Mirena Coil and PMDD (extreme PMT)

[julietlundie]

Hi everyone,
I'm looking for a more permanent method of contraception while DH gets his head around the idea of having a vasectomy.
I've been researching the Mirena IUD and was hoping for some opinions. To me, the up-side is the possible lack or, at least, reduction of periods. However, I'm concerned that the hormones in the coil might affect my mood swings. A couple of years ago I was diagnosed with pre-Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder as during the second half of each month I turned into a monster (no exagerration). I now have it under control thanks to a low dose of 20mg of Prozac, but I'm worried that something like Mirena might throw it all into array again. I have heard mixed reports- some say the PMDD is reduced, others claim it ia exacerbated.
Is there anyone out there with any experience?
Thanks,
Juliet

have you had problems with any other form of contraception (that is the clincher in my opinion)?

in your shoes, I would steer clear or at least try out a combined pill with the type of progesterone that is in the Mirena (think it is Levongesterel - may have spelt that wrong first). At least with a pill, you may feel yourself going downhill and have the option of stopping. With Mirena, it may creep up on you and then you have to schedule an appointment to take it out etc.

Hi Ladys,
I had a mirena coil fitted a year ago as I did not want anymore childen, I have two a teenager who is driving me mad, and a lovley toddler (both boys). I was promised no periods or very light ones and that there would be no side effects, I agreed as no periods sounded great whilst I stayed on the waiting list for a sterlization op.
1st of all hubby said he could feel the coil and although my hubby is large, the doctor said this was not possiable, I felt pain everytime we had sex, bleed non stop, and felt faint for weeks, went back to hospital and they checked it and said it was fine and that it would settle down!.
Guess what the bleeding never stopped, in fact in the end I went off having sex with hubby becuase it was painful.
Then my operation date came though to be sterlization and I told the surgon that they would have to take coil out as well.
I woke up on a drip and stayed in hospital for two days and a sterlization op is day surgery WHY?, you guessed it the coil had become emmbeded within my womb the surgon had to spend half an hour to even find it, this caused major trama to my womb and becuase it was'nt in place I am lucky that I had not fallen pregnant.
Good News I am sterlizated now and have no pain and sex is back on the menu big time!, COILS DON'T GO THERE.............

I have had the copper coil for about six months now. The reason I got it was because I am so sensitive to the hormones in the pill which have caused severe depression for me in the past. I persevered with the several pills but the depression i kept experiencing with each one just made it too risky. I have suffered from depression now and then as a teenager but i am now in my 30's and wouldn't say I am a sufferer at all now as i can recognise the signs now if i get too stressed and I am able to step back. However with the pill, i could not control the depression and just can't take any type of contraception with a hormone.

The copper coil is good in the sense there are no hormones but it takes about three months to settle as up until three months, i was getting constant cramp. i have always suffered from severe cramps duing my periods and was told the copper coil may make this worse as would make my periods heavier.

I have to say, they are heavier and last up to a week with constant cramp but the cramp is not debilitating as it was before i got the coil.

However, the pmt is unbearable. i would say it us more than pmt actuallydo they call it pmdd? or somethingthe more sever form? i am on my computer tonight because i was supposed to have a night out but have to cancel as all of a sudden at lunch today, i felt upset, i then had urge to eat, eat and eat some more. I then cryed my eyes out--sobbing! i then conked out exhausted on the couch and slept for hours waking to a cheeky text from my friend who's night out i had missed! I have came onto my compputer to see what causes this but haven't found many answers. i know in my case, the coil is causing the pmt. i suffered from this before the coil but is is much more severe now and I now have an appointment to have it removed next month and I may even phone sooner and tell then they need to see me sooner.

I don't know what to do about contraception. I have always used condoms before the coil but had an accident twice in two weeks and my gp refused to give me the morning after pill and I was treated like a silly teenager and told to sort some proper contraception out. I could cry right now thinking about it. I am only 31 and do not have a family but do not want children just now. I have no option but to keep using condoms which is affecting my marriage and I run the risk of having an accident again where the condom splits. Another thing my GP told me she didn't believe it was possible to split a condom..

Does anyone have any answers on contraception other than the copper coil or condoms that dont involve hormones? i am at my wits end and just want this thing removed.

Help!

I had awful mood swings on mirena and bleed for the whole six months it was in. Plus my hubbie could feel it too.
I ve been trying to find a suitable contraception myself... the 'yaz' combination pill is supposed to help suffers of PMDD....

just reading threads , im due to have marina fitted, have v heavy periods ....suffer with PMT and anxiety ...

not sure if i should go ahead with it now

dont want to have a bad christmas if its going play up ie, bleeding bits and bobs pain mood swings , im stressed enough without adding ...

when went to FPC they were raving about it and would be perfect for me ..but now i have my doubt ...
maybe i should just live with it ...well at east till christa is done etc ....

i had heard you can get pills from doc to help reduce periods maybe that would work ... but i still have the contreception thing to sort out .....

Try the nuva ring instead to see how you handle progesterone before going for the mirena.
If you have side effects with the ring then at least you can take it out!

Better still, get your husband to have the damn vasectomy!

DON'T GET ONE FITTED!

I have been depressed, tired, emotional,foggy insatiable appetite weight, anxious and a whole host of other things recently, an then it dawned on me that these things had started 4 months ago when i had my coil fitted. I voiced my concerns to my doctor and she told me that the hormone is localized so its all in my mind. I accepted her answer and resigned myself to the fact that i was going MAD until i found this site and read so many similar stories!!

I had my coil removed two weeks ago and within DAYS i felt back to normal.

stephanie Morgan

I had my mirena fitted yesterday. DH has been a bit worried about it due to the people on here who have had side effects. When I went for initial appt they said the hormone is localised blah and they'd never heard of anyone getting depressed (I suffered perinatal anxiety and depression and I'm only just getting over it - that's why DH was worried). Anyway I decided to go ahead on the basis they said it would be fine, and the no perdiods thing sounds good, and if I go wonky I will know it's probably the coil and get it removed. I read the leaflet thoroughly and it didn't mention and of the side effects women on here have mentioned.

The doctor yesterday also reassured me depression etc not side effect.

Afterwards she gave me the booklet which listed side effects and under "common side effects" - which they define as affecting between 1% and 10% of women ie very common, were things including depression and anxiety, headaches, weight gain, spots, mood swings etc etc

So why on earth did both doctord and the initial leaflet not mention these things at all???

Is there some kind of conspiracy to get everyone onto Mirena? It is really weird. Normally the risks of things are explained in huge detail.

And in this second leaflet it said small amounts of the hormone get into your breast milk - which also wasn't mentioned to me at any point.

Having said all that I have never had problems with hormonal contraception in the past some am going to keep it - from looking on here it seems as many women love it as hate it. I just don't understand why they aren't upfront about possible side effects.

Also going to start an AIBU about this as it seems ludicrous!

Sorry OP that probably doesn't help you much, but still it's interesting to know I hope

I was starting to get horrendously heavy periods, together with intense feelings of depression just before my period started. I had the mirena fitted back in July, and its been tremendous! The depression has gone and no more heavy periods! Wonderful!!!!

I had a mirena coil for 5 years. In fact I had one of the early ones that would have lasted to 10 years. before that I had heavy period and terrible pmt and the mirena did reduce the pmt and also the length and severity of my periods. In fact I kept it until i started geting onemigraine a month for 4 months right on my period week. At this point I got it removed and the migraines stopped.

I'm now thinking of trying it again becasue my pmt is really bad again. I kwo with some women their period stop. Mine lasted about one day but took about 6 months to get to thhis point. That was a blessing. I think the actual cramps were bad for one day befreo but there was no huge 10 day build up that I get now with moods etc.

I don't kow what to do! Don't want any more kids. Only reason I thought I might have another go is for pmt. Any other ideas? Hate anti depressants cos they affect my memory badly.

I have never posted on a forum before but I feel I really must as a result of this evil contraceptive called the Mirena Coil.
Thankfully, I only had it in for 8 months & to think that in that time, it turned me from a happy person into a monster, who was starting to think there was nothing in life to live for (bearing in mind, I am a mother of 3 wonderful children!).
As well as depression, which I had never suffered from, i gained over 1 1/2 stone in weight - which no matter what I did could not be shifted due to a monstrous appetite for sweet & sugary food.
I had a constant bloated tummy, which led a parent at my kids school to ask when I was expecting child no. 4!
Complete and utter loss of libido, to the extent that I thought I no longer loved my husband & might therefore have to consider divorce!
The last straw was when I started to suffer from debilitating back pain - such that I couldn't get out of bed without being in agony or get into the car, without my son lifting my legs in.
I only connected all these ailments to the coil after only accidently coming across posts, through researching what was causing the back pain.
In my opinion, there appears to be what could be termed a conspiracy by GPs refusing to believe that in some women the coil produces some distressing & debilitating side effects. I was practically bullied by my GP into having the coil inserted in the 1st place & then he refused to remove it when I asked him to - I had to bypass him by getting the nurse to remove it!
Have only had it removed for 4 weeks now, but already bloatedness has gone, feeling happier, although sex drive still low, not eating as much & my back within days of having the evil thing removed, started to get better!
Ladies, for some the MC works fine, for others like myself, it can become a living nightmare - all I ask is if you are thinking of having it inserted, that you at least be aware of its potential side-effects & are not caught unaware. I didn't read the info leaflet given to me after insertion - in fact I threw it away as I did not expect something recommended by my GP as safe to cause me so much pain & heartache.

Please, we are intelligent women, who know our bodies better than anyone, doctor or no doctor, so lets listen to it, when its not happy!

Me too. Since having it removed in Sept I've had tummy problems, mood swings, pains in arms n legs, acne, panic attacks, problems sleeping. Trying for baby but seriously considering having coil put back! Is it hormonal?

Please don't OP. I have pmdd and it made it worse... Much worse.