Mirena IUD help!!

I'm looking for some help. I recently had a Mirena IUD put in (about 3 weeks ago). I know that weight gain is a side effect (although most docs deny this). I would like to lose 15 lbs and so far am having no luck. I have been counting my calories and working out and the calorie deficit I am creating should yield about a 1.5lb loss each week but I have seen nothing. I have actually gained about 1.2lbs. I figure this may be due to the IUD. I'm not giving up hope yet though. I'm hoping it may just take time for my body to adjust. The info booklet that came with the IUD says side effects usually dissapate within 4-6 mths. Has anyone been able to lose weight after having an IUD put in particularly after gaining some?

I also had the same thing. For a good 6 months the scale either crept up or stayed the same. As soon as I had it removed, it was MUCH easier to lose weight. About 40 pounds over the following 6 months. I had never heard anything about weight gain with it before but it sure affected me.

Seems as though anything hormonal will affect weight and ablilty to lose. Doesn't make it easy for birth control!

I had the IUD put in about a year n half ago. I LOVE IT!

I lost about 40 lbs SINCE having it put in. I have not noticed any effect on my weight....I just started losing once I got serious about losing and changed my diet incredibly.

I'm sure there will be some adjustment time, so give it a chance haha.

I had the IUD put in as well a little less than a year ago.. Right after placement I began to lose weight and have lost 33 lbs so far. I haven't noticed an issue at all. A lot of times people are counting calories but aren't measuring their food or are "eye balling" their portions. That cause cause things to be greatly different than you are thinking. Are you measuring? How many calories are you eating? What are your stats?

I have lost 71.4 lbs since putting it in. (well DR did it)

Do you weight/measure your food?  Before I got my food scale I would guess and I was so off the mark.    If you don't have a scale a 1 cup serving should fit insidea baseball, 1/2 is a light bulb, 2oz (pb,mayo) is a golfball. and 1 tbsp(butter) is a poker chip, banana (1c) = the size of a pencil.

If your not measuring I would guess serving size if you are I would talk to your Dr.  give it a few months your body is still getting use to the IUD.

Not everyone has the same side effects from medicines. When I was on birth control I gained 7lbs in just 6 months, after going off of it and NOT changing my habits the weight came off. It also caused migraines and that does not happen to everyone either.

Thanks for all the input guys. I am watching my portion size. I measure everything but I don't have a scale to weigh my meat but I know that a 3oz peice of meat is about a deck of cards so I work with that. I also overguess my calories if I'm really not sure. Either way the only thing that I am not 100% on would be the meat that I have at supper (like chicken, turkey or lean beef) since I get protein from other sources during the day which I can be sure of (like eggs and tuna).  Here are my stats:

I'm 5'4" 135lbs (as of Oct 2)

GW 120lbs

According to the burn meter my BMR is 1800. I try to eat around 1300-1500 calories a day and I work out to burn the rest doing cardio 3-5 times/week and weights 2-3 times/week. I try to have a deficit of between 500-700 calories a day, or 3500/week so that I can lose a nice 1lb a week. I'm not trying to lose weight quickly, only by making healthy changes.

I had a Mirena put in this past July. No side effects... it's so great. And as far as I can tell, no weight gain. I have lost a couple pounds since then but stayed steady for the most part - which is good because I'm trying to figure out what my maintenance calories should be. When I had it put in, I asked my doctor straight up if weight gain was a side effect and she said no, so I'm skeptical when you say "most docs won't tell you this"... that sounds paranoid, or like you want to use weight gain from the Mirena as an excuse for weight gain no matter what. The amount of drug in the device is very small - I believe it's just a fraction of the hormone you'd be getting if you were getting Depo shots (which I used to have, and would notice its effects on my body such as my skin being oily, etc). And the Mirena & the drug in it lasts 5 years. So I don't know. Aside from the insertion being painful as heck, I'd recommend the Mirena to anyone who can't/doesn't want to be on the pill. It makes my life easier.

Had a Mirena put in 3 years ago - no side effects and yep its great.  No weight gain - have in fact lost 46 pounds.  Hope it helps.

Thanks again for all the thoughts.

silversabiel- I'm not trying to blame my weight gain on the mirena at all. First of all it's only 1lb so far and it's been 3 weeks. I could be retaining water, or it could be other medications I take that could potentially cause weight gain also so I'm just curious on what other people have had for experiences. If you go online to read reviews on Mirena like 75% of them say it caused weight gain. The problem with reading reviews is that you don't know what those people are doing as far as eating and exercise. Other than the 1lb though, which might have nothing to do with the mirena, I think it's great. I also had a great deal of pain when it was put in but by the next day I was fine and my period was done. I'm hoping to keep with it.

snzimmer- I don't think it's starvation. I would think I would have a few more signs like lack of energy or so, or I would have lost weight prior to entering starvation mode. I eat a very well balanced diet of carbs, protein, fiber and good fats and get lots of fruits and veggies.

I suspect that it's no big deal at this point. I'll keep an eye on it and if it starts to get crazy I will discuss it with my doctor.

oh I really hope that's not common, I'm getting it inserted in a month and had to pay for it in full. That's the last thing I need right when I'm just starting to lose weight lol.

I got mine in September 2008 and LOVE it!  LOL  I don't think I gained anything but I didn't lose either.  I started dieting/exercising in March of this year and have lost over 30 pounds so it's not affecting my ability to lose weight at all.  However, I am a person who never had trouble with the pill either.

I gained 70 lbs while I was pregnant with my son.  6 weeks after I had him I had the IUD put in. I chose that because I figured it would decrease my periods and cramping, and I wouldn't have to remember to take a pill everyday.  I also read on the websit and was told by my md.  that it would not make me gain weight.  And while I haven't gained weight, I haven't been able to lose much.  About 4 months after he was born I started trying to lose weight and I lost 20 lbs pretty easily, but since then it's been a huge struggle to lose anything.  I've been up and down and it's taken me about another year to lose another 10 pounds.  Earlier this year I was writing everything I ate down, lots of fruits and veggies, measuring everything out, working out intensely for about 2 hours a day and had a calorie deficit of 700 on avg.  I was only losing about 2 lbs a month doing that and then I just quit losing altogether.  Add a couple of injuries that made me have to slow down the workouts and instead of being down 40lbs it's only 30.  The second I quit my intense workouts the weight started creeping back on, even though I was still watching what I ate.  I've just gotten very discouraged with how hard I was working and not being able to lose anything.  And my sister in law, who also has an IUD and had a baby about the same time I did, has gone through the same thing.  So I've started considering that maybe the IUD is part of the reason why  I have such a hard time losing weight.  I say part because I also work 12 hour shifts at night so I know I don't get enough sleep and my hormones are messed up enough from that.  I'm getting my IUD removed tomorrow and am so excited!  Hopefully I can lose weight a little more easily without it than I have been able to with it.   But I've also had mood swings and feel tired all the time, and I still have crampings almost every day.  Have you been able to lose weight with it?

I have a non-hormonal IUD -- Paragard.  If you still have problems, you  may want to consider a switch.  There's more bleeding in the beginning, but after about 4 months of heavy periods, I'm back on schedule.  The best part- no weight gain, no acne, no weird hormone swings.

Original Post by ssdevine:

Thanks for all the input guys. I am watching my portion size. I measure everything but I don't have a scale to weigh my meat but I know that a 3oz peice of meat is about a deck of cards so I work with that. I also overguess my calories if I'm really not sure. Either way the only thing that I am not 100% on would be the meat that I have at supper (like chicken, turkey or lean beef) since I get protein from other sources during the day which I can be sure of (like eggs and tuna).  Here are my stats:

I'm 5'4" 135lbs (as of Oct 2)

GW 120lbs

According to the burn meter my BMR is 1800. I try to eat around 1300-1500 calories a day and I work out to burn the rest doing cardio 3-5 times/week and weights 2-3 times/week. I try to have a deficit of between 500-700 calories a day, or 3500/week so that I can lose a nice 1lb a week. I'm not trying to lose weight quickly, only by making healthy changes.

No ways!!
I am exactly the same!!! urg. Getting totally pissed off with it cause working my ass off and nothing is budging!!! URG!!!
And putting it in was a ****. I'm still sore from it and its been 4 months. Ouch.

:)

i had an iud but they messed up and it came out a week later, then my period got out of wack and they were gonna draw my blood but the nurse didnt know what she was doing, and she blew my vein out and i passed out. i had a bruise on my arm from were she poked me for lik 2 weeks!!, now im scared to go back there cause i think they are dumb and i lost 400 dollars on an iud that lasted 7 days im so freaking pissed off now~erica

ps never go to planned parenthood they will kill you

I had the Mirena put in about a year ago and had no weight gain. I have been losing weight this year.

Only problems I had were with the expected breakthrough bleeding.