Tell me about mirena.

[sake]

I have decided that after I give birth I don't want to go back on BC pills. They failed me this time, and I really don't want to risk that happening again. H plans on getting a vasectomy sometime in the next couple of years, but we aren't sure when exactly at this point.

So, here are my questions:
- How badly does it hurt to have put in?
- What happens after it's in? I've heard that often there is a period of cramping and bleeding, but how long does that last usually?
- How long do I have to wait PP to get on Mirena?
-If I'm BFing, do I have to wait until I'm done with that?

- Tell me about your experience with Mirena, do you like it? hate it? neutral?

** Also, I DO NOT want to gain a ton of weight... so if it made you gain weight that you think was totally contributed to getting on this form of BC, please let me know**
THANKS!

[loveday]

- How badly does it hurt to have put in? If you take a couple of Advil before, you're good. It's just uncomfortable.
- What happens after it's in? I've heard that often there is a period of cramping and bleeding, but how long does that last usually? I had a fairly heavy cycle after it was placed, but no ongoing cramps.
- How long do I have to wait PP to get on Mirena? 6-8 weeks I believe
-If I'm BFing, do I have to wait until I'm done with that? Yes

For me, personally I hated it. I did not have a good experience at all. I gained a LOT of weight on it. Several others I know have also gained on it. But every MD denies that that is a side effect. I disagree. For most people it works great though, so don't be swayed by my story lol

Read more: pandce.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=ml&action=display&thread=62908#ixzz27PSTEbr8

[Deleted]

- How badly does it hurt to have put in? It doesn't. No worse than a pap. Esp. since your cervix will be recently dilated by the baby.

- What happens after it's in? I've heard that often there is a period of cramping and bleeding, but how long does that last usually? A couple of days. Some spotting can last weeks.

- How long do I have to wait PP to get on Mirena? IDK. I had mine put in a while after b/c I went on the mini pill first (blerg).

-If I'm BFing, do I have to wait until I'm done with that? Not that I'm aware of.

[lizrd7579]

- How badly does it hurt to have put in? Mine didn't hurt at all. I didn't do anything before hand (like take ibuprofen or anything)

- What happens after it's in? I've heard that often there is a period of cramping and bleeding, but how long does that last usually? Nothing happened with me like that. I still had regular periods for about 2 or 3 months.

- How long do I have to wait PP to get on Mirena? it is up to your dr. Some will do it at the 6 week appt. Mine did it 5 months later (when I had my annual)

-If I'm BFing, do I have to wait until I'm done with that? I don't believe so

- Also, tell me about your experience with Mirena, do you like it? hate it? neutral? I LOVED mine. After the first few months, my period wasn't more than spotting for a month or two and then went away completely. I had it for about 3 years. However, I will warn you that I had the absolute WORST periods of my life after I got it taken out, but then got pregnant pretty quickly, so I didn't live with that for long.

[Deleted]

I had Mirena put in at my 6 week postpartum check up. I didn't feel a damned thing.

Pudding is almost 8 months old and nursing like a champ so no issues there.

I had some mild cramping the first few weeks and spotting. I also had a raging case of the LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE, ASSHOLES, WHY MUCH YOU BREATHE IN MY PRESENCE, DAMMIT! for a couple weeks to.

But once that passed, I've been good as gold. No issues to complain about. I had some spotting a few weeks ago but that only lasted a few days and that's been the only time since.

All good in the hood.

[sawyerthedestroyer]

- How badly does it hurt to have put in? A little pinch, not much worse than a run-of-the-mill PAP.

- What happens after it's in? I've heard that often there is a period of cramping and bleeding, but how long does that last usually? Little bit of cramping on the first day and bleeding lasted about a week. I still had a couple of percocets left from my c-section and they helped with the cramping.

- How long do I have to wait PP to get on Mirena? DS was just under two months old. I'm sure this depends on your doctor.

-If I'm BFing, do I have to wait until I'm done with that? No.

- Tell me about your experience with Mirena, do you like it? hate it? neutral? I like it because I don't have to remember to take a pill every day and my periods are very light. I might need a pantyliner for a day or two, that's it.

I would not say that it made me gain weight, but I've found losing weight to be more of a challenge than it was when I was on the pill.

[jaylea]

It was not a good fit for me, unfortunately.

Insertion was no problem. I did it when DD was an infant.

But then I bled for 3 months. Not spotting. Bleeding. Then it ejected itself into my cervix.

After two docs took an hour to remove it, they asked if I wanted it re-inserted. Um, no thanks.

However, I wish it would have worked for me, because in concept it's the best option for my life. Just not in reality. ha.

[anlo]

I must have a low tolerance for pain, because mine hurt like a sonofabitch. But, to be fair, my kids were both c-sections because my cervix never dilated past 4 cm. So I have a cervix of steel, evidently. Other than that, I LOVE it. LOVE.

I had spotting and cramping that day, then it was over. I have gained weight, about 5 pounds since having it placed 2 months or so ago. I've also been eating like a pig, so who knows.

[Deleted]

I've never had kids so my insertion is nothing at all like yours would be. It hurt like I was dying for about an hour and then that went away. I spotted for maybe 2 weeks?

I haven't had a period since last October! Love it! The only issue I had is that the string was left long enough that DH could feel it. So, I had to go back to get it trimmed. He can still feel it sometimes so it has softened, he just says it's "annoying" in certain spots and doesn't hurt anymore.

ETA: No weight gain here and no trouble maintaining weight. The pill didn't cause that in me either though.

[rodeored]

- How badly does it hurt to have put in? Mine hurt like a sonofabitch and they actually couldn't get it in the first time so I had to come back in about a month later. I have a pretty high pain tolerance and I about passed out. I have never had a child though so perhaps that was part of the problem.

- What happens after it's in? I've heard that often there is a period of cramping and bleeding, but how long does that last usually? I had pretty bad cramping and bleeding for a few days and then for the next fiveish months that I had it i had stabbing pain, nausea, and cramping every.single.day.

- Tell me about your experience with Mirena, do you like it? hate it? neutral? I know some people love it but it was seriously the worst experience of my life. I ended up in constant pain, got several ovarian cysts and was sick all the time. I actually lost weight because I was so sick. There was no reason for it to be a problem though, I had numerous ultrasounds and it was perfectly placed, my body just hated it.

Another sucky thing is that when they tried to remove it they couldn't because they couldn't find the strings so they ended up having to manually remove it with a heteroscope (I think that is what it was?). Thank god they gave me really good drugs for that part.

What really annoyed me was that the doctors were very reluctant to remove it, they kept telling me that i should just stick it out a little bit longer and that it was too expensive just to give up on it (even though it was my money paying for the damn thing).

I hope I didn't scare you but go in with your eyes wide open as to the side effects. If you google mirena you will get pages and pages of scary stories and I read somewhere that they were trying to get a lawsuit going because so many people have really bad reactions to it.

[sake]

Sept 24, 2012 13:23:48 GMT -5 rodeored said:

I had pretty bad cramping and bleeding for a few days and then for the next fiveish months that I had it i had stabbing pain, nausea, and cramping every.single.day.

- I know some people love it but it was seriously the worst experience of my life. I ended up in constant pain, got several ovarian cysts and was sick all the time. I actually lost weight because I was so sick. There was no reason for it to be a problem though, I had numerous ultrasounds and it was perfectly placed, my body just hated it.

Another sucky thing is that when they tried to remove it they couldn't because they couldn't find the strings so they ended up having to manually remove it with a heteroscope (I think that is what it was?). Thank god they gave me really good drugs for that part.

I hope I didn't scare you but go in with your eyes wide open as to the side effects. If you google mirena you will get pages and pages of scary stories and I read somewhere that they were trying to get a lawsuit going because so many people have really bad reactions to it.

Aww man, this is what I was hoping NOT to hear. I have one friend IRL that had a bad experience with it, but I was hoping cases like hers were few and far between. I really feel like I'm at a loss for what to do for BC after the baby comes, b/c obviously the pill isn't going to work 100% of the time for me, and I really don't want to risk getting pregnant again any time soon, if at all....

[eddy]

I had it inserted 6 weeks pp for both boys. Just a quick dull cramp and you are done. And really after going through childbirth so recently mirena insertion was like walk in the park.

I love it. I had it for 4 years with Jack. It is hard to know if I gained weight with it since I got it after having a baby. I was able to get down to my pp weight.

I haven't had a period since March 2007. That alone makes it worth it. I got pregnant, had it inserted, didn't have one for 4 years, had it taken out and pregnant with Leo right away. I don't experience pms at all. My hormones are nice and even.

[eddy]

Also I got it both times while I was BFing. I have never heard of a rule that you can't do that.

[rodeored]

Sept 24, 2012 13:32:39 GMT -5 sake said:

Sept 24, 2012 13:23:48 GMT -5 rodeored said:

I had pretty bad cramping and bleeding for a few days and then for the next fiveish months that I had it i had stabbing pain, nausea, and cramping every.single.day.

- I know some people love it but it was seriously the worst experience of my life. I ended up in constant pain, got several ovarian cysts and was sick all the time. I actually lost weight because I was so sick. There was no reason for it to be a problem though, I had numerous ultrasounds and it was perfectly placed, my body just hated it.

Another sucky thing is that when they tried to remove it they couldn't because they couldn't find the strings so they ended up having to manually remove it with a heteroscope (I think that is what it was?). Thank god they gave me really good drugs for that part.

I hope I didn't scare you but go in with your eyes wide open as to the side effects. If you google mirena you will get pages and pages of scary stories and I read somewhere that they were trying to get a lawsuit going because so many people have really bad reactions to it.

Aww man, this is what I was hoping NOT to hear. I have one friend IRL that had a bad experience with it, but I was hoping cases like hers were few and far between. I really feel like I'm at a loss for what to do for BC after the baby comes, b/c obviously the pill isn't going to work 100% of the time for me, and I really don't want to risk getting pregnant again any time soon, if at all....

Yeah, I really really wanted it to work because it was pretty much my last option for hormonal non-permanent birth control so I was pretty bummed that it was so horrible for me.

Can you just use a combo of methods like BC pills and condoms?

[UnderProtest]

So I usually lurk over here, but I thought I'd chime in. I got the Mirena because the women on MM raved about it.
- Insertion HURT. I took Advil before I went and it was still bad. Major cramping and I got clammy.
- That day I had pretty bad cramping and bleeding. The bleeding didn't stop for 4+ months. I had to use an estrogen patch to get it under control.
- I had it put in 8 weeks postpartum (with twins and it still hurt like crap).
- Don't know about breast feeding.
- I HATE it. I'm having it removed this week after ten months. It made my period last 9-11 days every month, dryness (down there), may be the cause of some depression/anxiety and some digestive issues. Oh, and killed my sex drive. No point in birth control if you never have sex.

I know others have had great experiences, but not me. Good luck. I don't know what I'm going to do about bc.

[CaliSpiderman]

Add me to the list of people who think it's fucking amazing.

I had mine for the full 5 years. I haven't had kids, so they had to stretch my cervix before they could insert it. That part hurt like a sonofabitch, but that lasted like two seconds. After insertion, I felt like I had just normal period cramps for a day or two. I did go to my ballet class right after insertion and would have been fine to participate. I had taken two advil prior to the procedure, but I don't know if it really did much.

I spotted for a couple days at most. Then my period disappeared entirely and didn't come back until I had it removed 5 years later (minus maybe a total of 5-10 days of spotting over the entire 5 years). It was glorious. I experienced no PMS symptoms whatsoever. The only change I noticed was a dulling of my sex drive, but that didn't bother me because I still responded to foreplay and all that jazz just the same.
I did not gain weight on it, but I didn't lose weight on it either. I manage to gain 10 pounds every time I switch birth control pills, so the fact I didn't gain any weight when I got the Mirena was good enough for me.

I had it taken out 2 years ago and haven't experienced any side effects from it. My period resumed just like normal.

Obviously, like with any birth control, you never know how your body will react to it. As long as you aren't spending an arm and a leg to get it put in, I say it's worth trying it out and see how it works for you.

[lissaholly]

No big pain just spotting for the first couple weeks and some cramps. I still get random spotting sometimes (1 year in) but only like one period. It was in at my 6 week check up and I am still nursing (13 months old)

The thing that was bad, was my h's super sensitive penis. It literally stopped our sex life for a bit. It was trimmed and it was still a problem. He said it was like a razor blade:(. One day befits I was to go in and have it removed h toughened up or it softened, not sure. Anyways smooth sailing now;)

[poppyseed]

I want mirena so bad but my OB called me today and said they had talked to my insurance company and it's going to be way too expensive I have shit insurance apparently. I got pregnant on the pill so didn't really want to get back on it but may not have a choice.

[poppyseed]

I was quoted $1100. I've met my deductible and it would be $229 but they told me my benefit year started over 9/1 so I would have to pay full price for it. I'm calling them tomorrow.

[citycougar]

I LOVED MIRENA! Seriously, best birth control ever. Will get another one 6 weeks PP after this pregnancy. Didn't hurt going in or coming out, never had a problem finding the strings, didn't have any yucky side effects, didn't impact my milk supply over 18 months of nursing, and other than a day of spotting every few months, eliminated my period. Oh, and my fertility returned immediately. Periods returned (with a vengeance), and I got knocked up on cycle 4 post removal.

Even if we eventually get my husband snipped, I may keep Mirena in place because of the no period thing. LOVE.

[citycougar]

Also, for those dealing with insurance issues, I had some bizarre issues myself (my midwives didn't keep them in stock, had to order them from what was officially a pharmacy, but they were covered under my health insurance not my prescription insurance, so I was in this weird catch-22). I ended up going through Planned Parenthood and they were awesome, ran through my insurance no problem, and the price was great. The added benefit is the nurse practitioners at Planned Parenthood insert them everyday, so they get lots of practice at making it painless.

[Deleted]

Sept 24, 2012 19:05:33 GMT -5 poppyseed said:

I was quoted $1100. I've met my deductible and it would be $229 but they told me my benefit year started over 9/1 so I would have to pay full price for it. I'm calling them tomorrow.

Try planned parenthood or the health department. Either might be able to do it for less.

[Deleted]

Sept 24, 2012 13:32:39 GMT -5 sake said:

Aww man, this is what I was hoping NOT to hear. I have one friend IRL that had a bad experience with it, but I was hoping cases like hers were few and far between. I really feel like I'm at a loss for what to do for BC after the baby comes, b/c obviously the pill isn't going to work 100% of the time for me, and I really don't want to risk getting pregnant again any time soon, if at all....

Oooookay but these two are two stories among many.

[Linie]

Sept 24, 2012 13:40:19 GMT -5 namasteak said:

I had it in for 4 years and have had no kids.

-insertion hurt like a bitch. Apparently it hurts more for women who have not had kids
-Very crampy and kinda sick feeling for a day after
-no period (just light spotting, not even enough for a tampon) for 4 years
-increased anxiety and I gained 15lbs

I have no kids either and have a Mirena for 4 years now. Absolutely love it !
It did not hurt to insert, but I was given a pill to soften the cervix.
After 2 months, no periods, no spotting
No more PMS, nothing
No cramps
No weight gain, I have lost 24 pounds last year (not due to Mirena) and have no problem with re-gaining
DH does not feel a thing

The only side effect was greasy hair and skin for 4 months, and I feel like I have been losing a little more hair than usual, but nothing dramatic