Mirena vs. other BC forms

HI!!! I am just kind of wondering if anyone on here is on Mirena and how they feel about it. I know that it is not supposed to cause weight gain but I have read that some women have been experiencing this. I just recently came off of depo provera and I really really cannot be on something that will screw up my hormones and push me into gaining weight again. Any feedback is appreciated.

Mirena does contain a small amount of hormones. I, personally, have not experienced weight gain with it, nor has anyone I know that has it. But that doesn't mean it's not possible.

Paraguard does not contain hormones, if long-term bc is what you're looking for, but it's made with copper.

http://www.birth-control-comparison.info/iudi nfo.htm

I have it - no issues, I was big before and since I've had it I've lost 40 pounds.  No issue with losing weight with it.  It makes life a dream

Oh and before you read the horror stories on the internet on the issues - insertion was a breeze took maybe a minute and I did a full gym workout an hour later.

Hope this helps

I had mirena put in about 2 months ago.  It was quick and near painless, and has made life much easier since I had it put in.  I know that it contains progestrone as opposed to most birth control pills that also contain estrogen.  I put on a good amount of weight when I began taking the pill and I am focusing on taking it off for good now.  I know other women who have had for some time now and did not gain weight.  But as with all birth control methods, every woman has a different experience.  I say that if your insurance covers it, do it!  If you are not happy with the results, you can take it out.  Or try the non hormonal copper IUD.

I have one and I love it.

It's awesome no maintenance birth control and hasn't messed up anything too bad hormonally. I spotted a little and I break out a little easier now, but nothing major. In fact, I've lost 20 pounds with it in.

I will say, though, that I had a very rough experience getting it put in. I was horribly crampy and nauseous-- it was one of the more painful things I've experienced in my life...  However, I've never been pregnant and have a very tiny uterus/cervix, which makes it more difficult to put in. Anyway,  if I had to, I'd do it again in a heartbeat despite the pain.

Basically, best desicion ever.

FIVEYEARSNOBABIES!!!!!

Original Post by yoshilover:

I know that it contains progestrone as opposed to most birth control pills that also contain estrogen. 

see, that's what I'm concerned about. I was on depo for a couple years, which is also progesterone, and I gained a ton of weight from it and have had a bitch of a time taking the weight back off. so is it just not supposed to make you gain because it's centrally located? Doesn't go into the bloodstream or something?

The amount of estrogen released by mirena is very, very small compared to other BC forms, and it mostly acts locally on the lining of your uterus, so the systemic effects are minimal, especially compared to depo. I have had one for about 18 months, and I think it's great. It did make my acne come back full force (I'm 25, so that was quite irritating), but I think that had more to do with switching off an estrogen-containing pill than the mirena itself. If you haven't had a problem with acne in the past, I doubt it would cause problems, especially if you didn't notice anything in that regard with the depo.

RUN AWAY. Everyone told me not to get this thing but I got it anyway because I can't keep up with taking a pill at the same time every day. Maybe I fall into some marginal category of women for whom Murphy's Law applies in this situation, but I would not wish what I've gone through with Mirena on my worst enemy.

To begin with, insertion hurt as bad as labor pains, if not worse. I'm talking about blacking out and throwing up pain. Those five minutes felt like five hours, then I needed medication stronger than ibuprofen to be able to handle the residual pain for the next twelve hours. And I'm pretty tough when it comes to pain.

After the device was in place, I had it for about a week before I started bleeding...constantly...for three months. The bleeding itself was enough birth control...gross. I went to the doctor and she said it was nothing out of the ordinary.

When the bleeding stopped, I had about a year and three months to enjoy myself before I began having uncontrollable mood swings and unexplained depression. I also gained sixty pounds in the almost three years I had the device. (This may be correlated to the hormone-induced depression rather than the hormone itself, however, as I am an emotional eater.) I had no energy and no drive to really do anything except be on the couch with a blanket. Also, I got acne for the first time ever in my life, which I kept perpetually but which worsened around the time of my period.

In the last weeks before I finally decided to have the device removed, I realized that I was a completely different person from the woman I was when I decided to get Mirena implanted. I would cry at the drop of a hat and my nerves were always shot. This is not who I am, or who I want to be. I got the thing yanked and already I feel better. My hormones are still working themselves out, so I'm still getting a few zits every now and again, but nowhere near as bad as before. Plus, I don't cry all day every day for no reason.

Please take this into consideration before you get this device implanted. I found a few forums on the internet about Mirena with posts by other women using this device who were experiencing the same symptoms I had; some worse than mine. Google 'Mirena side effects' and see what you come up with. Different things work for different people, and I have determined that I am not a person who can use hormonal birth control (Depo made 25% of my hair fall out, plus insane mood swings). Good luck.