Disclosure: This blog contains some sexual references as it is about my experience with the IUD, Mirena (birth control). If lady parts, birth control or surgery makes you uncomfortable then please skip this post. I am not a doctor. This is my personal story about how Mirena ruined my body. You can read my blog's full policy HERE.
I am coming up on a year since I made one of the worst decisions of my life. I have decided to share with you my story on birth control gone wrong in hopes of possibly preventing it from happing to someone else.
If you don't follow my blog, welcome, you are here for a reason whither it is researching Mirena or you are in the same situation I was/am and your Mirena migrated outside your uterus; just know that you are not alone. If you are following my blog, you know that I have three beautiful children and that I had three babies in three years. Yes I wanted my children close in age but not that close, needless to say, God had a different plan.
When I was pregnant with my third child, my husband and I started to talk about different forms of birth control because my body needed a break. Condoms obviously weren't working, I knew too many people that became pregnant on the pill, the shot takes to many doctor visits, I heard a lot of bad things on the arm implant and surgery was out of the question because we still talk about growing our family in a couple years which brings me to an IUD.
If you don't follow my blog, welcome, you are here for a reason whither it is researching Mirena or you are in the same situation I was/am and your Mirena migrated outside your uterus; just know that you are not alone. If you are following my blog, you know that I have three beautiful children and that I had three babies in three years. Yes I wanted my children close in age but not that close, needless to say, God had a different plan.
When I was pregnant with my third child, my husband and I started to talk about different forms of birth control because my body needed a break. Condoms obviously weren't working, I knew too many people that became pregnant on the pill, the shot takes to many doctor visits, I heard a lot of bad things on the arm implant and surgery was out of the question because we still talk about growing our family in a couple years which brings me to an IUD.
There are several different types of IUD's but I decided to get Mirena. My OBGYN said that Mirena is the most common one and that's what he recommended. I made a Facebook post in a mom thread to get other local mother's views and it was very close but the good ended up outweighing the bad reviews. I researched it and read a ton of reviews, threads and statistics but obviously not enough.
There are several Mirena horror stories out there because people don't tend to share the good but I found some positive stories in the the comments sections. In the end, I had to make a decision and it was a hard choice to make because I've never been on any form of birth control so this was all new to me. I was afraid I would have horrible side effects, that I would get pregnant on it or that my husband would be able to feel it and it would be uncomfortable.
After going back and forth I finally decided to get Mirena and what a mistake that was. Advertisers advertise IUD's as this awesome form of birth control that is hassle free. Put it in and 5 years later get it out. No remembering to take a pill everyday, sounds great right? Wrong.
Mirena was one of the worst decisions I ever made and I would not wish it upon anyone.
There are several Mirena horror stories out there because people don't tend to share the good but I found some positive stories in the the comments sections. In the end, I had to make a decision and it was a hard choice to make because I've never been on any form of birth control so this was all new to me. I was afraid I would have horrible side effects, that I would get pregnant on it or that my husband would be able to feel it and it would be uncomfortable.
After going back and forth I finally decided to get Mirena and what a mistake that was. Advertisers advertise IUD's as this awesome form of birth control that is hassle free. Put it in and 5 years later get it out. No remembering to take a pill everyday, sounds great right? Wrong.
Mirena was one of the worst decisions I ever made and I would not wish it upon anyone.
What is an IUD?
An IUD is an internal, long-lasting birth control device that is T-shaped. They last 5-10 years and come in plastic or copper depending on the kind.
What is Mirena?
Mireana is a T-shaped, plastic IUD that is inserted into your uterus for a long term birth control method. It last up to 5 years and can be taken out at any time. Mirena basically thickens your uteran walls to help prevent fertilization. If you want to know more check out their website, mirena-us.com, for more information. I believe Mirena was released in the year 2000.
My Insertion Process
When I originally went in for my postpartum check up I was expecting to get Mirena. The nurse supposedly had it noted but never ran it through insurance and due to all the hormones from just having a baby I broke down in the doctor's office. She was very rude and said I can only get it today if I pay out of pocket which wasn't going to happen since they said it would minimally be $700. Even though I was upset I took it as I wasn't suppose to get it yet because it was to early but I should of taken it as a big red flag and not gotten it at all.
Nine days later I was back in the office to get Mirena. I took Tylenol before hand since I heard it hurt. The insertion process was uncomfortable but the doctor said everything went smooth and it was easy to insert. Basically your OBGYN shoves the Mirena through your closed cervix so you will feel a sharp pain and bleed a little. It does hurt but it is nothing compared to child birth.
If you have never had children I believe they give you a medication to dilate your cervix before insertion but I could be wrong so don't hold me to it. They will also give you a medication to help prevent infections after insertion. The medication made me very nauseous and even sick but you have to take it.
The following days I spotted on and off, felt sore and had sharp pains here and there. The hormones Mirena put off caused me to start my menstrual cycle. I spotted once a week later but besides that had normal menstrual cycles. I was glad because I had heard from others that you can bleed/spot for three to six months straight after insertion so I thought maybe I was lucky, maybe my body accepted Mirena but obviously I was wrong. About a month out I felt some sharp cutting pains that made me stop what I was doing every time it happened. I was walking down the hallway and literally grabbed onto the wall and stopped moving it hurt so bad. I thought it was really bad cramps at the time.
A few days after I had gotten Mirena put in I had read that you are suppose to have a follow up visit with in 4-6 weeks and my doctor scheduled my follow up for 6 months out. I called to double check and was transferred to a nurse who stated she had never heard of that and my doctor likes to check his patients at 6 months unless something is wrong so of course I listened to the professionals but I shouldn't of because if I had gotten a check-up at 4-6 weeks, maybe just maybe my doctor would of noticed it had moved and would of been able to remove it instead of having it perforate my uterus.
Also before I got Mirena the nurse said I could check the strings every few months if I could feel them to make sure it was in place. I tried a couple times and could never find them but thought maybe my doctor just cut them a little short. I was told/read that others couldn't find their strings either but everything was fine so I didn't think anything of it. Before you get Mirena make sure you do your research and make sure you do a follow up within 4-6 weeks and check for your strings in hopes of preventing the same thing happening to you.
My Side Effects
Over time I started getting headaches, dizziness and gained about 10 pounds. After about four months I got super bloated. I also noticed that I felt depressed more often, I was getting sharp pains in my chest and my sex drive decreased. I also had lower back pain which may or may not be related. I hated what was happening to my body but I wasn't ready to have another baby so I tried to push through it.
I ended up throwing my hip out of place and hurting my back so I went to the chiropractor where I noticed via x-ray that my Mirena looked to be out of place. I immediately scheduled an appointment with my OBGYN. The nurse stated that it is rare and that x-rays flip the images and that everything was fine but she was wrong. If you are a nurse, please don't give your patients false hope when you know nothing about the situation because it only makes it worse.
My OBGYN couldn't find the strings. He did an internal and external ultrasound and couldn't find my Mirena. He sent me for an x-ray which didn't help located it either. Two weeks later I had a laparoscopic surgery to remove the Mirena. My Mirena had migrated through my uterus wall and was located down and to the left side. The doctor said the laparoscopic surgery went fine and everything looked fine down there and that I can have more children but we won't know for sure until we try as there is still the possibility of being infertile.
My Surgery Process
For those of you who don't know how a laparoscopic surgery for Mirena works, you are put to sleep then the doctor cuts a hole in your belly button and goes in with a camera to locate the Mirena. They then make an cut close to where they located the Mirena and remove it. I was on anesthesia so I'm not sure if they just pull it out or suctioned it out, I guess it depends on the location and if the string is caught on anything.
I woke up after surgery shaking and I couldn't breathe or open my eyes. I remember the nurse yelling breathe, breathe, breathe and I heard beeping. I eventually was able to fully come to and was given a blanket for my shaking. Within a few minutes I was discharged and taken to my car. I know they didn't keep me as long as they should of as it was time for several of them to go home. I was given medication and by the time I got home I was vomiting. I vomited a handful of times on the medication.
Since I have had Mirena removed I experienced headaches, my vision randomly would get blurry and I don't have the urge to do anything. I have had to go to the doctor for my side effects and even had to have an MRI done. I am hoping this is just my bodies way of getting rid of the hormones and not something more serious.
They say it takes at least six months for the body to get rid of the hormones so I hope it clears up soon but it isn't looking like it as it has officially been six months since my surgery and I am still experiencing headaches mainly around ovulation and my menstrual cycle, the longest running about 6 hours. My face is breaking out more than it did in high school and I am now experiencing ovulation pain in both my uterus and cervix along with other symptoms that I believe are related to the surgery process or a hormone imbalance caused by Mirena and needless to say the doctors have been no help.
On top of that I now also face the fact that even though my doctor said everything looked fine down there post surgery that I may still end up with scar tissue that can lead to infertility.
Mirena or any IUD in general is not something to be taken lightly. This is real. These are real side affects and I wouldn't wish them on anybody.
When I originally went in for my postpartum check up I was expecting to get Mirena. The nurse supposedly had it noted but never ran it through insurance and due to all the hormones from just having a baby I broke down in the doctor's office. She was very rude and said I can only get it today if I pay out of pocket which wasn't going to happen since they said it would minimally be $700. Even though I was upset I took it as I wasn't suppose to get it yet because it was to early but I should of taken it as a big red flag and not gotten it at all.
Nine days later I was back in the office to get Mirena. I took Tylenol before hand since I heard it hurt. The insertion process was uncomfortable but the doctor said everything went smooth and it was easy to insert. Basically your OBGYN shoves the Mirena through your closed cervix so you will feel a sharp pain and bleed a little. It does hurt but it is nothing compared to child birth.
If you have never had children I believe they give you a medication to dilate your cervix before insertion but I could be wrong so don't hold me to it. They will also give you a medication to help prevent infections after insertion. The medication made me very nauseous and even sick but you have to take it.
The following days I spotted on and off, felt sore and had sharp pains here and there. The hormones Mirena put off caused me to start my menstrual cycle. I spotted once a week later but besides that had normal menstrual cycles. I was glad because I had heard from others that you can bleed/spot for three to six months straight after insertion so I thought maybe I was lucky, maybe my body accepted Mirena but obviously I was wrong. About a month out I felt some sharp cutting pains that made me stop what I was doing every time it happened. I was walking down the hallway and literally grabbed onto the wall and stopped moving it hurt so bad. I thought it was really bad cramps at the time.
A few days after I had gotten Mirena put in I had read that you are suppose to have a follow up visit with in 4-6 weeks and my doctor scheduled my follow up for 6 months out. I called to double check and was transferred to a nurse who stated she had never heard of that and my doctor likes to check his patients at 6 months unless something is wrong so of course I listened to the professionals but I shouldn't of because if I had gotten a check-up at 4-6 weeks, maybe just maybe my doctor would of noticed it had moved and would of been able to remove it instead of having it perforate my uterus.
Also before I got Mirena the nurse said I could check the strings every few months if I could feel them to make sure it was in place. I tried a couple times and could never find them but thought maybe my doctor just cut them a little short. I was told/read that others couldn't find their strings either but everything was fine so I didn't think anything of it. Before you get Mirena make sure you do your research and make sure you do a follow up within 4-6 weeks and check for your strings in hopes of preventing the same thing happening to you.
My Side Effects
Over time I started getting headaches, dizziness and gained about 10 pounds. After about four months I got super bloated. I also noticed that I felt depressed more often, I was getting sharp pains in my chest and my sex drive decreased. I also had lower back pain which may or may not be related. I hated what was happening to my body but I wasn't ready to have another baby so I tried to push through it.
I ended up throwing my hip out of place and hurting my back so I went to the chiropractor where I noticed via x-ray that my Mirena looked to be out of place. I immediately scheduled an appointment with my OBGYN. The nurse stated that it is rare and that x-rays flip the images and that everything was fine but she was wrong. If you are a nurse, please don't give your patients false hope when you know nothing about the situation because it only makes it worse.
My OBGYN couldn't find the strings. He did an internal and external ultrasound and couldn't find my Mirena. He sent me for an x-ray which didn't help located it either. Two weeks later I had a laparoscopic surgery to remove the Mirena. My Mirena had migrated through my uterus wall and was located down and to the left side. The doctor said the laparoscopic surgery went fine and everything looked fine down there and that I can have more children but we won't know for sure until we try as there is still the possibility of being infertile.
For those of you who don't know how a laparoscopic surgery for Mirena works, you are put to sleep then the doctor cuts a hole in your belly button and goes in with a camera to locate the Mirena. They then make an cut close to where they located the Mirena and remove it. I was on anesthesia so I'm not sure if they just pull it out or suctioned it out, I guess it depends on the location and if the string is caught on anything.
I woke up after surgery shaking and I couldn't breathe or open my eyes. I remember the nurse yelling breathe, breathe, breathe and I heard beeping. I eventually was able to fully come to and was given a blanket for my shaking. Within a few minutes I was discharged and taken to my car. I know they didn't keep me as long as they should of as it was time for several of them to go home. I was given medication and by the time I got home I was vomiting. I vomited a handful of times on the medication.
Since I have had Mirena removed I experienced headaches, my vision randomly would get blurry and I don't have the urge to do anything. I have had to go to the doctor for my side effects and even had to have an MRI done. I am hoping this is just my bodies way of getting rid of the hormones and not something more serious.
They say it takes at least six months for the body to get rid of the hormones so I hope it clears up soon but it isn't looking like it as it has officially been six months since my surgery and I am still experiencing headaches mainly around ovulation and my menstrual cycle, the longest running about 6 hours. My face is breaking out more than it did in high school and I am now experiencing ovulation pain in both my uterus and cervix along with other symptoms that I believe are related to the surgery process or a hormone imbalance caused by Mirena and needless to say the doctors have been no help.
On top of that I now also face the fact that even though my doctor said everything looked fine down there post surgery that I may still end up with scar tissue that can lead to infertility.
Mirena or any IUD in general is not something to be taken lightly. This is real. These are real side affects and I wouldn't wish them on anybody.
Since my surgery, IUD commercials and ads are popping up all over the place. They make it sound like their are so many benefits to getting an IUD, the main one being that you never have to remember to take the pill again but please don't fall for the ads.
It is all a marketing scheme and it's not worth the damage it can do to your body. Your cervix is closed and empty for a reason and it needs to stay that way.
I managed to have three babies in three years without getting cut open and the one thing that is suppose to stop you from having babies left me with a scar.
Mirena advertises that is last 5 years and mine didn't even last 5 months. They say that you have a higher chance of having a stroke than Mirena perforating or migrating in your uterus and that only 1 in 1000 Mirena's will perforate or migrate. Although I think that statistic is way off I am now part of that statistic. I am 1 out of the 1000 women that had Mirena cut through their uterus and get lost inside of them.
I try to think positive and say that it could of been worse, it could of caused more damage, I could of gotten pregnant on it, God must really want me to have more children but the fact is that Bayer is profiting off a dangerous product and could care less who they hurt.
This is a serious issue as Mirena has caused several women to become infertile and have surgical procedures to have Mirena removed from their body then are left footing the hospital bills that run from $3000 to $7000+. Bayer blames the malfunction of the product on the OBGYNs and won't take credit for it possibly being their product.
The least Bayer could do is cover the hospital bills when their product decides to go haywire. Mirena is not a friend of mine and I DO NOT recommend getting it. Everybody has their own opinion and experience since hormones and Mirena itself effect everybody differently but after my experience I would not recommend it to any one.
It is all a marketing scheme and it's not worth the damage it can do to your body. Your cervix is closed and empty for a reason and it needs to stay that way.
I managed to have three babies in three years without getting cut open and the one thing that is suppose to stop you from having babies left me with a scar.
Mirena advertises that is last 5 years and mine didn't even last 5 months. They say that you have a higher chance of having a stroke than Mirena perforating or migrating in your uterus and that only 1 in 1000 Mirena's will perforate or migrate. Although I think that statistic is way off I am now part of that statistic. I am 1 out of the 1000 women that had Mirena cut through their uterus and get lost inside of them.
I try to think positive and say that it could of been worse, it could of caused more damage, I could of gotten pregnant on it, God must really want me to have more children but the fact is that Bayer is profiting off a dangerous product and could care less who they hurt.
This is a serious issue as Mirena has caused several women to become infertile and have surgical procedures to have Mirena removed from their body then are left footing the hospital bills that run from $3000 to $7000+. Bayer blames the malfunction of the product on the OBGYNs and won't take credit for it possibly being their product.
The least Bayer could do is cover the hospital bills when their product decides to go haywire. Mirena is not a friend of mine and I DO NOT recommend getting it. Everybody has their own opinion and experience since hormones and Mirena itself effect everybody differently but after my experience I would not recommend it to any one.
I encourage you to report any issues or negative side effects
of Mirena to the FDA at www.fda.gov
or call 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332)
8 Comments
Hi OMG I'm so sorry you went thru that I have a similar story mines is upside down ☹️ and past months I been having cramps and bleeding a little. My obgyn wants me to come in to have it removed to place a new one but not sure if I should don't want the same thing to happen again what should I do?
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully everything goes well with the removal process. I can not tell you what you should do as the decision is up to you and it is your body. My obgyn told me that he wouldn't recommend me getting another one since it moved the first time but I have heard of people getting them again and having better luck. There is no way of knowing what will happen. I would talk to your obgyn, possibly look into other forms of birth control and follow your instinct. Good Luck!
DeleteOmg I read this whole story and it all just happened to my i had emergency surgery 6 days ago my iud went through my uterus and they found it laying on my stomack had it removed i dont know how it happened or what I had done to have this happen to me all act like nothing bad has happened i had went in when I started feeling light headed and dizzy I was bleeding thinking it was my period and it wasn't i was going through tampons every 2 hrs or less and leaking blood through my clothes. Long story short in beginning I kid gotten the mirena almost a yr ago when I first got it 2 weeks later I was passing huge clots went to er for it they said that the clots were build up from the mirena getting put in scrapping against my uteran walls then finally came out did a follow up appointment with an ob next day he did an ultrasound to see the mirena was there but told me he didn't like where it was at should be up hogher in my uterus so he had me come in take that 1 out and re due it do I did after the second time he took ultrasound said went up further but still not where he wanted it and wanted to do it a third time i couldn't keep doing it so I left it months qent by no periods loved it then I started gwt cramps like period cramps nothing to severe started bleeding be light then my normal heavy and stopped it happened i believe 3 or 4 times but this last time the bleeding didn't stop just kept coming and coming was light spotting in beginning then bam heavy and not my normal heavy ive leaked rhrough least 3 underwear and pants and 16 tampons within a day got light headed dizzy and noticed my speech was slurring went to er did everything thata when they told me what happened and asked me if i had experience a lot of pain which I didn't but am lucky didnt puncher any organs I still dk how any of it happened I didn't do much had me thinking did the doctor mess up and it just took a while how long was it sitting on top of my stomack and didn't move question I will never get an answer too but now I have to suffer the consequences
ReplyDeleteOh my, I am so sorry. That is horrible that you had to experience that. Thank goodness you went to the ER and got it removed. Unfortunately you will never know. The doctors blame the product. The product company blames the doctors but you did nothing wrong. Hopefully things start looking up for you. Thank you so much for sharing your story!
DeleteThey is definitely risk. I had years of copper IUDs with no problems. Had to have the Morena as a last ditch endometriosis treatment. Ended up with a perforation, infection and having a hysterectomy as it took away all my options. That said just do your research before committing, that "tiny" perforation risk is sufficient for them to warn you of it when they consent you for the procedure.
ReplyDeleteThat's crazy. I feel like they falsify their data because a lot of women talk about Mirena migrating. Its so sad. I did my research too and it definitely didn't hold up to all the rave. I hope you are doing better now.
DeleteThis is awful. I had the copper iud, which I had removed because of heavy bleeding. Then I had skyla with no issues. Tried mirena for the first time and doctors say its migrated. I am waiting to hear back from obgyn to find out about getting this thing removed asap!
ReplyDeleteOh no, If the other ones stayed put, it has to be Mirena. I hope they can find it and safely remove it. I don not wish this upon anyone.
Delete