Mirena coil

[Lizzer]

Hi all, after my treatment (see smear tests) I am wanting to have the Mirena coil fitted. I've read the blurb but don't actually know anyone who has one. Really I'm interested more in the fact that it often changes / stops periods because of the small amount of progesterone in it, and was wondering how this affected people. Also I was told there is a lot of breakthrough bleeding when first inserted? I was under the impression that you can't feel it at all, but wondering if that's true? I've never had a coil fitted before so hope it is the right decision for me. My GP told me it was as affective a contraception method as man having a vascetomy!! Which sounds great for me at the moment... Any comments welcome.

Radley, I've been suffering with my symptoms since I was a teenager but it got really bad about 7 years ago. I kept going back and forth to my GP who is a load of shite and kept telling me that I was just having painful periods and not coping with them very well. I have a really high pain threshold (got through 26 hours of labour with only a TENS) so I know that my pain was not normal. It felt like something was throbbing and gong to explode in my stomach. It finally reached a head about 3 years ago and I took my DH with me to the horrible GP and he stood up to her and made her send me for a scan. The scan picked up an ovarian cyst so I was then referred to a gynaecologist. I then went through various tests, I had zoladex injections which out you into the menopause. They were shutting my ovaries off to see if the pain stopped and it did. The reason they did this was that they were unsure if the pain was coming from my ovaries, bladder or bowel so shutting of my ovaries was the best way to eliminate the other two. The pain did stop but there was no way I was staying on the injections as the side effects were horrible. I then had a laparoscopy in 2004 and they found that my bowel and womb had stuck together and my ovaries had cysts on them and my left ovary had twisted round and stuck to my bowel. Thats when I was finally diagnosed. They removed some of the adhesions and my symptoms did ease for a while but after several months they came back again. I decided to try the Mirena coil but it made things worse. I went into hospital again in Feb this year for another laparoscopy and had got another two cysts and my organs have stuck together again so it looks like a hysterectomy is probably the next step. Sorry for the essay, its a bit of a saga but I hope it gives you some help. Take care, Louise.

I have had my mirena coil in for nearly 3 yrs and have never had any problems until now. I went to the Doctors with stomach pain yesterday and he and the nurse checked my coil to see if it was still in position. All I could here were them both saying Ive never seen anything like that and what is it! He sent me straight to the gynaecologist who has also never seen anything like it before! the threads of the coil are supposed to come through the opening of the cervix which is how they take them out, but the threads of mine have somehow come through the wall of the cervix making it impossibe to take out. I will now have to have a laparoscopy where they will try to take it out from the inside. I am very scared right now as there is also a lump which they are unsure of. Does anyone know of this happening before?

Jo

I am afraid I have just come out of hospital after having my mirena coil fitted in 2003.

I had an ultrasound scan at that time, but was told it had gone and my FP doc said it must have expelled. £ years on, and I started getting infections and I have had pain in my side for some time which I put down to my c-section.

I had an x-ray - and lo and behold - it had migrated into my pelvic cavity. And i am being told that this never happens!!

They hoped to removal it by laparoscopy (keyhole surgery and camera), but unfortunately, whilst under general anaesthetic, they could not find it and rexrayed me and then had to try to locate it that way.
I had a laparotomy and they found the mirena embedded in the structures that hold my bowel to my abdomen.

I had this done monday - and now at home recouperating - i was discharged thurs.
I will have my staples removed wed - not looking forward to that.

This whole ordeal has been horrendous to me.

I hope that yours all goes well

Kathan x

wow what an informative site this is about the mirena coil.....I had my coil fitted under general in 2003.the first 18mth were fine no periods etc but then i started to develop similar symptoms as many people on here have described.....i developed bad acne as in lumps under my skin that were very painful in fact cystic like, i got greasier hair my mood was erractic and this upset me as yes although i am prone to flareups i was feeling permanently down. I had pain in the area where i assumed my c section was playing up and was told by my doctor this was probably adehsions yeah right 5 years on i was still feeling pregant and lookin git girls oh yes i would and still do swell up to look 5 mths.i musy say its quite impressive... I am recently concerned though as i am more often than not finding i have lumps in my breats and i am also suffering at these times from what can only take me back to the days when i had my children and had mastitis........I am now faced with a dileama as i want this thing removed so i can gve my bodya chance to calm down and get back to normal so i can see what is a real symptom or a bi symptom of the coil but after ringing my doctors i was told they wont remove it i have to goto a family planning clinic who when i rang them told me i have to ring and discuss it????? My query girls/ladies is this.is this normal proceedure as after all should i not have the human right to decide what i have inside my body or not seeing i am of sound mind, well not while im the host to a minerva coil but do you reckon it woul dbe easier to tell them all my aymptoms or just say i want to try for a baby just to get it removed without any hassle?????? all answers ona postcard before wednesday evening would be appreciated so much you have no idea thanks julie xxxx

I have had mine in for 18 months and never had a problem or a af but recently 'i have been having lots of tumy aches and feeling sick then this morning i have had the worst bleed ever.
Should I call my fp clinic?

Personally anything out of the ordinary i would ask your family planning about and i wouldnt le anyone fob you off either.at the end of the day we are all made differently and you alone know your body better than anyone so if you think its not right then push to find out what and why

julie

the ob/gyn i saw today suggested it again, as these pills are giving me very painful cystic acne on my chest. but i told her there was NO way i'd have one.

and yes, we saw several IUDs that had 'migrated', jo, and have to be removed under GA in an operating theatre. no, thanks!

since coming back from the hospital I have started bleeding lots and am having bad stomach cramps and feeling sick but I dont know if its because they have been messing around in there or just that my periods have all of a sudden started again. should I go back to gp. Or just wait for my laporoscopy appointment and let my consultant know?

I had my Mirena out last month while nder general aneasthetic for laparoscopy. I had decided to have it taken out because it was not agreeing with me and I was also concerned that the coil was working its way "upwards". I was a bit obsessive about checking the threads, they started off quite long and were curlng round in a loop and I noticed that they were getting shorter. I checked them again the day before I was due to have it out and the threads must have been less than a centimeter long so I came to the conclusion that if the threads were getting shorter then something must have been pulling them upwards. I explained this to my gynae at the hospital and she assured me that it can only work its way upwards in the first month and I would have noticed problems with it immediately. Considering I'd had it for 5 months and was in pain with it all the time and I felt them shortening over time I can only come to the conclusion that it can work its way up at any time. I can't believe that the blooming doctors try to fob you off like this. I'm glad to be rid of mine and would never ever consider having another one. I'd rather suffer with good old painful periods, at least you know where you are with them!!

Louise
Doctors don't know the half of it coz they don't listen to WOMEN. They repeat what's in the leaflet which is after all a sales pitch. If doc's read mumsnet, they would know a lot more about side effects than the Mirena manufacturer does. And there's the little problem of cost. They don't want women having it fitted and whipped out again. But that's what I did and not a moment too soon! The agony! Some things just don't belong up there! I love my periods compared to the entity that is mirena!!

i agree, lindsey. the doctor i saw yesterday tried to pitch it to me again. i told her i couldn't cope w/the potential for constant irregular bleeding. she said, 'yeah, it can take 6 months to settle.' i said, 'would you like to have your period for 6 months? i mean, why bother w/contraception when you're having a period for half a year?'

sorry, but i think that's a MAJOR problem.

also, i don't want to have to take time off work to go have one taken out or wait around for an appointment if i don't like it.

DH can have his snip in another couple of years. he wants it anyhow.

For all of you that have had them removed how long has it taken for your periods to get back to normal or as they were before the mirena was put in.?

Jelly, I had mine out on 14th Feb and no sign of any period yet, rather puzzling since I dont seem to have had one since 7th January. I'm assuming that my hormones may still be a bit mixed up so I'm not worrying about it. They'll return when they are good and ready.

I agree with your comments Lindsey. I think the users of the Mirena should have some contribution into what goes into the information leaflets because people considering it would then get a pretty good idea of some of the nasty side effects rather than it being peddled as a wonderful cure to gynae problems. I'm not disputing that in some women it has worked for them but I can imagine those who have suffered negative effects outnumber those who haven't. Doctors dont like taking out the Mirena shortly after fitting because of the cost of it (£125) but if they are concerned with saving money they should not be so quick to give it to women who have a history of problems like myself. I suffer with endometriosis and ovarian cysts, after fitting I read the leaflet (which should have been given to me to read BEFORE fitting) and guess what, the Mirena can cause OVARIAN CYSTS!! Personally I cannot believe I was given it in the first place. The proof was in the pudding when I had a laparoscopy in Feb and they found that I had twice the number of cysts than normal!!

ye, I didn't even have a pelvic examination before it was fitted. On the day of the fitting, I was only asked why I wanted it. 5 mins later, bob's your uncle, It was in! 2 hours later, bob's your uncle, it was out again! Never again!

finally got appointment with GP yesterday. Lindsey you're right about doc's not listening to women. When i complained that i wasn't fully informed about side-effects he told me I should "take responsibility for my own health".

I calmly put aside the feelings of agression that have plagued me for the last 2 months and explained that, as a health researcher i usually do just that ....

He asked me if i was possibly confusing the PMS symptoms, with my recent depression ...

we worked, with difficulty towards him giving me a phone number of the local family planning clinic, (with me at one point having to ask him if we could continue the discussion with the DOOR SHUT ). i recommended that he should view this site as a worthwhile evidence base, if he really wanted to know the true effects of Mirena upon the lives of women. I finished off by asking him about a wart on my finger, which i think, was more his within his comfort zone.......... (dear doc, if you are reading this thread as i recommended, were you off school the day they did 'women's health'?

sorry for sarcasm and speech but feeling rather annoyed. I'm hoping the family plannning nurses will be a tad more understanding

I was a bit unfair there, my usual GP, (male) is wonderful and very understanding of women's health issues. apologies for generalising.

wow, found this site by accident and what a eye opener it has turned out to be,I have the mirena coil fitted and my weight has increased alot but my eating has really been cut down and as for mood swings well thats your time of life we are told .After having a period at xmas I went to my doctor as I was worried,I was told that the coil lasts for about 5yrs( but no one tells you that at the time of fitting).But over the past year or so when I have gone for my smears as i have been having them every 6 months the nurse hasnt been able to find the threads to check it.So not suprisingly I was sent to see the gyneo,she had a prod and feel about for it but also didnt find it,at this stage I was told it could be in my uterus/lower abdomen,I have just come back from a Xray and Internal Ultra Sound and they have confirmed the coil is in my womb,my next appointment is with the gyneo in 3 weeks,My advice would be to anyone who cant feel the threads is to get it checked out for your own piece of mind.

Crikey

I have only just come back and there are loadsa threads above mine!! (excuse the pun)

I also cannot believe how many of us have suffered with the mirena. I was never told about any side effects whatsoever. And subsequently have found out that most people (in FP land) don't even believe that they can get lost!

After much debate about what has happened to me - and the suffering and pain that I have gone through - for absolutely nothing, I am seriously considering suing.
Not for the money I hasten to add , I just feel that justice needs to be done. More information needs to be given out before insertion, and more tests carried out if it goes missing.

I realy feel a protocol is needed to hilight the problems that can go wrong no matter how rare they appear to be.

I would never ever consider a coil again. It has left me permanently scarred - both physically and emotionally. And I am currently off work for 6 weeks recouperating after this traumatic operation

Kathan x

ok you lot
ahve been thrillign my mate wiht the erits of the mirena for months and she books up only rto then read this
now she is all doubtful

grrrrrrrrrrr

:)

and re wiehgt gain
poeple always give that as an excuse for eating 20 do nuts for a snack

if a possible side effect was weight loss i dont think youd all be saying oyu had that!!:)

i LOVE Mine!

Having mine taken out in about 10 days and cant wait

try having PMS type cravings for two months - 20 donuts - drop in the ocean. i have put on over a stone - now 7 pnds heavier than i was at full term with both babies and i have never been overweight before. GP has now put me back on AD's. give me 20 more donuts please i need sympathy and comfort food. i luv my mirena too........... not

coz of eating 20 donuts for a snack? Odd assumption......

I had my Mirena put in 6months ago. I love it but I've been lucky, no side effects. I did put on weight but I'm going to weight watchers and its coming off (can't blame the mirena entirely for this) . Hard though, I do love a binge.
I took some of the codrydomel tablets (can't spell it) they gave me when I went home after my CS and hour before having it inserterd and it was uncomfortable. Like mild contractions. Just avert your eyes from the tray of instruments when you go in! My FP lady was good - answered my questions and gave it to me straight. No periods since Oct 04 so saving money and wearing my good pants everyday.