Ok, I've made an appointment tomorrow with my Dr., and the Mirena is definitely on the list to talk about. Yes, I actually make a list, because I know once I get in there, I'll go blank. I'll let you all know how it goes!

Ok, so as expected, I received a referral to the Gyno. I have an appointment next week, hope it goes well! At the very least, I'll be better informed.

I had a friend who had the Mirena inserted right after it hit the market which meant that she had to shell out many pennies for it because insurance was not covering the cost of it. She has been more than happy with the results. I cannot do this option for anatomical reasons and I hate taking the pill. I may consider going back to the ring once we have another child.

I went to the gyno today, and he put me back on the lower dose Ortho-Tricyclen Lo for a few months, and then maybe the Mirena. I'm looking forward to it! He said it would be a good fit.

And so for my tuppence worth...I got one party for contraceptive purposes and partly because I have had 'problem periods' and a nightmare with other contraceptives.

I really find it to be fab, the first few months were a bit unsettled, but I have had it for over two years. Now I occassionaly have a day of very light bleeding and that's it, brillant!

Just to add, as readers may not be aware, it is one of the few IUD's that you can have even if you have never been pregnant.

G

Well I went and had the Mirena put in yesterday by my Gyno it went in so easy no problems at all,just a little crampy for a short while afterwards.
I have to go back in September to get it checked other than that unless I have any problems or queries everything will be sweet.

Well, I don't know if people are still wondering about Mirena... I thought it sounded perfect for me, since I have had all those same problems with the many different kinds of pill I had tried, hated the NuvaRing (which gave me the same hormone issues and which i did indeed feel), and so thought that taking hormones was just a bad idea for me. So, I got it put in a couple months ago.

As for the insertion, well, I can't say it was the most pleasant sensation ever, but it wasn't as bad as I had feared and it certainly wouldn't stop me from getting it again. The yucky cramping feeling did last for a couple days after, but still, worth it!

I'm still in the three-month (or so) "settling in" period the pamphlet told me about. I so far have still had a period which hasn't really been any shorter, and also last month i had quite a bit of random spotting here and there. That is supposed to stop after that three month period though, so I'm not worried about it. If y'all are still interested, I'll try and post how it goes for me after another couple months.

As far as side effects go, I haven't had any out-of-the-ordinary moodiness like I did with the Pill, no weight gain (actually lost a few pounds, although I think that is related to the field training I have been doing... as a weight loss regimen I can vouch for body armor, a helmet, a weapon, a rucksack full of junk and 90+ degree weather! ), and thankfully no loss of sex drive or unwanted dryness (er, well, I guess there wouldn't be too many people wanting dryness at all, huh?) which I also had with the Pill. My breasts do get really tender at certain points in my cycle, but then, they always do that so it may or may not be something that could be connected to Mirena.

And, I'm sure the folks on this board would really want to know this... I can't feel it at all unless i try to feel the little string that is there with my fingers. I had my doubts about that--as I mentioned, I could totally tell that the Ring was there and it bothered me to no end, and during sex it was even more obvious and icky to me--but I honestly can't tell a thing. Even during sex, thank goodness!

Well, I hope this helps someone.

Thanks, armygirl! I'm still thinking about getting it done in September, so your posting was really helpful. I'm glad it's not too uncomfortable to get inserted. Definitely keep us posted in a few months, I'd love to know how everything's going

Whenever possible, we take the opportunity to speak as a public service about our lovely Mirena. And I suppose we need to apologize for not speaking sooner, but this category honestly only get cursory attention from us.

We wanted to name our fourth child Mirena, but it was a (yet another) boy. IT DIDN'T WORK!!!! Or, to be perfectly technical, it worked for precisely 12 months and failed like the Teton Dam.

Jenn covered the keyboard with tears looking up information on the device, which mostly yielded stories of other pregnancies. AFTER, yes, AFTER we got pregnant, all kinds of friends began telling us about their similar experiences, including her obgyn. He cheerfully told us his wife got pregnant with one while he printed us a copy of the ultrasound of the growing embryo RIGHT NEXT TO the device, which was hastily removed immediately after.

In the interests of answering the question, she had cramps, the periods were the same, and oh yeah, I could feel it from time to time during sex. NOT something to be replicated and sold from F&E's store.

She had a tubal ligation with the birth, (With the laser) and I am going in for the magic fisherman's knot as soon as I get a break from rucksacks, body armor, cheap running shoes, and sea lions in the harbor laughing at me for getting back into the army and running four miles along the shore before the sun comes up. Yes, I absolutely KNOW they are laughing at me. Apparently we need redundancy to effectively halt our reproductivity.

quote:

He cheerfully told us his wife got pregnant with one while he printed us a copy of the ultrasound

shouldn't he have offered up that little tid-bit of information while discussing the device? i would have thought the manufacturers could have supplied information regarding the percentage of product failure....

i guess i'm really not one to talk. i had a vasectomy scheduled and canceled due to a work related trip that came up. and you know the rest of the story i'm sure. my first wife and i had a son born, and then went several years trying for another. after 8 years or so and thousands of dollars, we gave up and were more or less told we would have no more children. i felt that i was getting older (35) and just for the sake of no "surprises" i would schedule to get snipped. when the job called, i didn't think anything about canceling the appointment, after all it had been all those years........

i got a call from work one day, my wife had been feeling ill for about a week, and had gone to the family doctor to see if he could get her over this "flu" she had....well needless to say i got the "good news" and i think it took two days trying to digest all that before i accepted the fact we were having son #2. i had the vasectomy as soon as i could get in after our son's birth. he's in college now, but i can remember all those mixed emotions we both had about a surprise child coming....

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ajay:
shouldn't he have offered up that little tid-bit of information while discussing the device? i would have thought the manufacturers could have supplied information regarding the percentage of product failure..../QUOTE]

I agree, the OBGYN should have definitely said something, especially since he has first-hand experience ....but they do tell about the effectiveness rate on the product pamphlet and online:

http://www.mirena-us.com/faq.html?C=&c=
Just click on "how effective is mirena compared to other birth control"

I imagine that there are stories like this regarding other methods too, but sometimes it takes a bit to find the right one for a person.

I did it! I had my Mirena inserted today, and I agree with armygirl, it's not a pleasant feeling with the cramping and all that but it wouldn't stop me from getting it again.

I've had it in for nearly 2 whole hours, but I do feel better than when it was inserted. A cup of hot tea and Tylenol have helped as well.

My OBGYN said for me to come back in a month so he could check on the position, etc, to make sure everything is fine. He also told me not to have sex for a few days, which shouldn't be a problem as B is out of town.

I also found out a neat little tidbit of information, as they wrote the replacement date on a card for me as 2014. As I was under the impression that this was a 5 year thing, I asked, and they said the hormones actually run out in 7 years, but in the USA apparently they like to be on the safe side. Weird, but oh well.

Good for you Phoenix, I had my 3 month check up yesterday and it looks like the lining is thinning nicely so with a little luck that time of the month will be all over soon.
I don't have to go back to see my gyno for 6 months unless I have any problems.
Just watch out for any infections, I was going good then around 2 weeks after the insertion I developed a bladder infection,got some antibiotics and everything was fine again.

This form of BC is new to me, but not new to my mom for she has issues (blackouts mainly) with the BC pill and this was 30+ years ago. My problem was mood swings, heavy bleeding and heavy cramping. That is the far history in a nut shell for myself.

The recent history for me has been 6 different BC pills all different from the previous and all with some side effects in which I never wish to bestow on anyone (friend or foe). This is how bad the mood swings got and how bad the cramping got. I moved to London almost a month ago and went to my first GYN apointment with amazing results.

Now- this is why I'm adding my two cents into this topic- she recommended the Mini Mirena IUD. It is being inserted by a male GYN in London, ON. And the best part- its for free! Now, I talked to my folks about it, as well as Jay and I do believe I have found my answer. The difference between a Mirena and a Mini Mi is the Mirena is a 5 year IUD.. needing to be changed every 5 years for effectiveness. The Mini Mi however, is 3 years- needing to be changed around the 3 year mark! Also- it's smaller!; half the size in fact.

So I hope to have the mood swings lowered, the cramping decreased (that's what Mortin is for ) and actually stop bleeding.... oh yes, that is the last and pretty well the biggest thing of them all- I've been bleeding since July 17th... (as Jay cringes in the background). THere have been days in which I haven't bled nearly as much or have bled lighter coloured DC but, it hasn't stopped and I'm hoping that the IUD will help me in this realm as well.

I'll continue to research this and leave any information here that is eye catch to me.

~Kathy~

I'm on the regular Mirena, and I had it inserted about a month ago. I went to a follow up appointment (my OBGYN wanted to see me in a month instead of three to make sure things were fine), and everything seems to be super! I get a little crampy every once in a while, and have had light to light/medium bleeding off and on. Otherwise, things are good. I guess these are normal side effects. I'm not complaining. I'll keep you guys updated if anything changes.

On the really really good side, my sex drive has returned! *trumpets sounding* My libido took a huge dive while I was on the Pill, although I enjoyed sex, I never really "wanted" it as much as I wanted to want it, if that makes any sense. Now, I'm kind of irritated that I want it more, because B leaves either this week or next! No hubby for 4 months, plus returned libido = rapid overuse of the F&E store.

That's great that there's another Mirena option for you, Kathy! Good luck with it, and I hope it works out. Sometimes it takes forever to find a good Pill, but sometimes it's also not worth it.