Merina IUD and weight gain

It seems like one side effect of the Merina IUD may be weight gain.  I have had one for 4 years and am thinking of having it removed because I simply can't seem to lose any weight!  I put on about 30 pounds around the time I had it placed, but had also just quit smoking and also was on antidepressants/anti-anxiety meds for depression.  I quit the meds and attributed weight gain to that and smoking cessation.  Can't seem to budge beyond losing 10 pounds and I think that's mostly water weight.  I do watch my diet - whole grains, no refined foods, lots of fresh veggies, fruits, skim milk, water, etc. and work out 4 days a week at the gym - HIIT, and then routines for resistance training, cardio, etc.  I'm excited to lose the 10 pounds but seem to have stalled here. 

I think the IUD may be a contributing factor.  I'm looking for anyone who has DEFINITELY LOST WEIGHT after having it removed? 

I love the Merina (no periods, no babies, yea!) but also want to shed the 30 pounds I gained.  I'd rather have periods and use condoms than carry around this 30 pounds.  Wondering if removing it will help? 

I would be interested in hearing from people too. I had the Mirena IUD put in in Sept and have been struggling to lose weight. It's hard for me to say that the IUD is making it difficult because I also take an antidepressant and I have hypothyroidism. I also went through a very difficult time and did not count calories or exercise regularly. The thyroid problem is under control as far as I know but weight gain is a side effect of antidepressants. I have only gained about 8 lbs. But I am having a heck of a time getting rid of it. I have been 80% back on track since Jan 1 so I'm hoping I can lose it within the next couple of months. I like the IUD and don't want to have to get rid of it.

I too have Mirena (3 years in January 2010) and have started to try to lose weight.  I am also on bipolar meds (zyprexa is a big factor in weight gain) so I'm not sure if mirena did it -- I'd be more leaning towards the meds..... I'll let you know in a few weeks since I switched to Seroquel yesterday to try to lose some weight.

I have had the Mirena for one full year. I don't take any meds on a regular basis. This is the first month that I did NOT have a period and have noticed I look more bloated than normal and have gained 3 pounds. For the last year I have had ZERO problems with my weight. I was able to maintain and even lose weight without having to try much at all. I a medium frame, 5' tall, typically 110-115lber, but I am now weighing in at 118.8 lbs - the heaviest I've been since before I had my IUD placed. After reading this I am worried that I may start having issues with weight gain...

I gained weight, then had the Mirena, gained some more (BMI 28), started CC'ing and exercising and am now back to my original weight, at about 25.3 BMI.

I also suspected the Mirena, but since I've lost weight since, that suspicion is fading.

I just had my IUD, Mirena, removed last week and after reading the previous posts, I am not alone here. I too have had bouts of being on anti-depressants in conjunction with being on Mirena (could that in itself be a factor and connection to the weight gain?) but I am no longer on either but I'm struggling to get below 10lbs down and I have at least 30-40 that I want to lose. I exercise regularly, I have 2 active small children, and I monitor my food intake on CC but no luck with major weight loss. This is rough.

Well pinzywinzy you give me a little bit of hope. I think I will just hang in there. Ronna, hopefully you got some info that will help make your decision a bit easier.

I got the Mirena a few months after I had my daughter.....after a few months my body adjusted to it....and for a year it was ok. Then I started feeling crummy, low energy, gaining weight (about 20 lbs), hungry all the time, emotional, depressed......I kept it in another year and that year is a fog. I researched some sites about Mirena and it seemed that other wemon's bodies didn't handle it well either....so I felt like I couldn't leave it in anymore. About a month after I had it out I started feeling more like myself....and then felt like I COULD lose weight. I lost weight after I got it out.....with hard work and excersize....but I don't think I would have had the energy before to even try to. I think some wemon can handle it, and some can't...I seem to be sensitive to any medicatiion.

Yeah it's hard to say how much to attribute to the Mirena. Given that Mirena is recommended for women after birth, there may be lots of other factors that lead to weight gain or lack of weight loss after having a child. Childcare, family adjustments, post natal blues/depression, stress from juggling home+job, being in the 30s when the metabolism takes a dip... add cc'ing and exercising and there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day.

LOL.  Doesn't really help me with a decision here, huh?  I never even thought about the Mirena being part of the "problem" until recently when I ran across the subject in another forum.  I have had no other side effects from Mirena and absolutely have loved it.  I think I'll keep my appointment on Tuesday the 26th after all and just talk to my doctor about the issue.  I just never EVER had a problem with my weight until I quit smoking/had Mirena inserted.  I weighed between 100 and 120 pounds since I was in my 20s.  When I was 31 and pregnant with my 2nd child, I hit my heaviest weight ever of 152, but dropped back down to 110 pretty quickly.  He was born in 1990 and it was 2006 when I got Mirena, at age 47. I was wearing size 6 back then and didn't have much of a tummy bulge.   All I know is I now weigh 160 and can't seem to get below 150 even with working out and eating right!  I had family in for the holidays and other issues so I didn't go to the gym in December and got back up to 160.  I've started working out again faithfully (wow those sore muscles feel GOOD!) - I never stopped eating healthy - well, with the exception of indulging just a tiny bit over the holidays but nothing too dramatic.  I'll update here after my visit next week, and if I choose to have the IUD removed, I'll post updates regarding my weight and circumference.  Actually, I don't mind the weight so much but I absolutely hate the tummy and thigh FAT! 

Original Post by dominomom:

I have had the Mirena for one full year. I don't take any meds on a regular basis. This is the first month that I did NOT have a period and have noticed I look more bloated than normal and have gained 3 pounds. For the last year I have had ZERO problems with my weight. I was able to maintain and even lose weight without having to try much at all. I a medium frame, 5' tall, typically 110-115lber, but I am now weighing in at 118.8 lbs - the heaviest I've been since before I had my IUD placed. After reading this I am worried that I may start having issues with weight gain...

 To follow up, I am back down to 114.6 today so it must have just been a fluke. Other than freaking out because I'm not having a period for the first time since I was pregnant, I'm overall healthy and doing well weight-wise.  As far as depression, I went through a divorce last year, but nothing out of the norm and my spirits are fine considering. I think the Mirena can be a good crutch or concern, but it's definitely not affecting all of us the same. Thank God. I wish those of you struggling with this the best.

So having an IUD caused you to gain 50lbs and you did nothing differently?  Interesting. 

I had the Mirena IUD and also gained weight BUT over those 5 years I also, turned 30, drank plenty, reduced regular exercise and generally took my stable weight for granted.  In the end I gained about 30lbs over those 5 years.  I have since had it removed and did not replace it (b/c DH is a peach and took care of birth control from his end) and I am more focused on getting healthier and reducing my weight.  and so I'm losing. 

Despite the picture that I just painted, I really don't think it was the IUD that sabotaged my body.  I think I did that myself. 

Original Post by scubatoy:

So having an IUD caused you to gain 50lbs and you did nothing differently?  Interesting. 

I didn't mean to imply getting the IUD caused me to gain 50 lbs.  In my mid 30s I smoked, ate whatever I liked, drank coffee all day, never worked out, never ate breakfast, and weighed between 110 and 120.  In 2005, when I was 46 years old, I weighed about 130.  I quit smoking in November 2005 and was on Elavil, an antidepressant.  I got the Mirena in February 2006 and by June I was up to 160.  I assumed the weight gain was from quitting smoking and Elavil, so I quit the Elavil and started calorie reduction and my weight held stable at 160.  I started going to the gym 4 to 5 days a week in February 2008.  Thru CC, I realized I had reduced my calories too much! and turned that around and now eat healthy - whole grains, fresh fruit, veggies, skim milk, homemade yogurt, water, etc. etc.  and am down to 150 but can't seem to get any lower than that.  Then I started to discover many women gained weight with the Mirena so I am thinking the IUD contributed to the weight gain.  I'm also now 51 years old so that might be part of it, too!  I just want to do everything I possibly can to help me try to get back to an ideal body weight, i.e., down to at least 130! 

 Then I started to discover many women gained weight with the Mirena so I am thinking the IUD contributed to the weight gain. 

I really believe that part of the weight gain with many women is related to the time in our lives that we seek out an IUD.  In general, it is discouraged for the..ummm...less sexually stable and young.  By the time that our OBGYN's are comfortable with an IUD as the primary form of birth control are the same times that our bodies are slowing their metabolism down, that many of us are becoming more stable in our lives, and (as evidenced by hundreds of women on this board) are becoming more complacent about their eating and exercise.  My GYN wouldn't even seriously consider an IUD until I was married (lots of understandable reasons why), but I just think that the IUD has gotten a bad rap simply because of the timing of this method of BC.   Really, the progesterone in it does not enter our blood stream, so there are less hormones (ergo, less reasons) to influence anything, including weight gain.

I'm not saying that an IUD never influences weight gain, I just think that lifestyle choice has way more to do with it.

I would say just talk to your doctor. The side effects mentioned in the mirena packet as like other meds only affect some, but not all ppl. At four years you'll almost have to have it out in a year or less anyway, so that is something else to consider whether it encourages you to get it out now or keep it till the yr is up. 17 yrs is also a good time lapse, your metabolism definitely could have had time to slow down enough to influence that weight gain.

I've had mirena for 3 months now and haven't noticed any side effects so far at all except for messing with my cycle of course. The first month wasn't so pleasant, cramps and spotting but now so far that's stopped almost completely too. I've never had children, however my gyn said I actually could have it anyway. I believe she said there's just a higher chance of expulsion, but so far so good. I'm 24 yrs, 5'2". I was 160lbs when it was put in and a little after I started cal counting and so far I'm 13 lbs lighter, so can't say it has affected my weight at this point.

I am 33 and just had the Mirena replaced yesterday.  I had the previous one in for 5 years so it was time...

I had it inserted August 2005 right after I had my son and put on quite a bit of weight.  I ended up weighing more than I weighed when I was pregnant!!

August 2009 I began working out and eating healthier and thus far I've dropped 45 lbs.  I started at 220 and 9 months later am now at 175.

April 2010 I had the IUD removed and wasn't sure if I wanted to another long term birth control so decided to try the ortho tricyclen (low dosage) pill.  I gained 6 lbs in 3 weeks!!!!!  SOOOOO, I went back to the DR and had the Mirena put back in. 

Let's see how it goes........

Oops.  I should have updated.  I visited my doctor in February to talk about the Merina IUD/weight gain issue.  I had her look in my chart and at the time I had the IUD inserted, I was already at 152 pounds.  So I've actually only gained 8 pounds since the Merina was placed.  Most of that weight-gain is probably age-related.  I decided to keep Merina until I have to have it removed next year. 

I am now working with a personal trainer concentrating mostly on strengthening and since May 1 have cut out grains and dairy and refined sugars from my 'diet' (i.e. Paleo 'diet') for the next 30 days to see if lowering my carbs will make a difference in weight loss, at my trainer's suggestion.  I'm still at 160 pounds but still hoping to see some reduction! 

I've always been a size 6/8. I've been active my entire life, running, biking, hiking, horseback riding......I eat well and take vitamins/supplements every day.

I had the Paraguard Copper IUD inserted in September. By the time I had it removed in April, 7 months later, I had gained 25lbs!! I did not make any changes to my routine or diet during that time frame.

The IUD has been removed for 4 months now and I've only managed to lose 5lbs. I'm extremely depressed about this. I don't fit in any of my clothes and here it's summertime and I won't/can't wear a bathing suit. I'm not sure what the IUD did to my body, but it's certainly taking longer than I expected for it to bounce back to the way it was less than a year ago.

This is interesting because I was primed to post re: Mirena that it is a hormonal BC, and just like any hormonal BC there are weight gain risks. BUT as you know, you paraguard is non-hormonal! That is really surprising to me.

Are there other women that have had unusual side effects with a non-hormonal IUD? I am hoping to use one after I had children , as I am unable to take hormonal BC without blowing up like a balloon :)

And P.S. ladies - hang in there! BC can do weird things!  I used the Nuvaring for ONE cycle and I had such a bad reaction to it I couldn't even wear a tampon (let alone do anything with my sweetie in that neck of the woods) for two months after! POISON!