Positive Mirena Coil experiences - please?!

[Soutty]

Hi

I have endometriosis and I'm recovering from a laparoscopy that I had last week to remove an ovarian cyst and endometriosis from behind my cervix. I had a Mirena coil fitted while I was under GA.

The reason my consultant recommended the Mirena is to protect me from the endometriosis growing back. At 46 I'm too old to take the pill, so this is really my only option aside from taking medication which would put me straight into menopause which I definitely don't want.

It's a week today since my operation and although I'm feeling a lot better I'm still in pain, particularly on my left side where most of the work was done.

The downside of being at home all day is that I've had endless opportunities to read horror stories about Mirena and every morning I wake up expecting to have acne/lost half my hair/feel suicidal etc. As I'm still not actually able to stand up straight or do more than hobble I think it is a little early to judge the loss of libido side of things.

At the moment my skin, hair and mood (well aside from the fact that I'm fed up with being in pain) are much the same as usual. Also, aside from a little light bleeding for the first few days after the op (which I was told to expect) I haven't experienced any bleeding. I'm hoping that these are signs that the Mirena might work for me.

I'm hoping that the reason there are so few positive stories about the Mirena is because people rarely take to the internet if they are satisfied with something.

Any good stories out there?

It's such a relief to read all these positive stories - if the majority of experiences were like the ones which come up when you google I'd be amazed if it hadn't been taken off the market.

I'm having one fitted soon so this is a relief to read. I'm 45 and on the mini pill which has resulted in a massive two week heavy period every two months. Really hopefu this will clear things up for me too.

I'm 7 weeks in. Intermittent very light bleeding which is mostly gone. I suffered with acne for years which is now gone (after roaccutane) and that had not flared up at all since having Mireya in. So far so good for me!

All positive here too. Second one (and my last) and no side effects and no periods. No downsides, only positives.

Very positive here. On my second one, no periods for 7 years. No side effects.

5 years, no pain (slight scratchy twinges in first few weeks), no periods, barely spotting, no weight gain, no headaches, no spots. Only downside was loss of libido. Some might see that as a positive though!!!

I loved mine! Had it out earlier this year to TTC after having it for 5 years. I knew nothing about them before I got it as I was only 21 and all doctors would recommend was the pill which gave me horrific side effects. With mirena I had no periods for 5 years and none of the side effects you read about. I'm a total advocate as it is life changing and will definitely have another when I am done with babies. Can't recommend highly enough!

I had the Mirena fitted in these exact circumstances a few years ago and am pleased to report that I now have no side effects and my endometriosis is under control! I did have a bit of irregular bleeding to start with, but I would really recommend persevering with it. It took maybe just shy of a year for everything to settle and to get my endometriosis symptoms sorted but my god was it worth it. I'd written off the irregular bleeding as a side effect but it turned out to be linked to the endometriosis, so do talk everything through with your consultant. Good luck!

I have been using this coil for 16 years. Have never had a days trouble! Have gained 3 stone in that time and I have got darker hair. Nothing to say that wouldn't have happened with any other contraception method using hormones. I would highly recommend it. No pill to remember. No periods for the most part. Big money savings. What's not to like!

Had the insertion 7 months ago due to extremely heavy bleeding..took 3-4 months to settle and then v light periods thereafter. Only thing I have noticed is stronger ovulation pain and more pronounced PMT (tummy heaviness and sore boobs), but can live with that.

I am so glad of the posts I read which are positive. Unfortunately, my experience has been the complete opposite. I started being pre-menopausal at 38 and my hormones were so erratic and after a lot of research and doctor's advice, I opted to have the copper coil. This worked so well for about 2 years but in the 3rd year my period became really erratic and I was constantly bleeding. My GP recommended the Mirena coil which I gladly went for, if only to alleviate the issues I was having plus I had developed polyps in my womb for which I had to have a biopsy but they managed to remove the polyps under GA. During this time, they also replaced the coild with a Mirena coil as they felt that polyps could have been attributed to the copper coil. The first year I had regular spotting but this didn't bother me as I knew that, with time I would be period free, yay! However, I gained a lot of weight in a very short space of time, I went from 58 Kgs to 65 Kgs. I used to run, cycle and was always naturally active but within a year I found myself really tired, lethargic and would use any excuse to not exercise. My marriage which was hanging finally died and I found myself a single parent. Gradually, exercise went out the window and in came alcohol, depression, I stopped socialising with my friends, and I put it down to being single and having to work hard to support myself and my children. It was lifestyle thing, right? Well, I constantly felt and looked bloated; in fact, I at one time looked at myself in the mirror and I looked heavily pregnant. I hated my body, my bra size went from 32dd to 40G and still my boobs were too big for the bras. I felt so bloated I may as well have been having pizza 3 times a day every day. I make my own granola, eat brown rice and pasta, only eat bread on Saturday, eat fruits like apple, watermelon, blueberries and pineapple. Meats are usually chicken breast, turkey and lean mince. I could not understand why my weight had gone from 58 Kgs to 80 Kgs 5 years later. Fast forward, I got a letter from the GP out of the blue advising that it was time to replace my IUD and could I book an appointment to either have the coil taken out or replaced. Well, I have been single for 5 years, no boyfriend and zero libido. Therefore, I didn't need any contraception and I felt depressed anyway so I felt I didn't need this foreign object in my body and opted to have it taken out. I booked appointment, turned up; It took a bit of probing as the foreign object had embedded itself, much like a tree taking root. When they did take it out, I actually felt my body heave a sigh of relief. Within 2 days I was bleeding like hell but never have I felt better. I started googling Mirena Coil side effect and my eyes were opened. All these years I have literally been on PMT!!! Never again will I have this. I am one of a minority I accept, probably 1 out of the 100 they say is affected. It has been pleasant not having a period but I would much rather have a period than live the hell I have lived the last 5 years where I felt completely out of control, depressed, suicidal, lonely even when surrounded by friends I love, anxious and lacking in confidence and not understanding why I was getting bigger and bigger. It’s a relief for me to write this. If I can share this with anyone I would be honoured. Apologies for such a long post. I can’t remember the last time I felt so elated.