Wednesday 24 May 2017

Mirena Removal Update

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A while ago, I wrote about my struggles with the Mirena IUD. It's still one of the most popular posts on this blog, and for good reason -- birth control is a big deal, and can pretty much make or break your life. Even if there are no slip-ups that result in an unplanned pregnancy, your hormones govern much of your life, and even a slight shift can make living in your own body an absolute hell.

I got my Mirena removed two years before its expiry date because of unexplained weight gain, excessive hair-fall, inexplicable tiredness (and even more inexplicable sleeping problems), a persistent, tingly numbness (aka "pins and needles"). It's been a year since removal, and I've noticed some changes. If you are thinking about removing your Mirena, this is the post for you -- I had no idea what crazy stuff my body would pull on me afterwards. But let's start with the good things.

Pros: Everything is better


Firstly, weight loss. There was no dramatic change in my weight immediately after removal, but I did notice a very slow and subtle reduction of the fat that had bothered me so much beforehand. I also noticed that my energy picked up dramatically -- I no longer go through period of utterly crushing tiredness and the accompanying feelings of despair that used to make me feel even more exhausted. Because of this, I also feel more capable when I do my workouts.

My hair pretty much immediately stopped falling out the way it used to in the past. Hairdressers tell me how healthy it is. A cousin of mine was giving me a French plait and mentioned that my ponytail felt like a thick rope. Basically, my hair is flourishing and happy again. I still have to clear out occasional clumps from the shower drain, but there are no longer home-grown tumbleweeds blowing around the house.

The super-weird pins and needles feeling that used to plague me after thirty seconds of regular sitting doesn't happen any more. Why would pins and needles be a problem, you ask? Because it happened constantly, whether or not I crossed my legs or was in an odd position. It was so painful that I wouldn't be able to move, and sometimes it genuinely felt worrying -- you start wondering about your circulation when your extremities feel perpetually in danger of falling off entirely. I don't know what about the Mirena caused it (and the doctors I spoke to dismissed the correlation), but my life is honestly so much better without the near-constant tingly pain.

Cons: Weaning off the Mirena


Obviously, my life has improved without the constant hormonal influx from the IUD. It did take a while to get there though. Cutting my body off from the sweet, sweet progesterone it had become so accustomed to had some very gory consequences. Content warning: if you are freaked out by blood 'n stuff, you might wish to stop reading now.

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an accurate representation
My first post-Mirena period lasted eight days and happened pretty shortly after removal, but it was no regular eight days. It was the gender-bent equivalent of 300. I couldn't always handle the regularity of the Mooncup changes -- with perhaps two hours between emptying, my sleep was interrupted and I stopped changing my sheets when I couldn't keep up with the laundry loads. Ditto pants. Sometimes, you just have to cut your losses and make peace with the fact that you'll be sitting in dried blood for a few days. I started popping a spare pair of undies along with a Ziplock baggie into my handbag when I was out for the day -- not that it mattered; the new ones would be soaked within hours anyway. My body was freaking out and using hormonal time-travel to shed uterine lining I hadn't even generated yet, and it was horrifying. When you see fleshy chunks about half the size of a golfball fall from your body, you start feeling like you've inadvertently assumed the lead in the new Alien film.

After that carnage, I didn't have another period for 43 days. My regular cycle lasts 26-28 days in total (thanks Clue!), so this was abnormal to say the least. Other than the excessive gore, it was a fairly symptom-free period -- no really awful cramps; just endless iron tablets and never enough dry pants.

Right now, I have a 'normal' period of about five days, with a manageable flow. Although my Mirena-period was very convenient in that it was present enough to dissuade thoughts of pregnancy but limited to spotting, the Tarantino-esque onslaught of carnage that followed removal really made me appreciate a 'regular' period flow again.

If you had any problems with hormonal birth control, tell me about it! Otherwise, I'd love to know if the Mirena is working for you.

8 comments:

  1. how long does it take for weight loss after marina. it has been 2 weeks since i had mine removed after 2 years in..no weight loss yet..but few days after i had bad body aches & hot flushes and some slight bleeding.

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    1. Hey Sharon!

      Personally, I didn't find it to be a sort of magical weight-loss experience -- it was more that my body was actually capable of losing weight. When I was on the Mirena, my only weight fluctuation was upwards, despite copious exercise and an incredibly strict diet.

      Now, two years after removal, I still need to actually "try" to lose weight, but the fact is that I can -- it's not impossible any more.

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  2. I haven't had the happiest experiences with both the pill and Mirena so I thought I'd share my experiences in hopes someone finds them useful. I've tried two different kinds of pills: TriNessa and Chateal. TriNessa caused slight weight gain, Chateal however was the worst of the two. I was on it for about 3 months, and all 3 months it triggered yeast infections. Both pills made me have ridiculous mood swings and intensified my emotions, to the point where I did not feel like myself anymore, making me steer away from the pill with no desire to go back to it. I decided to try Mirena with the hopes of being one of the lucky ones whose period went away because of it and due to its low maintenance but I ended up being one of the unlucky ones who experienced an expulsion. My first Mirena was inserted in November 2017 and expelled by April 2018. I must admit, after hearing wonders about Mirena from friends, I got overly confident in it and did not check my strings after the first 2 months because I had the mindset of "nothing wrong will ever happen to me" and I did not have a followup doctor's appointment. When I did get the guts to check my strings, I had absolutely no symptoms, no red flags, absolutely nothing telling me there was something wrong besides guilt of not checking after a couple of months. I just did it. To my surprise, I could feel my strings tucked around the right side of my cervix (like normal for me) but I could also feel the end of the string on the other (left) side of my cervix (a first, not normal for me). I immediately panicked and made an appointment with my doctor where I was told my IUD was expelling and was in my cervix instead of my uterus. I had to wait 2 weeks for the IUD removal to ensure I was not pregnant and was told to use backup protection until the removal.
    A couple of days later my partner and I had sex which triggered cramping on my lower left side of my leg/vaginal area the next day, it felt like a small toothpick was stuck in between my leg and vaginal area. I made yet another appointment for that same week and was told my Mirena strings were now 4 inches long when they had originally been cut 2 inches long, meaning my Mirena was continuing to travel down.
    I decided to give Mirena another try and had the old one removed and a new one inserted during the same visit. I was also given a vaginal ultrasound to ensure the placement was correct. I had my follow up appointment 5 weeks later (May 2018) where they did yet another vaginal ultrasound and was assured everything was okay with this second Mirena. I'm just hoping it stays that way!

    Things I should also mention:

    -I have never been pregnant.
    -The only difference so far with both are that with my first Mirena I spotted for 2 weeks and with the second Mirena I didn't start spotting until 2 days after insertion and spotted for approximately 3 weeks after.
    -I didn't have a period for 2 months (March and April 2018), causing a pregnancy scare around the time of expulsion and reinsertion. My doctor said it was probably my body trying to adjust to everything it was going through.
    -My partner said they could feel the strings with the first Mirena and do not feel them at all with this new one. It was never painful to him, but he could just feel them.
    -I have not experienced noticeable weight gain or loss with either Mirena.
    -My first Mirena gave me irregular flows with my periods and this second Mirena has made my one and only period so far, lighter.

    Sorry this is so long but I hope it helps someone in any way!

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    Replies
    1. Yikes; what an ordeal! I hope round two with the Mirena is better! Take care of yourself and monitor your body to stay safe xo

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  3. Thank you so much! I had it removeda month ago. I had spotting that I thought was a period... Until 7days ago. I am currently a beautiful flowing mess. I am so grateful to read your experience and have hope that this is not the new norm!

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  4. I had my mirena removed a week ago, after 6 years and I still have not had a period or any bleeding.

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  5. You've inspired me and I'm taking mines out today....

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    Replies
    1. I really felt like it was better for me to go hormone-free .. The Mirena seems to help some people but I wasn't one of them! I hope you feel better after removal x

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