Mirena - Portland, OR

I had a Mirena inserted 6 weeks after my now 2 yo was born. I, too, notice the short temper. I am very sensitive to hormones and told my doctor and also got the "so little is released" speech. I would attribute the temper to having 2 kids, but the intensity and swiftness which it appears seems abnormal to me. I've thought about removing the Mirena to see if it helps, but I had to pay cash out of pocket for it and feel I need to keep it until its time is up! I guess this didn't help much...felt good to complain, though:)

I have been on Mirena for 2.5 years now. I have absolutely loved having no periods, but do spot every time I get too stessed out. Which means that any vacation of holiday, I am spotting! I have also noticed a big difference in my temper, but attributed it to the extra demands of adding a WILD toddler to my well mannered older daughter. I have not had any weight gain problems, and have been able to lose weight well when I try. I have felt menstrual like cramping every couple months along with swelling for a couple days (better than bleeding for 5 though!).

Over all I am happy with Mirena, but really need to up my antidepressants to help out my out temper problem.

Hello;
I don't have a Mirena, but I do Mirena insertions as a nurse practitioner. The amount of progestin that gets into your system is equal to taking 2 progestin only birth control pills per week. I'd say the number one reason women have them removed is due to irregular bleeding patterns. Other common reasons for removal are pain with sex or wanting to have another baby. I've never removed one because of weight gain or moodiness, but it doesn't mean that women don't have those types of side effects. Everybody is different. Best of luck to you. - A. Marie

Hi there,
I had a Mirena for about 1 1/2 years. The only positive thing about it was no periods. Otherwise, my side effects were not good. Weight gain, irritability and "severe" acne of which I had to be put on two medications for! Your body does know best, and after speaking with non-ob/gyn doctor who had the same experience as me and wasn't afraid to tell me the reality regarding the potential side effects, I knew I had to have it removed immediately. Like you, my ob/gyn definitly downplayed the side effects to me. I had it removed, and all my symptoms disappeared......phew! Never again!
Best of luck to you!

Unrelated to the Mirena, but seeing that you have a 3 month old - it could be worth going in to the doctor to have your thyroid levels checked. I found out with a 4 month old that my thyroid had pretty much shut down and all the symptoms I had were things like weight gain (I'd hit pre-pregnancy weight and then gained 8 pounds), depression, achey, more hair loss... In some cases women can get a post-partum version of hypo-thyroidism which lasts for about a year, but in my case it's a permanent issue. It's an easy blood test and worth looking into! I did also use a Mirena after my 2nd son, and did not notice hormone issues (i've heard some complaints of headaches), but I had mine removed as I'd bleed roughly every 2 weeks and it drove me crazy. Apparently that happens to a small percentage of patients. Good luck!

Hi R.

After being told my "not feeling right" and gaining 40 pounds in 2 years couldn't be related to my Merina (because it's "such a low dosage") I had mine removed last week. I feel better and acne which had just shown up is already receding. I have more energy and feel less "mean." I had it removed at the prompting of my naturopath because while it's not like taking birth control pills, it's not making a hormome that your body recognizes (or produces on it's own). I'm so glad I had mine removed! AFter living with it for two years, I will never have another one. My symptoms were like yours - listen to your body. It knows best.

Good Luck!

I love my mirena! I had one between my two girls and got it again after #2 was born. I have no periods with it, and got pregnant within six weeks of removing it. I do have a shorter temper than ever before, but I'm pretty sure that can be attributed to my husband and lack of sleep more than any hormones from mirena lol :)

Please Google "Mirena side effects" before making your decision.

I have several friends who love their Mirenas, so I decided to get one. Insertion was painless for me, but I had SEVERE cramping for days afterwards (bedridden with a heating pad). I kept it in for over a year. During that time, I never had a period that lasted less than 2 weeks, and I developed severe joint pain in my hips, to the point where it was difficult to walk. I finally started some online research and realized many other women were having these same problems.

It took a couple of months after Mirena removal for my hip pain to subside, but it did, and my periods went back to normal.

I'm not saying don't get it, I'm just suggesting you do the research so you know what you could be getting into.

Just my 2 cents...and not exactly answering your question:

I have the copper IUD (LOVE IT!!!), because I can't take any kind of hormones (I get hormone driven cancer). The copper one is as effective as a vasectomy, but you get two or three gnarly periods before your body adjusts to it...and aside from that, there are no hormone related side effects because there are no hormones!

Hi, I had the Mirena put in recently too! I did notice a bit more irritability, but I hear that any side effects diminish after time. I think the key with the Mirena is wait 4-6 months and see if any problems have settled down. Remember that you only have a 3-month-old too and your body is still adjusting to not being pregnant. When my kids each hit the 3 month mark, my thick hair started falling out back to pre-pregnancy less-than-lusciousness! Good luck.

If you have any problems with hormones, you will most likely have problems with Mirena. As much as doctors think it doesn't affect the general blood stream it does. As far as birth control and lessening periods it works great. But I had it put in after my 3rd child and had to be on anti-depressants until I had it removed well over a year later. Also a big thing that most doctors try to minimize is that 1 in 10 women who have Mirena will get cysts. I was that 1 in 10 and it was so painful! Getting your thyroid checked is a good thing to try also. Most women don't realize that hormones affect them, so talk with your doctor and be sure to stand up for yourself, because no one else will.
Good luck in your decision, just make sure you know your body.

I got a Mirena put in two years ago and the side effects are minimal. I haven't had any weight gain, but losing weight is definetly a struggle. My emotions are a little touchy but only a bit more than they used to be. I've always been a sensitive sort, so I notice my emotional swings more than most anyway.

I don't think the side effects are any worse than with any other form of hormone-type birth control. But if you're really struggling with it, don't suffer. Just have your Dr. remove it.

If your baby is still small, the weight gain and emotional upsets could just be postpartum (it hangs on a lot longer for some than others). With my first baby, my postpartum depression didn't kick up until after he was 6 weeks old when the daily grind of child care started to wear on me.

Take care and good luck!

-B. M.-

I have had my Mirena for 3 years with no side effects...Love it! I even asked my doctor about the possibilty of bloodclots, etc. after hearing a story about different birth controls and was reassured that it is one of the safest b/c's. I was also given a DVD from my doctor to watch before choosing it...it was short, but very informative on how it works, how it's inserted, etc.
I haven't noticed any side effects as you mentioned and I was very hormonal/emotional after the birth of my son (before Mirena), however I did stop having a period after 6 months. Hope this helps, good luck with your decision:-)

I had the Mirena put in 6 weeks after giving birth to my now 8 month old daughter. I have lost all the weight I gained during pregnancy and I have not noticed any temper or emotional issues. I also dislike hormones, because I felt the pill affected my emotions and my weight. I used the Nuvaring for a few years before I decided to get pregnant, but the Mirena is much easier. I think it's a great option for contraception. The only side effect that I've noticed is a lowered libido, but maybe that's because I'm still breastfeeding?? Good luck :)

I have the mirena and I love it. i have pmdd which is really bad pms and have not had it since I had the morena in.

I have had mine for almost 3 years. i have not had any issues that I noticed. I get short tempered sometimes, but I think that goes with having 3 boys and when they dont listen. I love not having a period and not having to remember to take a pill. I have nothing but great things to say about it.

If you would like to speak with a bio-identical (NOT synthetic, side-effect inducing) hormone specialist, I recommend Dr. Kathryn Retzler of Laurelhurst Integrative Health Center.

She can likely help you regulate the effects of the Mirena without resorting to using artificial anything. I have found her to be very knowledgable, thorough, watchful, and personable.

She has already helped me get my sleep pattern back to normal, my skin has cleared up completely, my mood has improved dramatically (so much so that my hubby says keep doing what I'm doing, please!!!).

She and I have been discussing using the Mirena if my period needs some extra tweaking. She has studied my blood chemistry, and continues to do so, so that she can help me fine-tune my hormones each month. She makes it so easy!

Good Luck. Hope this helps.