Mirena

[MrsGizzard]

I had radical exision surgery 6 weeks aho and had the coil fitted. The recovry was ok, initially. but recently theres been Period like pain and diarrhoea every couple of days. It feels like I've got food poisoning and my entire menstrual cycle going over 48-72 hours and then it all begins again. Is this the dreaded coil?

[Oamanda6]

I had terrible pain and bleeding and had to get it removed. They do try and tell you to keep it in for a while till it settles but I hated it and bled daily. Do you have any foul smelling discharge? As can get infections via coil insertions.

Hope you feel better soon xx

[Jenny77]

Hi, i hope ur feeling a bit better. I had the coil fitted in 2007 briefly and had to get it removed two weeks later due to the awful cramps i could hardly walk. I have had it fitted again in dec 2012 After my 3rd lap and iv got to say its turned my life around. I have had 3 laps since 2010 and have had nothing but terrible pain, horrendous mood swings and constantly feeling below par, no energy, feeling sick and unwell most days. My left ovary is stuck to my bowel and i have had issues since my last lap with more bad pain and other issues. The coil however has stopped the terrible heavy periods every month, this combined with a low dose antidepressant has reduced the terrible depressions and mood swings. It took from dec 2012 until the end of march this year to settle down, i bled every day and was ready for having the thing removed again then i just stopped bleeding. i have issues with my bowel and as you have described i get cramping and really loose bowel movements most days, this is being looked into at present via a colonoscopy. I believe however endo is linked with bowel problems i have had this for years. I agree witht the comment above have the doc check you out for any infections to rule that out. My point here is i too was ready for getting the coil out but to not have a period for months and a reduction in the terrible pain and mood swings has been a godsend. This hasnt got rid of the bad days where im shattered, sore, no energy and have the bowel thing going on, BUT, the dreaded monthly period is gone and it makes everything else easier to deal with. My only advice is do try and hang in there with it, it seemed like an eternity bleeding for months but it turns a corner and u suddenly realise that its working. The mirena gets bad press and as i said i got the first one removed but i am so glad iv stuk this one out, its made a huge difference to me as a person. The first two days of my period were hell, couldnt walk due to the pain, crying, flooding, and the week before was horrendous. Now i have none of that each month and got my life back. I still get low on energy and sore but nothing like before (and iv saved money on pads and painkillers lol). Theres been no weight gain with the coil or other side effects people seem to get but everyone is different. You need to decide whats right for u but i just wanted to tell you my good experience so far with it, a bit of pain at the start reaps so many benefits in the long run. I hope this may be helps luv and u feel better soon x

[LittleMissManx Moderator]

Hi Mrs Gizzard

I had a Mirena coil fitted to try and cope with the pain and symptoms of endo but it was removed after 10 weeks. I really wanted it to work for me despite hearing less than positive stories from other ladies. Sadly I had symptoms like yours plus very bad headaches that my usual painkillers wouldnt touch

I was sent to hospital by my GP as she was concerned the severity of my headache meant something major.I had many tests including a lumbar puncture and a brain scan but nothing abnormal was seen. On discharge it was classed as a hemiplegic migraine and i was after this that my Mirena and I parted company. I think the Mirena was to blame as I have ever had such a bad headache since and this was 3 years ago now.

Gynaes and GP's like their patients to try the Mirena for a minimum of 3 months before deciding if its for you or not. If you can perservere a bit longer you may find the side-effects reduce once your body gets used to the coil being in-situ. There seems to be a split of ladies who really get on with the coil and love it and those who really don't and can't wait for its removal.

Good luck and hope things settle for for you

Caroline, x

[Bluetit]

I'm on month 5 of having my coil and to be honest i didn't think i would last 2 weeks with it. Having it fitted was the worse experience of my life and it took a while for the pains to settle. Saying this i am so happy i stuck it out. I bled for just over 3 months with only a couple of days break but touch wood have not bled for 3 weeks now. I have ibs and my bowels did suffer to begin with but this did settle quick quickly, i would speak to your GP and see what they think about this as it could be happening for a number of reasons. If you can hang on in there for a few months, i'm glad i did as just 2 months ago i was considering handing in my notice, selling my car and getting a zero hours contract/ casual work until i was better. Now i feel like i have some of my life back and although i have some more issues to iron out i feel there is hope of getting back to my pain free life.