Considering lap and Mirena

[Chologe]

Hi! I'm 14 and I've been on the mini pill for about a year now. I'm waiting to see a specialist for under 16s considering lap. The pill has worked great for the past 6 months and I don't get periods (as long as I don't miss a pill!) Although, I would like to know if I do have endometriosis as my mum has it but there is also a family history of painful periods. I'm considering getting the Mirena and possibly the lap (I want to avoid the surgery option if possible) and I'm looking for advice on the Mirena seeing as I'm not sexually active. Would it be painful for a couple of days?

[luthien]

I've not had the mirena, hopefully some of the other ladies on here will be able to give you advice on that. There are various ways they can put the merina in, one of those ways may suit you better.

Heavy periods are in my family and I just assumed it was "one of those things", the doctors put me on the pill for 10 years, I thought that was helping, with 4 months continuous, then a week gap for a breakthrough bleed. I didn't realise at the time that I could have endo or that it can get worse / stay the same on hormones. Yes it can get worse faster when not on any hormone treatment. I wish I'd pushed for a lap with removal of any endo they find (if they found any) at an earlier age as it would have saved me so many years of pain / heavy periods, thinking i'm just weird and no one gets it. So the merina may help you feel better but it may postpone the inevitable surgery for a diagnosis of endo and removal of it if your symptoms are really bad. However postponing diagnosis and surgery may mentally help you feel more free.

An operation as in the lap is the only way to have a diagnosis of endo, it is invasive, but it will tell you what you have, if not they can take biopsies. Sometimes they'll remove bits if they can at the same time. You're young so I know doctors would rather put young ladies on the pill than risk surgery (there's more risky surgery though) but there has been recent stuff in the press about getting endo diagnosed younger so women can start treatment earlier, and know what to do to help them deal with the diagnosis (mentally and physically)

Whatever choice you make we'll all be here xx

[Chologe in reply to luthien]

Thank you so much for your reply! I'm so sorry to hear about the issues you had. I do think doctor's will push for me to get the Mirena and see how I go with that. This would be done under general anesthesia due to my age. My only concern with the lap is how invasive it is xx

[luthien in reply to Chologe]

Perhaps put a new post up specifically asking about the side effects vs pros of the mirena as that may give you a better idea of what to plan for if you're definately having it fitted. It can last ages and give you a pain free teenage years but it could come with it's own problems.

I get your concern regarding the lap, perhaps look up peoples recovery from their lap or ask whether anyone around your age has had it, and see what they think about it.

[Fabbird]

Hi, it’s good that you are seeing a specialist for under 16s. The Mirena can be difficult initially if you’ve not had children. Even though I was older than you when I got my first, I think the fact that I’ve never been pregnant made it more tricky. I’ve got several friends who’ve had children who didn’t have any trouble with it at all.

My experience was that for the first few weeks/months I got more cramps than usual. It felt like my body trying to expel the coil. Gradually it settled and by six months I was loads better - very light periods and much less pain. So I know it really can work, but it can take some patience. I also didn’t need it for contraception, I was just using it to treat the endo. Three years later when I had a second lap my endo was significantly reduced.

If you try the Mirena and have a really bad time with it, it’s fairly straightforward to have it out. Others here have said they’ve felt better almost immediately. So you haven’t got a lot to lose by trying (assuming the specialist recommends it).

The best thing about the Mirena is that it’s a low dose of hormones, I believe only 1/7 of the progesterone only pill. Being so young that must be a good thing.

Good luck!

[Chologe in reply to Fabbird]

Hi! Thanks so much for replying. The low dose of hormones is the main issue for pushing to get the Mirena fitted. Obviously having a constant and stable dose is better than taking the pill which doesn't release the hormone over a specific amount of time. One thing I am curious about is, I know that taking the pill, having the Mirena etc means you have a 6 month period where you can bleed constantly and its pretty painful. I've already been through this with the pill and seeing as the Mirena is the same hormone, would I still have to go through this 6 months?

[Fabbird in reply to Chologe]

I don’t know the answer to this. I wasn’t on the pill before having the Mirena.

I didn’t bleed much after having my first one. Just got the cramps. So bleeding more certainly isn’t inevitable.

I am now on my fourth Mirena and when I get them changed I get no reaction- the following day I’m fine. So that’s maybe an indication.

[Chologe in reply to Fabbird]

Possibly, I have been warned it can be uncomfortable!

[Fabbird in reply to Chologe]

Yes, my first one was certainly difficult. What I meant is that the subsequent ones have been much easier. It’s painful having it actually put in, but the next day I’m fine. So that process of letting the body get used to it being in there seems to be a one off. Thank goodness!

[princessk09]

Hey, I’m 18 and they wouldn’t do a lap for me after a year of trying birth control pills.

They won’t do surgery at that young of an age as it can cause complications in the future. They will try all the contraceptive pills, painkillers and diet etc before considering surgery.

I went to an endometriosis specialist who said I need a lap compared to the nhs who refused to do it. However I’m going to back on the nhs for the surgery at some point

I can’t help on the mirena as I refuse to have it done due to seeing posts on here about bad side effects etc.

But feel free to message me as I can relate to being a young age with period pains and endo symptoms etc 💕

[Jess98790]

I'd definitely try the mirena first before getting a lap. Its surgery you might not need and the recovery time can be lengthy even if they dont find anything as everyone recovers differently.

I had the mirena fitted over a year ago at 22 and the pain was unbearable, I've never had children so was warned about the pain. Took ibuprofen before going and it was still agonizing. I then bled constantly for 7 months until it settled and now no bleeding. But I've still got chronic pain, had a lap end of Jan which I still don't know the results of because no one at the hospital gave me the courtesy of explaining what they've done! So after my doctor chasing them they've reluctantly agreed to have a follow up appointment on 21st March. So it will be nearly 2 months before i find out what they did.

Id really recommend trying the mirena first. Hopefully it will help. X