Mirena and menopause

[RedSheep73]

Question - and apologies if this has been done to death before. I have had a mirena coil for 11 years and not really had periods all that time. Which is great, but I am beginning to wonder, now I'm nearer 50 than 40, how will I actually know when I start the menopause? what should I be looking out for?

Following! I'm in exactly the same boat!

Me too! Sorry no help though.

Same here. I do keep waking up very hot at night, but that could just be too many bedclothes! One thing that makes me suspect menopause is that I always used to get sore boobs in a monthly cycle even on the mirena, just like I did when I was premenstrual before the mirena. That hasn't happened for a long time.

I found out when the other menopause symptoms kicked off. I went to the GP about reduced cognitive ability causing me problems at work and found out that my mirena would have long expired and wasn't the reason I wasn't having periods. I had it removed and had the minipill ready to go, but I wanted to wait to have one period before starting it, really just to see if I would have one. I didn't, and it's been 15 months now.

The hot flushes came in a few months after the appointment and would have definitely told the story, even if the GP hadn't confirmed that I was in peri before then.

I’m the same - on my third Mirena and haven’t had periods all of that time. Am 44 now and wondering how I’ll know

Like SoundofSilence, I got the other symptoms - mainly hot flushes.

My GP told me something different though. She said it reduces in efficacy but never really stops working and advised me to keep it in. I'm 52 and have had this one for five years now (I think, can't really remember). I won'r ever get another one fitted but I's quite like to have this one taken out now.

Same here, age 48, 4th coil and this has been in 2 years. No symptoms as yet....

I’m 49 and have had Mirena coils for over 20 years,I’ve no symptoms yet but due to blood test know I’m peri...my sister also has a mirena and was having flushes a couple of years ago, and her bloods showed her to be well into the menopause. Fortunately we have an amazing GP who was happy to put her straight onto HRT patches and she’s symptomless now....GP says she has a patch prescription with my name on it when I need them 😂

My GP says I won't 'really' know until it's all over and done with. I let my Mirena go out of date last year (completely accidentally) and had loads of symptoms, particularly anxiety, which led me to believe I was at least peri-menopausal. Got my mirena replaced and felt as good as new, go says that the hormone is probably just enough to keep me stabilised through the whole thing and I might just sail through it.

I've had the odd hot flush over the past couple of weeks and am really, really struggling to lose weight, but everything else has been fine. Fingers crossed.

Thanks everybody

I am 51 this year and had a very bad 10/12 weeks over the summer. Anxiety through the roof, itching beyond belief, restless legs, aching, obsessive behaviour and awake every hour or so. I had a couple of occasions where I would wake in a total panic and just need to get out of bed. I would be sitting in the garden at 3am or sleeping on the couch for a few hours. I had no interest in anything and frankly just couldn't be bothered. I would avoid anything and everybody and even thinking things like "I cant go to Tesco until after 6 because Carol from No 22 will be at work there". I'm convinced it was hormones and am so worried about it happening again but don't know what to do about it. On a side note my 2nd Mirena a couple of years ago didn't stop my periods at all and they were every 3 weeks, lasting a week and very painful. But the 1st and 3rd one did. All very strange!