The diary of a mirena sufferer… and why mirena is worse than the pill

How awesome is this diary? There are a whole lot more over at Mi Goals. Check them out here.

As I’m sure you can imagine, my inbox is a busy place. But this email a few weeks back stopped me in my tracks – I asked if I could share it with you all, I thought it was absolutely essential for women to read and learn from this situation. Please share this one around – this woman’s story simply must be heard.

So, here it goes…

“Well, last year I never got back to you about wanting to know some info. I kept meaning to but you know how life can get… (more to that shortly) Anyway, in early August 2012, I had a very large fibroid removed that had been above the uterus & was causing my body issues. I was on 6 weeks bed rest after the op & it was during that time I found your blog.

They had put a Mirena in after the fibroid was removed & it was not by my request. I have had heavy & regular periods since I was 11& they suggested I should have a Mirena to deal with the heavy periods. I was not 100% wanting to have it, but I guess they talked me into it. I was feeling so unwell with the fibroid that I really wasn’t thinking it through the way I normally would. So, I agreed.

They put it in & after I found & read your blog a few weeks later, I was thinking oh dear this mirena may cause me drama. I kept meaning to get back to you & ask you if you thought I should get it removed etc. I have not felt good about having it in there since then & not having a period exactly 28 days every cycle has been upsetting. I still get the awful cramps etc but no blood. I don’t miss the blood, but I have been worrying what the mirena could do to mess what was a perfect cycle for the past 25 years.

I decided that I knew you would say get it out & I respect your opinion more than any western medical doctor. So, I went to my GP who tried seven times to remove it. She said I can not feel the string. She suggested I ask the dr at my follow up surgery apt to remove it which was in about October. They said the same thing about the string & sent me for an ultrasound to see where the string was exactly. I didn’t get to see them again till January (You know how Public Hospitals are). They told me I needed to come back in February to see if some special dr could get it out or else it has to be removed by surgery.

I saw that Dr on Friday & he was not impressed as he said there is no way he was attempting as it was clear it has to come out via surgery. He didn’t know why they bothered to muck me around over this. He also asked why I had it in if I want it out already. I told him why & also said how all the medical people I have dealt with over the removal have said they think I am crazy for wanting it out. His response was – Why would you want something man made in there? The sooner it is out the better. He said I am doing the right thing wanting it removed. I was shocked – a western medicine Dr thinking so differently. Mind you all the others I have dealt with including the ultrasound person who have told me I was crazy have all been women!!

I am now on the waiting list for this to be removed in surgery. So not for a few months! 🙁 I don’t want to share my story online with my name anywhere, but I sure as hell think you need to strongly keep advocating that this little object can cause more issues than people are aware. I pray that my periods will resume as they were before & that the mirena has not caused me any other issues. But the string itself has caused me to now have to have surgery & keep it inside me for months more. So much for easy to be removed! I am so glad that I found your blog when I did & you are the reason it is eventually going to come out. I thank you for educating women about the reality of these things.”

 

I still have tears in my eyes re-reading her story. What an amazing amount of courage and intuition this woman found. We could all learn a thing or two from her – I hope you are encouraged by her strength.

There are two main things I want to touch on in regard to her story.

Firstly – she took her health into her own hands. Nobody knows your body better that you do. Nobody can tell you how you are feeling and what is more, you will always, always, always have your own intuition to guide you. There isn’t another single person on this planet who can tune their channel in and take the reigns like you can. Self education is so important for all women to have a basic understanding of how their body is guiding them to wellness.

And then there is the mirena! Let’s explore her shall we?

She’s a plastic apparatus that is inserted into the womb. She’s a T shaped instrument made of plastic; the stem is a storage compartment containing hormone which is slowly released. It is the same hormone you will find in the oral contraceptive pill – however mirena has been suggested as being ‘much better’ as it is a lower dose compared with that which you will find in the pill. This direct release of the hormone into your womb has several actions in preventing pregnancy – it increases the thickness of the cervical mucus making implantation far more difficult. It thins your uterine lining, making implantation near impossible and for some women it stops ovulation.

Is the mirena better than the pill?

It’s like asking if tea (not herbal obviously) is better than coffee. They both contain the same chemicals and toxins, they are just different products and work slightly different on the body (and black tea in its dry form does have a higher caffeine content compared to coffee you know?)

Hormone contraceptives are all the same. Unfortunately not one is better than the other because they all contain synthetic hormones. What worries me most about the mirena are the side effects I see in the clinic AND the location of the device being in the actual womb. It is directly acting on your uterus, locally. Many women report to me they bleed the entire month round with the mirena. Kinda leaves me scratching my head – if you’re using it for contraceptive purposes but you can never have sex because you’re always bleeding… what’s the point?

You know I’ve written on the pill so many times – you can check back on a few of those posts here, here, here and here. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the mirena – open up the comments section below and get some discussion going around the subject. Women really need to get savvy with their fertility – it’s up to each of us to make sure the word is spread wide and far!

47 Comments

  • March 25, 2013 By A 8:34 am

    What are your thoughts on the copper IUD?

    • March 25, 2013 By mnfadmin 1:32 pm

      more on this soon!

  • March 25, 2013 By Erin 10:07 am

    I would be interested to here about your thoughts on the Jadelle implant.

  • March 25, 2013 By Shelley 12:22 pm

    I can only imagine what this poor woman is going through! 🙁 I’ve had two fibroids removed in two years, and the surgeon proudly told me (almost boasting) that I’d keep having to see him for the rest of my life because I’d keep growing fibroids and that any alternative methods were a total waste of time!!!!

    My gut told me there had to be alternatives to explore – nobody wants yearly surgery! But I’ve been fibroid free for over 18 months now, thanks to some dietary adjustments and herbal medications. I admire this woman’s strength, determination and listening to her gut – hope it all goes well for her from here!

    • December 30, 2016 By Larissa 11:50 am

      Hi Shelly,

      I am in the same situation as you were with the fibroids. I have had three seperate operations to remove them but they just keep growing back. I was wondering what you did to prevent yours coming back again? I am at my wits end and am considering hysterectomy even though I haven’t had children yet.

  • March 25, 2013 By Rachie 12:49 pm

    I have just found out (last Monday actually) that I am in a very similar situation.

    I had the Mirena inserted at my 3month check after having my youngest son. I did not want to get pregnant, have a terrible memory for the pill, was breastfeeding, I had ridiculously painful and heavy periods and it just seemed the easiest way to go. For me I still get a period with the Mirena (like clock work) but it is much, much lighter and waaaay less painful so in that respect it works for me. As to how it is affecting the rest of my body I don’t know. I had PND after the birth of my son – so LOTS changed around and within me. I just know that I no longer dread my period as it doesn’t interfere or get in the way of my day.

    Last week while having a routine pap smear the Dr was unable to see the strings. They had a ‘bit of a hunt around (talk about painful!) and couldn’t find it – so off for an ultrasound with thoughts of this thing floating around aimlessly inside me in my head. Turns out it is still ‘in position’ just high up – so when I do get it removed it will need to be surgically removed.

    I’ve chosen to leave it where it is for now. I don’t want any more children – and the relief from my heavy periods is fantastic. When it comes time to replace it I am not sure exactly what I will do – Im pretty sure I won’t have the Mirena again – but I don’t know what I will do.

    Just wanted to let you know that you aren’t alone – Im learning that this is actually pretty common. Just wish I had’ve been really told that this could happen before it wasw inserted.

  • March 25, 2013 By Anon. 10:22 pm

    Thank you so much for sharing this with others, Nat. Females, please take note of this & stay clear of these small but evil devices. I would much rather have my heavy, painful & 28 day periods back than this foreign object. Countdown is on for removal.

  • March 26, 2013 By Bisscat 11:01 am

    My friend Had a similar story. Her Mirena got lost too. She went to the doctor and they couldn’t find it, they presumed it had fallen out. she is having really bad periods and so she made a specialist appointment that was going to be months away. shortly after she was admitted to hospital with severe stomach pains. Turns out she had any ectopic pregnancy this left her questioning herself what she did wrong. presuming that the Mirena had fallen out she had been trying to get pregnant again but after the ectopic pregnancy had given up. when the specialist appointment finally came around she wondered whether she needed to go at all but she decided to at the last minute. after relaying her story The doctor did an ultrasound and found The mirena up near her stomach (how does that happen?). She then had surgery to remove it. She has since had a healthy fourth child. knowing the Mirena was what caused the ectopic pregnancy has given her some peace of mind But nothing can take away the pain of losing a baby.

  • April 1, 2013 By Jessica 10:00 am

    Thank you for sharing this! I was wondering if you have the similar thoughts on the Nuvaring (eg the location of the device)? In the clinic, have you seen women having a more difficult time conceiving after the Nuvaring? Thank you again!

  • April 1, 2013 By Anon 8:17 pm

    As an osteopath, I find the prospect of the Mirena (and GPs eagerness to dispense them, particularly to childless women) disconcerting.

    Not only do I feel they are bad news from a hormonal perspective as detailed above, the fact they are an intrauterine device and are designed to mechanically disrupt the wall of the uterus to prevent implantation. The uterus is a muscle, and should not be permanently irritated by a foreign body – over time it creates a reflex arc producing dysfunction of the adjacent body structures with common innervation (sensory fibres originate from the lower thoracic/upper lumbar region).

    Furthermore, they disrupt GI motility, and make for a generally cranky pelvic bowl.

    Bad news!

  • April 2, 2013 By Sacha Fisher 9:44 pm

    Womens health and western medicine just do not speak the same language. It’s horrifying what some women are put through.

    I have a story about endometriosis, pain, and seeking a western medical solution- I too was recommended the Mirena by my GP and gynocologist, both whom heard my story of feeling sick of the rollercoaster of pain, feeling over adrenalised, burnt out and at the end of my tether. They heard this and decided not to advise me to consider a way to balance my hormones, make the life changes I needed to help myself to health, but instead, insert more hormones into my body’s confused, volitile mix in order to ‘alleviate the symptoms’.

    But I did not take the script and report for surgery. I went to my acupuncturist with my ultrasound and diagnosis and three months on, after a 20 years of painful periods and the past four (since pregnancy) of debilitating pain mid cycle, I have had a pain free cycle and period. No exclamation point needed, since it was not an astounding miracle, just the application of centuries of knowledge of TCM.

    How can we let more women know that TCM is a real and reliable option- not the voodoo that the western doctors make it out to be? Like the woman in the story, I was scoffed at by my doctors. I can’t wait to go back for the 12 month ultrasound and have them see that the cyst they found is reduced or gone and the endometriosis has cleared. I can’t wait to tell them how I did it. But, frustratingly it will fall on deaf ears. I want to tell those women who are advised that all this synthetic intervention is normal and good that there is another choice. For women and their health matters, choice is imperative.

    • April 2, 2013 By mnfadmin 10:06 pm

      Sacha – this is my mission! For all women to know there are alternatives and to encourage ALL to grab the steering wheel and take control of their health. You can help spread my message! This is how more women can learn and know. Thank you for your lovely comment.

  • April 11, 2013 By Emma 8:07 pm

    I also had the mirena inserted after my second child. I had never used any contraception before but when my ob suggested the mirena to deal with my heavy period, I didn’t really question her because she is an intelligent women and I respected her knowledge. However, my period arrived every 3 weeks, and yes while it was lighter it arrived with some serious attitude. My family and I would suffer some serious PMS. I have never had PMS like I did with mirena. I was asking my husband to just get the kids away from me because I just didn’t want to be around them and it felt as though I just had a serious hatred for everything and everyone. I knew this was related to mirena because I had never felt this way about my children before and when I asked my ob about this, she did say it sounded like a mirena issue and I had it removed. Thankfully I no longer feel like this.

  • April 28, 2013 By Anon 1:26 pm

    I had the mirena inserted a month and a half ago and after 2 weeks became increasingly irratable, angry, aggressive and have had suuicidal thoughts, my gyno says this is not caused by mirena but I feel it is, the strings are also missing and it is lodged in there ( confirmed after 3 ultrasounds) , I am scared I will have to wait for surgery to have it removed and as I was told this was the only contraceptive choice for PCOS sufferers I may not have any other options. Has anyone had or heard of these symptoms?

    • April 28, 2013 By mnfadmin 10:32 pm

      the solution to pcos lies within making adequate diet and lifestyle changes and sometimes treatment to get your body over the line. It is treatable. There is always a reason and improvements can always be made. I’d absolutely blame the mirena and ask for it out asap.

  • May 15, 2013 By Ally 5:57 pm

    Just wondering if you can recommend anything to help “restart” my periods? I had my mirena removed two weeks ago and have not had any sign of my period. Recently purchased the ladycomp and can’t wait to start using it but I can’t start until I have my firt period. Thanks xx

    • May 27, 2013 By mnfadmin 9:04 pm

      It’s really hard to say without seeing you but up to 6 months is a normal amount of time for the body to begin to find its groove again.

      Get yourself a practitioner grade multi vitamin and fish oil – that is a great start! If you don’t see it within 6-8 weeks my next bit of advice would be some acupuncture.

  • May 27, 2013 By Marion 8:50 pm

    I write in stark contrast to many of the other posts & this letter. I’ve now had the Mirena coil for 8 months and absolutely love it!

    As the doctor told me when she inserted it, I might have some irregular bleeding for the first 6 months – I had light bleeding for about 3 weeks right at the beginning and since then haven’t had a period since! I regularly check my strings to make sure I can feel them, as I was recommended to do. I made a completely informed decision to have it inserted – I knew the risks and the benefits, like any woman should when they have a medical procedure, and I weighed them up for myself.

    I now no longer have to take a pill every day, no longer worry about whether I need to use condoms with my partner if I catch a tummy bug or take antibiotics, and no longer have periods!

    Considering women shouldn’t really have more than about 10 periods in her whole lifetime, why wouldn’t you want to stop bleeding!? Back in the day, we’d reach menarche, have a baby, breastfeed maybe have a period or two, get pregnant again, breastfeed have a period or two, get pregnant etc etc etc until we hit menopause. Regular periods are, in my opinion, completely unnatural! Hence why we so often get anaemic as women – we’re not programmed to lose so much blood!

    I’m quite appalled by the scaremongering that’s happening here against one brilliant form of contraception available to women. Of course different forms will suit different women and it’s an individual choice, but the theme of this discussion certainly does not feel this way.

    Marion

    • May 27, 2013 By mnfadmin 9:02 pm

      Thanks Marion – interesting thoughts.

      That said, if we were not ever meant to have periods, we wouldn’t have them. They are a very normal part of being a woman.

      • May 27, 2013 By Marion 9:23 pm

        Of course they are and that’s not at all what I’m saying. But the frequency with which we have periods in our modern lives (eg once a month for 25 years, as the letter’s author writes) is not “normal” if we look at the last tens of thousands of years of women. An evolutionary argument, I know, so I have absolutely no evidence to back this up.

        I find it difficult to understand women who find not having a period every month odd and “unnatural,” and who use this as an argument against some types of hormonal contraceptives.

        • May 27, 2013 By mnfadmin 9:31 pm

          Fair point Marion. Just as you find it difficult to understand women how find not having a period every month ‘unnatural’ I personally don’t understand how using the mirena to prevent a period is natural.

          So that said – for me as a health practitioner, having a natural period each month even if it is more frequent that what out previous ancestors may have had, is what our body naturally is designed to do.

          Unfortunately – synthetic hormones aren’t helping most women in the long run. The issue really isn’t the absence of bleeding however the problems the hormones are causing.

          You do raise valid points however I just think the risks outweigh the benefits here based on my clinical experience.

          But I do thank you so much for allowing us to have this conversation and the points you raise are interesting.

          Nat

  • June 3, 2013 By NO MIRENA 6:18 am

    Mirena has robbed months of my life. I had it for 14 months and was always recommending it to friends. About 12 months into my relationship with it, I noticed I’d gained 15 lbs, and had gone up two cup sizes. I felt gross, as I’ve always been the same weight. Shortly after this, I started getting dizzy spells and having crying fits for no reason. I knew my issues were hormonal and got the mirena removed. My doctors wouldn’t agree, but I persisted. Ridiculous that I have to convince a practitioner, it’s my body!

    Anyway, I had no idea what was to come. After removal (which was difficult, as my strings were nowhere to be found), I had 36 hours of the best feeling I’ve had in so long. I felt like ME! Then, just as I hoped it wouldn’t, the “Mirena Crash” set in. I’ve spent the last 5 months detoxing and eating whole foods, attempting to get my hormones back on track. I’m a hormonal train wreck.

    During my crash, I was having panic attacks, crying fits, dizzy spells, brain fog, vomiting… the list is insane. I missed 5 weeks of work. Things slowly started to improve, and I started my first detox. I have had horrid anxiety (that is just now starting to subside), mood swings, bloating.. my periods are late, unpredictable, and I have mid cycle spotting. The worst of the remaining problems happen during ovulation and my period.

    Getting the Mirena was the worst mistake I’ve ever made. I can’t wait until my body regulates and I can look back on this as a horrible memory.

    What I’ve learned is that it isn’t just Mirena- it’s all hormonal bc that can do this to women. I have read stories from other women that I could have written, after taking the pill, after mirena, after HRT. It’s poison. I’m glad I learned this lesson, I can’t wait to feel like myself again, but it’s frightening that practitioners are so deeply in denial about how harmful these medications are.

    And Marion… I can’t even begin to reply to your post. I have no words.

    • June 3, 2013 By mnfadmin 8:34 pm

      Thank you for your brave reply NO MIRENA. I wish you all the hormonal health in the future x

    • June 30, 2015 By Danielle 10:58 pm

      Oh my lord!!! This scares the hell outta me. I have had mirena for 8 yrs. getting it out Monday. I have not been able to loose a single kilo with it and have slowly but surly just gained and gained over the last years. I never once thought it was mIrena until my husband said one day “I no why you can’t loose weight. It’s that thing you have inside you” so Monday it’s coming out! Never thought I may have trouble like what this last post is explaining. I hope I don’t I just thought get it out get back normal quick fast…

  • November 2, 2013 By Shannon 8:46 pm

    Hello!

    I had my mirena in for about a year and a half and had my fair share of problems.

    Thank God I recently had it removed and began to improve immediately.

    What puzzles me is two days after removal I had a full on period.

    Now, if mirena is supposed to thin the lining of the uterus, how is it possible to have a regular period almost immediately after removal?

    Had my body been collecting and saving all of this up until now?

    Or did my body do what it would usually do in a 28-30 day cycle all in TWO days?

    Anywho, mirena leaves a lot of loose ends (pun intended) , questions and education (of doctors) to be had.

    Thanks!

  • May 7, 2014 By Anon 4:02 pm

    I had the Mirena inserted in July 2012 after one of my girlfirends had explained how fantastic it was. After so many years of trial and error with the pill, I thought it sounded amazing. I knew something wasn’t right the moment it was inserted. I am pretty good with pain and this was the most painful thing I’d ever experienced. After the insertion, life went back to normal and I was quite impressed with the lack of periods. However, after abour 3 months I started getting terrible acne, something I had never experienced. Being only 6 months until my wedding and with no sign of improvement(even after many many treatments and different products), I assumed it must have been the Mirena. When I went to have it removed, they couldn’t find the string. So, after an uncomfortable ultrasound, I was told I’d have to have it surgically removed, which I did. To all the girls who still have theirs who also need to have it removed, the procedure was painless for me and they were shocked that it hadn’t been inserted whilst I was ‘under’ either. The doc who removed it said he has many girls coming in with the same issue and would never recommend it to anyone. Since having it removed my skin cleared up (thanks to a very good skin therapist I was only left with minimal scarring) and I have found Nat’s blog and been off the pill for about a year! My hormones are back in balance and I’m happier than ever! I can’t wait to start seeing if all this work has paid off and make some babies 🙂

  • October 2, 2014 By sassyranch5132.blog.com 11:24 pm

    Caan I just say what a relief to discover someonhe who really understands what thedy are discussing on the
    net. You actually realize how to bring a problem to light and
    make it important. More people have to read
    tnis and understand tthis side of the story. I wwas surprised
    that you aren’t more popular given that you most certainly
    have the gift.

  • November 5, 2014 By Melissa Kelly 9:14 pm

    I wish I had discovered this post and blog before!!
    I am another whos mirena strings went “missing”, and I have just had it surgically removed after a long long wait. Wish I had known how common this was before. The surgeon, gynae & gp kept trying to talk me into getting another put back in, but my intuition told me not to. They all looked at me strangely when I said I just wanted to let my body be after years of contraception.
    I did like the mirena whilst I had it in, as I had no bleeding at all. But looking back I wonder if my hair loss, aching feet & ankles, and mood swings were related in any way to having it in??? Who knows, but now that it is out things seem to be improving.
    Now that the mirena has been out for about 2 months, I have had my first period, and it is scarily heavy and very painful. But that has led me to your blog, so lots of reading ahead for me 🙂

  • December 29, 2014 By Emma 12:55 pm

    Hi, I was put on the pill at 15 years old but after a few years of migraines a doctor advised me to switch to the Mirena. My periods stopped immediately which at the time I thought was amazing! I used to have 6 days of bleeding. At the age of 31 I wanted a baby and had the coil removed. 3 miscarriages later at the age of 35 my period doesn’t even fill a panty liner. It’s pathetic and I now look back and think “you fool Emma”. I so wish I had had better advise but mostly that I had researched more before putting a foreign body inside me which stopped my body working properly.
    After my third miscarriage in May this year I gave up alcohol, coffee and sugar (Sarah Wilson you rock) and am educating myself as much as possible as to how to naturally heal my body and my fertility. I look forward to your e book being rereleased to assist with this.
    I feel confident that I can undo the damage done and if I’m lucky enough to have daughters I will be sure to educate them holistically when it comes to their fertility.
    Keep up the good work Nat and thank you for sharing this important information.
    Good luck ladies and have a wonderful 2015.

    • January 8, 2015 By Nat Kringoudis 10:11 pm

      Good on you for doing the work. Healing the body isn’t necessarily the easy road but it is worth it in the long run.

  • January 28, 2015 By Sydney 7:26 am

    Very scary story. I have heard friends of friends tell stories about their’s getting “lost” and what not and it definitely was on my mind when I was considering getting mine. I got mine placed 3 months after having my daughter. 3 months later I woke up on a Sunday in some pain and really nauseous. I thought it might be my appendix from where the pain was located at so I went to the ER. They did a CT scan and found a TENNIS BALL sized cyst on my ovary. TENNIS BALL…size of your fist. I was like OH MY GOSH! Turns out, when I was talking to my doctor about getting the Mirena (a great option for me as I am TERRIBLE about remembering to take pills), they just “forgot” to mention that cysts can be one of the side affects of this thing. Luckily, my cyst “popped” and in the past 3 years I haven’t had any other problems.
    I haven’t actually had a period in over a year. About once a year I will get some spotting but thats it. I know it hasn’t completely stopped my ovulation cause I still get the MAJOR cramps I always had before which I guess in turn is a good thing.
    Just some things to keep in mind when considering this particular IUD. It works really well for me and my doctor said that my cyst was my body adjusting to the local hormone which I can understand. She did say that some women have continuing issue with cysts always popping up and usually if it happens 2 or 3 times they will tell you it needs to be removed and try another alternative.

  • July 24, 2015 By Jess 10:37 pm

    I have had my mirena in for 10 months, in that time have suffered from mood swings, acne, 10+kg weight gain, etc. I am worried what to use as contraception if i get it removed as i was on the pill for 10 years, and while it did its job its not really the solution im looking for. Just wondering what other people have done/used once getting mirena removed?

    • August 20, 2015 By Nat Kringoudis 9:14 pm

      I’d encourage you to look into why those symptoms are there. Begin treating this before you take your mirena out and you can expect they symptoms will be far less.

  • May 29, 2016 By Bee 7:31 pm

    I’ve had my mirena for about 8 months now. Since its insertion and laparoscopy for Endo, I haven’t had a single period. I can definitely say that I don’t miss the pain! I’ve been becoming increasingly concerned about the effect its having on my body. I’ve had anxiety for years now, but when my mirena was first inserted, for about 3 months, it was horrible. I was depressed and having suicidal thoughts. I’m past all of that now thank god, but have no sex drive at all and my hair is falling out (not in clumps, but my once thick hair is thinning very quickly). I’ve cleaned up my diet and exercise regularly, but shifting weight is a nightmare (though it was on my pill also). Could this all be from the mirena?

    • June 3, 2016 By Nat Kringoudis 8:25 am

      Hey Bee – it may very well be associated with the Mirena. Unfortunately they don’t come without side effects. In the mean while you might like to do as much as you can to support your body with good nutrition, gut support and helping your liver do it’s best whilst under the stress is may be placing on your body. There’s heaps of info on my site that you may like. I hope that helps. x

  • August 28, 2016 By Genki 8:20 pm

    Hi, I had my miners removed 7 weeks ago. I experienced 10 days of extreme bleeding afterwards, but none since. Am also experienced hot flushes. I am 45. Just looking for ideas to get my balance back
    Thank you

    • August 28, 2016 By Genki 8:20 pm

      Ah autocorrect – My MIrena!

    • September 3, 2016 By Nat Kringoudis 7:14 am

      Hi Genki! It’s super hard for me to give you advice without knowing more but I’d really love to help you. Start with a good multivitamin and fish oil as a base. Then we need to work out what is really the issue with your hormones. Maybe one of my team could help you in my clinic?

  • October 18, 2016 By Jus 8:49 pm

    Im booked in to have a mirena put in in a few weeks due to every other form of contraception (apart from condoms) being a nightmare. Im not ready for children but dont know what else do to. Abstinence is obvisouly out of the question lol

  • October 18, 2016 By Lulu 10:52 pm

    I’m going to buck the trend here! I’ve been pro naturopathic and CM for most of my adult life. CM helped me to conceive my two boys after all.

    I’ve always had cycles slightly out of whack though but since my second son was born they were offic. Pain like I’ve never experience in my life. Pmt that was terrifying to me and made me feel like a monster. But the worst was that I bled nearly every day. My periods didn’t stop. I went to two gyno’s and a chinese medicine doctor. One gyno said she wasn’t sure, possibly endo, but she wanted to do a laparoscopy and hysteroscopy. CM doc said I had endo. Thought I was riddled with it. He referred me to another Gyno. I ended up seeing a different one and he said he didn’t think it was endo at all but he was happy to look at it. He thought instead I had a haematometra and a very tight cervix which is a painful and problematic combination and importantly explained all my symptoms perfectly. He wanted me to try a mirena too.

    I of course said no. Twice. He eventually asked me to come in and discuss it. To cut a long story short, we agreed to a lap and hysteroscopy to see if any endo and a mirena. If I hated it I could see him any time and he’d remove it immediately.

    Well, he was 100% correct on everything. He found not even a hint of endo. But he did find the haematometra, and addressed it which he believes has been the cause of most of my cycle issues. The mirena in part helps with this too.

    I’ve had the mirena for a few months now. These are my results:

    I’m losing weight again (before I was steadily increasing despite working out daily and eating very well)
    My acne is completely gone
    My pmt and mood swings are so minor I barely notice them
    I have Z E R O pain for the first time in literally years
    I have no daily bleeding and no period.

    I’m so happy with all this I cannot even explain it. Except the last point. That makes me feel weird, but given the other results I’ll deal.

    I realise my situation is probably quite different from the reasons most people get mirenas. I realise many people have catastrophic side effects. But I just wanted to say that sometimes, in some cases, it can change your life for the better. I’m still very pro natural medicine, as is my gyno, but I’m so glad I took the chance on it.

    The one thing that I’m sad about is that I didn’t even see how miserable I was before. I had no idea. I suffered every day and pain just became normal for me. I do worry if the mirena will hurt me long term, but for now, it is nice to feel normal for a change. My husband and kids have noticed how different I am and my husband actually commented that he felt so bad that even he had no idea how unhappy I’d been.

    So yeah. I’m not saying run out and get one, but find a great medical (natural or gyno) doc, do your research and do what works for you and is in your best interests. 🙂

    • October 23, 2016 By Nat Kringoudis 12:05 pm

      Glad to hear you have found solution. I think always being mindful of the long term effects means you can not only be prepare but also support your body in what works for you x

  • April 21, 2017 By Mikyla Whitfield 12:06 pm

    I had a Mirena for almost 3 years, and it completely changed my life. I gained 30+ lbs, in spite of exercise and healthy eating, my face broke out like a pre-pubescent teenager, my depression and anxiety went through the roof, I had headaches almost daily and just felt miserable in general. I tried to have my Mirena removed twice, and twice my DR told me she couldn’t feel the strings. I was sent for an ultra sound to make sure it was still correctly placed, which it was. I finally got it removed this past Monday (4 days ago), and now I am experiencing the dreaded Mirena crash. Never again will I put a foreign man made object that produces hormones in my body ever again. I should have listened to myself in the beginning.

    • April 27, 2017 By Nat Kringoudis 2:35 pm

      I hope you find all the info you need here! Sorry you’ve had to go through this x

  • June 27, 2017 By Kate H 10:23 am

    Hi Nat,
    I would love to know if you’ve seen any link to mirena removal and joint pain. Since removing the mirena I had for 5 years about 6 weeks ago I have had regular periods which is fab but I have had some joint pain in my wrist and fingers. I had similar late in my pregnancies and I wonder if it could be my body re-adjusting hormonally?

    • June 28, 2017 By Nat Kringoudis 3:09 pm

      I would say it’s an issue with the gut – make sure you’re onto rebuilding the microbiome/flora and intestinal permeability and see. x

  • September 26, 2017 By Kate 2:53 pm

    9 months after my second child was born I thought it would be a good idea to use some contraception, on the off chance I felt like having sex I didnt want to fall pregnant again (yet). I had a Mirena in for 3 weeks but after experiencing mood swings, constant tiredness and feeling hungover/foggy everyday, I started to wonder if the Mirena was causing me more harm than good. I was suffering from sleep deprivation and the usual juggling that goes with having a toddler and a 9 month old. But I didn’t feel myself. I guess I went for the Mirena with the idea that it was less intense than the Pill and the idea of no periods was a plus. But straight after I had it put in I had servere cramps, like the worst period pain ever. I just didn’t feel right. My skin broke out. I had spotting and light bleeding the whole 3 weeks until I had it removed. I was actually worse off! After it was removed I had a heavy period – but I felt so much better almost straight away. Even my husband said he could tell the difference. It just wasn’t for me. Definitely not. I’m not sure what I will do now in terms of contraception but I’m going to let my body readjust and do its thing before I mess with anything again. I’d rather get back in tune with my natural rhythm and track my cycle and avoid fertile days – than have the synthetic hormones making me feel like a crazy person.

    • October 6, 2017 By Nat Kringoudis 8:23 am

      I’m so sorry you had to go through this. Understanding your own body really is the biggest gift and easier than we might think! <3

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