I had a mirena fitted in May due to heavy periods & having found I have a small fibroid (causing very painful pains) bleed the next day heavily & then stopped for 6 days, then bled again heavily for 9 days followed by 8/9 days of spotting, nothing for a few days & then heavy again. Then had a good 10days break yipee I thought !!! bled again then for 12 days & spotting for a further 4. At this point very down in dumps went back to doctors to question is this normal, I'm just unlucky they said take Norethisterone & hopefully everything will be fine !!!! It's not on off on off - beginning to wonder if I should get the coil removed & go back to my other problems. Has anyone else experienced this & any advice or encouragement ?

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hi all i am new to this.i just needed some advice on the mirena coil.i had it fitted 2 years ago but i was still having periods up untill 4 months ago.is this normal?i know im not pregnant.

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Hi, I'm due my 6 month check up tomorrow morning and thought I'd do some more research before I go.... I had the coil fitted after my 3rd child was born almost 10 years ago.... just a regular coil... phoned to get it taken out at 5 years to be told "we leave them in now unless you're having problems".... I'd persisted all that time with REALLY heavy periods, to the point I'd get through several pairs of trousers oper day, and couldn't bear the thought of sitting down in someone elses house for fear of leakage!! (not to mention wrecking the car seats!)
Anyway, earlier this year I had the coil removed under general anaesthetic as it had 'got lost' in my "cauvacious cavity"(!) (excuse spelling:)
I had the Mirena fitted on the recommendation of a friend who's a gynea nurse at a local hospital.. On my 6 week check I knew the gyneacologist would ask if there were any problems during sex.... problem is, my libido is now non-existent.... ive got almost permanent breast tenderness/heaviness, back ache, bloating, sporadic pains and thought I'd put on weight, dispite still exercising as normal.... I now have the dilemma of what to do.... it's great having a lighter period BUT at what cost....I can't ever imagine ever wanting to have sex again, and that was partly the reason for having it put in - as a contaception..........
Reading these threads had definately helped me as all these symptoms I've put up with or even thought I'd imagined............
what a choice.....

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I just had my second one inserted after 5 years, I had the first one in 2005. I was suffering from extremely heavy periods and was iron deficient and had very bad pain and PMS, so it was for this reason I had one. The first few months are a bit erratic, but were still so much better than my 'normal' cycle. Obviously some women will find it is not for them, but I can vouch for it's effectiveness. It was literally life changing for me and I am happy to have found it, as it cured my problems and has given me no issues at all over the past 5 years, apart from the initial settling in time.
I had it inserted this time by a gynaecologist (last time I had a minor surgery scheduled so it was done under general). The pain was very minimal, somewhat like having a few bad cramps. The doctor was fast and efficient and after some pain relief I had one evening of feeling uncomfortable, and nothing that some anti-inflammatory medicine couldn't handle.
I really recommend it if you have severe period problems. If pain is an issue then ensure you have a doctor who you feel super comfortable with. If they can give you a pap smear without discomfort then they will be able to insert the coil easily too.

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oh, and regarding the missing periods, it is completely normal to have little or no bleeding at all after the first few months. I didn't have any bleeding until the coil began to run out of hormone, and even then it was just light spotting. That's why it is so good for dealing with heavy periods and cramping etc.

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I've decided to change from taking the mini pill to the Mirena IUD just today and had a look on an American site where people had reviewed it. Most of the people on there were pretty negative about the painful insertion and about how they felt afterwards.. The site didn't have dates or times up so I don't know if the Mirena could have been improved or updated since then but I was wondering if anyone with any experience of it could tell me how they found it? I'm a bit of a chicken so now feel a bit less sure of getting it.. Thanks very much!

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hi Cheeby,

I think you have to weigh up the benefits for yourself. Everyone has a completely different and very subjective view of pain. I have never had more than mild discomfort when having the IUD fitted, although I admit I am fairly tense about any kind of medical procedure in that area! For others, this may be more pain than they can bear. The issue is: what is the alternative? For me, the health benefits of getting it and having mild cramps for a week, as opposed to years of heavy bleeding and low iron and painful crippling cramps was a no brainer. Of course it wasn't an instant fix, but isn't it a long term benefit you want?
If it's just for contraception then I guess you have to decide if it is worth the initial settling in period (pardon the pun!).

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Hi, I had the mirena coil fitted in July 2010 due to very heavy periods, I am 49. I was very concerned folling the fitting as it was supposed to make my periods lighter and hopefully dissapear, however they were coming every two weeks and were carrying on for 7 days (although a bit lighter), before hand despite being very heavy with a lot of pain they were regular and lasted only 3 days. I did feel strange after having the coil fitted, I felt my stomach was 'bigger' BUT I began to wonder if I was looking for symptoms which I had read on these forums? Anyway I am due to have the coil removed next week BUT this month for the first time since having it fitted (6 months ago), I have not bled for 25 days, I do not feel as bloated and I feel my mood has lifted slightly.... I am now wondering if my body is getting used to it and things are going to get better, so I am going to cancel the removal and give it another few months. Since having the coil fitted I certainly have felt alot more energetic and have more confidence about doing sport etc around the time of my period whereas before I had to think twice.
Each person is different, but if you do have it fitted perhaps give it at least 6 - 7 months so that you can get used to it. I will let you know how things are in 2 months time to see if things are still improving .. fingers crossed

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Thank you very much for your replies, I've decided to have it fitted - my appointment's the 1st Feb. I came to the conclusion that it probably will be a bit painful but to be perfectly honest, I get bad period cramps and so pain in that sort of area doesn't phase me too much and from what I've read the benefits have tended to outweigh the negatives. I'll write again once I've had it fitted as being 21 and having had no children I'm sure other people in my situation will find it helpful. Wish me luck!

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thats right, it takes a few cycles to settle. Basically the lining of the womb thins and that is what makes your periods lighter. My limited understanding is that it's thicker than normal in me (and others with menorrhagia (sp?) so it takes a few months for it to improve. This time around with my second fitting, I haven't had to put up with that.

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Hi there
I had a Mirena fitted at the end of Nov 10. I had initially been referrred to a gyn for pelvic pain, however as I was also anaemic, it was decided to try a mirena to help with heavy periods. So while i was under for a laparoscopy and hysteroscopy, the mirena was fitted. I had two weeks of terrible dizziness and quite heavy bleeding. Also I started to feel very lethargic and a bit depressed (never felt that way before). The bleeding and lethargy continued constantly for 8-9 weeks while I was also quite bloated and put on about half a stone in weight. My 6 week check up was postponed due to the weather so I just had it today (10 weeks after fitting). I had already decided I wanted it taken out but I was scared I would be talked into keeping it for longer to see if things settle down so I emailed the gyn in advance to let him know how I felt. As it turns out, he was fantastic about it and explained I must be sensitive to the hormone. He took it out in 2 minutes - no pain at all.
I am glad I tried it, however I could not cope with the side effects. I was lucky to have very sympathetic gyn.
Wish you all well.

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I just got the coil fitted today. After having read so many horror stories on different websites I was very nervous but it is NOTHING compared to what I was expecting! It was uncomfortable and sore at parts but nothing unbearable - just cramps as we ladies are so used to dealing with. Just take a few deep breathes and it's done in literally about a minute. The whole thing (including a pregnancy test and an examination) took about 15mins. Everyone is different and for every 10 people submitting a bad review there must be 100 who've not felt the need to write up what happened. I've had cramps for the rest of the day which is natural and a perfect excuse to have dinner in bed. Take some paracetamol and a day off to relax if you decide to go get it done!

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Hi,
following on from my earlier post, I decided to have the coil taken out yesterday. I weighed up the pros and cons, the pros were lighter periods somewhat, the cons were the bloated feeling in my stomach and a general feeling of something not being right - I know that sounds silly, but I just knew I was not 100% - all my clothes felt tight around my belly and the pressure I felt around the bottom of my tummy was VERY uncomfortable - I am also diabetic and my sugar levels were all over the place. Well as I said I took the decision to have the coil taken out, I was told by the family planning clinic that my DR would not be happy about the removal - but it's my body and I know how I feel. My stomach feels alot better already. I am not sure if it is the right decision as I will have to cope with heavy periods again, but I feel in control again. I gave it 7 months. Please give it a try though as everyone is different, I have never taken even oral contraception so perhaps it just does not agree with me. It is worth a try as the pros of lighter periods is good and of course the birth control.
Good Luck

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