Mirena and weight gain/trouble losing weight?

[thinkofthesoldiers]

I've been working my tail off (well trying anyway) to drop some weight. I've head Mirena for some time, but this is the fist time I've tried really hard to lose the weight while it is in. It isn't coming off. I'm working with a dietician, but is a bit baffled too as to why my weight isn't coming off with everything I'm doing. I'm making an appointment with an endocrinologist and my GP, but I'm curious if anyone else had had issues with losing weight with their Mirena.

[thedutchgirl]

I haven't at all (I'm on my second), but I recall reading in other threads that some people have attributed a problem losing weight to Mirena.

[thinkofthesoldiers]

Well that's just fucking great. I'm doing some reading online and it seems common. Great. I have loved not having a period for the time I've had it, but this weight thing is pissing me off.

[girlfriday11]

I gained a lot of weight after I got the Mirena. I'm getting that bastard taken out.

[thinkofthesoldiers]

@girlfrieday11, what are you going to use for BC once it is gone? We are done with babies. I don't really want my horrible periods back. H would get the snip, but that doesn't stop my period issues.

[girlfriday11]

I'll probably go back on the pill. Not having a period is nice, but being thinner is nicer. We are undecided on a 2nd child, so no snip-snip yet.

[looseseal]

Not since having my kids, but I have previously been successful at losing weight while using Mirena. I need to give it a try again soon, though. I'm not sure of a good alt bc method, but I've been out of the family planning field for years. Stay away from depo, though. Lots of weight issues, plus it fucks with calcium absorption.

[thedutchgirl]

FWIW, I lost 10+ pounds on Mirena with no trouble, and I'm thin already. I think an endo is a great idea, as it may have nothing to do with Mirena.

[craftyesq]

Totally anecdotal ... My gyn told me that Mirena was less likely to cause wiehgt gain than the pill or depo.

I'm on my second and haven't expericed any weight gain.

[teeah22]

I did find that losing weight was difficult, but possible. Then again, I'm 33 so I sort of expect it to be more difficult. That being said, I had mine removed three weeks ago and I lost five pounds the first week without even trying, and so far it's stayed off. I'm still a little baffled by it.

[wrathofkuus]

Of course that will be a side effect; it's tricking your body into thinking that it's already in the first trimester of pregnancy. That's how hormonal bc works, the Mirena included.

[Mrs. ChanandlerBong]

Oct 20, 2013 12:05:14 GMT -5 girlfriday11 said:

I gained a lot of weight after I got the Mirena. I'm getting that bastard taken out.

Same here. I've pretty much experienced a majority of the "2-10% if women will have" side effects.

I gained 25lbs within the first few months and no matter what I do or don't do my weight hasn't budged. I'm getting mine out at my annual in Jan( just over 2 years of having it but I can't take the side effects anymore)

[tacoflavoredkisses]

I gained nearly 40 pounds over 3 years on mirena. No matter what I did, I could not lose more than 5 pounds. I was exercising 5 days a week and dieting and nothing helped.

When I got the mirena out, I dropped 10 pounds in a month. It's been 2 years since I had it out and I pretty much stopped dieting and don't exercise as much and I'm back to my original weight.

[Mrs. ChanandlerBong]

Oct 20, 2013 14:27:56 GMT -5 wrathofkuus said:

Of course that will be a side effect; it's tricking your body into thinking that it's already in the first trimester of pregnancy. That's how hormonal bc works, the Mirena included.

From Web Md:

Hormonal IUD. This IUD prevents fertilization by damaging or killing sperm and making the mucus in the cervix thick and sticky, so sperm can't get through to the uterus. It also keeps the lining of the uterus (endometrium) from growing very thick.1 This makes the lining a poor place for a fertilized egg to implant and grow. The hormones in this IUD also reduce menstrual bleeding and cramping.

[wrathofkuus]

Yes, which are caused by fooling your body into thinking it's already pregnant.

[wrathofkuus]

The sperm is killed by having inadequate water in the cervical fluid to support it, the decreased water content makes it more viscous, and the uterine lining doesn't go through the process of thickening in preparation to ovulate, because, once again, the supplemented hormones fool your body into thinking that you're already pregnant. It's the entire damn hypothesis that drove the creation of hormonal birth control, and it hasn't changed.

[Deleted]

I've had Mirena almost three years with no weight side effects.

[thinkofthesoldiers]

Oct 20, 2013 15:23:17 GMT -5 wrathofkuus said:

The sperm is killed by having inadequate water in the cervical fluid to support it, the decreased water content makes it more viscous, and the uterine lining doesn't go through the process of thickening in preparation to ovulate, because, once again, the supplemented hormones fool your body into thinking that you're already pregnant. It's the entire damn hypothesis that drove the creation of hormonal birth control, and it hasn't changed.

Why did BCP not do this when the mirena might be causing the lack of weight loss/weight gain?

[Deleted]

Oct 20, 2013 15:23:17 GMT -5 wrathofkuus said:

The sperm is killed by having inadequate water in the cervical fluid to support it, the decreased water content makes it more viscous, and the uterine lining doesn't go through the process of thickening in preparation to ovulate, because, once again, the supplemented hormones fool your body into thinking that you're already pregnant. It's the entire damn hypothesis that drove the creation of hormonal birth control, and it hasn't changed.

LOL, what does that even mean? Even if this were accurate, the hormonal changes of a first trimester pregnancy do not necessarily lead to weight gain. 

Just as any other hormonal birth control method, some women do report increased weight gain with Mirena. For a variety of reasons-  physiological, psychological, and environmental. 

[wrathofkuus]

BCP does work the same way, at least fundamentally. The slightly different versions of the hormones will bind slightly differently to receptors based on the person; you would not believe how much individual residue variation there is in people's proteins even though they function the same way.

It is also entirely possible that the estrogen in bcp causes weight loss in you personally, but the progesterone causes weight gain, so it's a wash. Since you're only getting progesterone with the Mirena, it isn't a wash.

[thinkofthesoldiers]

My hormones are already out of whack from PCOS, so that's great.

[wrathofkuus]

The hormonal changes in the first trimester of pregnancy make it very difficult to purposefully lose weight (which was the original question), and yes, they make you hungrier leading to weight gain.

[allhis]

I had a Mirena placed right after my first and lost the baby weight and then some (getting to sickly thin) before I got pregnant again. Did not get the Mirena after my 2nd bc husband was snipped. Had a hell of a time losing the weight. Might have been bc I was 2 yrs older and it was my 2nd, but if anything the Mirena helped me lose weight. I'm sure the same hormones affect people differently and it's worth a change to see if it helps wo it.

[thinkofthesoldiers]

Oct 20, 2013 15:33:47 GMT -5 wrathofkuus said:

The hormonal changes in the first trimester of pregnancy make it very difficult to purposefully lose weight (which was the original question), and yes, they make you hungrier leading to weight gain.

FTR, I haven't been hungrier than I normally would be. I've given up most carbs (not carb free, but not eating bread/pasta/potatoes/etc), all alcohol, and have increased my protein and limited my calories to no more than 1200 a day.

[Deleted]

Oct 20, 2013 15:36:49 GMT -5 thinkofthesoldiers said:

Oct 20, 2013 15:33:47 GMT -5 wrathofkuus said:

The hormonal changes in the first trimester of pregnancy make it very difficult to purposefully lose weight (which was the original question), and yes, they make you hungrier leading to weight gain.

FTR, I haven't been hungrier than I normally would be. I've given up most carbs (not carb free, but not eating bread/pasta/potatoes/etc), all alcohol, and have increased my protein and limited my calories to no more than 1200 a day.

1200 net or 1200 gross? Are you working out?

If you're working out and only eating 1200 gross then weight is going to be harder to lose. It's counterintuitive, I know. Actually netting 1200 for a long time isn't a good idea either but not as bad.

I'm losing weight right now on Mirena and I eat well over 2000 calories a day. Exercise gets me to about 1500 net. If I went under that I'd be miserable and not lose a pound. I've been there.

[thinkofthesoldiers]

1200 gross, but that is what the dietician wants me to eat. I'm doing this under a doctor's care (not a weight loss clinic, ftr), so I want to follow their advice. They look carefully at what I'm eating and go over my food diary when we meet.

[joenali]

What do your workouts look like?

[thinkofthesoldiers]

Right now, I'm walking/jogging 4-5 miles a day, which is an increase from just walking 1-2 miles 3 times a week before. Look, I've lost weight before. I know what I'm doing works. I trust my doc, but for what I'm doing I'm not seeing any returns (five pounds in the last six weeks, which is not normal for what I've experienced in the past).

[joenali]

Oct 20, 2013 15:52:22 GMT -5 thinkofthesoldiers said:

Right now, I'm walking/jogging 4-5 miles a day, which is an increase from just walking 1-2 miles 3 times a week before. Look, I've lost weight before. I know what I'm doing works. I trust my doc, but for what I'm doing I'm not seeing any returns (five pounds in the last six weeks, which is not normal for what I've experienced in the past).

Then keep doing what you are doing if you think it works.

[eb777888]

Oct 20, 2013 15:52:22 GMT -5 thinkofthesoldiers said:

Right now, I'm walking/jogging 4-5 miles a day, which is an increase from just walking 1-2 miles 3 times a week before. Look, I've lost weight before. I know what I'm doing works. I trust my doc, but for what I'm doing I'm not seeing any returns (five pounds in the last six weeks, which is not normal for what I've experienced in the past).

I think it's good that you're going to an endocrinologist. Maybe it's your thyroid, maybe not but it'll be good to rule that out.