It makes me so angry when drs either deny the existence of side effects, or try to downplay them, I hate being treated like an idiot.

YY Prolesworth - It is not on.

I still have acne scars from it. My mood went down the pan. I had no libido. And I never stopped bleeding.

Was also told it would settle and/or it couldn't be from the Mirena.

I've had the mirena, (2, for 7 years) as I had very heavy and painful periods, and it was great for that - for 7 years I had no periods at all or a tiny bit of spotting. However I did get more migraines, and my hair thinned - both resolved when I had the mirena removed as I was TTC, and felt despite the side effects, I'd avoided treatment for my problem periods which may have affected my fertility, so on balance it was still a good choice.

I think the issue with the copper coil is it's more likely to cause infection (and damage fertility),very heavy and painful periods and it's more likely to rupture/stick through the uterus wall (it's bigger and harder) and it has a MUCH higher failure/pregnancy rate than Mirena.

But if you have read up on your options, the MV/dr should not be pushing you to use a hormonal method you don't want.

Mirena failure rate in the first year, 0.2%

Copper coil, 0.6%.

Hardly a much higher failure rate.

Mirena coils cost more (£87 v £10) and GPs get the same fee for fitting all coils. Generally mirena has better side effects, lighter periods, fewer infections and more effective. That's why they are recommended. It's not a conspiracy. I had no problems with mine and had it removed when husband had vasectomy. I miss the light periods though. If someone wants a copper coil I see no reason to give them one though.

Always wonder how much of the contraceptive success of hormonal options is due to the loss of libido they can cause!

see no reason NOT to give them one that should read.

My libido was definitely unimpaired

Tyler, I'm the biggest horndog going and that Mirena killed my libido dead.

DH was never so happy as I was when I got that thing removed!

Well Mirena nearly cost me my marriage. I had no idea that the sudden mood swings, depression, panic attacks, palpitations, high blood pressure, hair loss, shivers and painful breasts were all thanks to Mirena. It was only one day that I started to really think about what was causing me to have all these symptoms that it clicked. They had all started the same year I had the MIrena put it in. ON that same day I researched it on line and what I read was shocking, I immediately went to have it taken out. Never ever again will I have any form of contraception with hormones. I now have the copper coil and absolutely love it, my periods are the same and no mood swings or awful side effects

Forgot to mention the non existent libido and feeling really really dry down there the rare occasions we did do it. Terrible back pain and nervousness. In fact I think I suffered from 90% of the side effects

I am swapping from the Mirena to the copper coil in next month and I have had the damned thing in for 5yrs. It is only in the past 6 months that I have started to put the pieces of the jigsaw together.

My symptoms have been:

weight gain
mood swings
hairiness (lovely)
tiredness - I feel like an old woman some days.
migraines
anxiety

The doctors will not have it that the mirena has done this. I don't understand it - do they think i am making it up?

Interesting thread - I have no personal experience but wanted to say that if you're concerned that your GP is dismissive and that side effects are going under-reported, you can report them yourself using the MHRA yellow card scheme - this page. The MHRA is keen to get as much information as possible from all sources.

Can I ask all of those who have had the mirena taken out, how long till you got back to normal? My cycles were regular as clockwork will the mirena, but have been all over the place since (and more painful), just wondered if anyone else had found this?

Oh, I eventually ended up seeing a consultant about possible treatment for migraines. Guess what he wanted to push on(in!) me? Luckily I had already been to the Migraine Clinic in London, and the specialist in menstrual migraine there had warned me - on no account let them fit a Mirena. And also on no account let them do a hysterectomy to cure the migraines, that seldom works.
So, after a bit of a set-to over the Mirena, during which he practically told me I was a silly woman, he huffed and puffed and told me the only alternative then was to have a hysterectomy. He sent me home with all the leaflets and I haven't gone back.
(For anyone interested, after years of suffering, the solution to the problem for me is Syndol - available over the counter! Take one if it's just starting and it might go away. Take two and sleep if it feels a bit more dire).
When will some health professionals start to credit us with having some brains of our own?