I got the Mirena in September 2010 after my 3rd child after my husband and I felt we were done and his health wouldn't allow for him to get a vasectomy. April 2011 I find out that I was 2 months pregnant with #4. Financially a strain and everything stated 99.9% safe from pregnancy. So, I paid for nothing pretty much because those 5 months I spotted 99.9% of the time. If I wanted abstinence I could have did that on my own. I don't recommend the Mirena at all.a

Depo was the worst thing that ever happened to me. I'm surprised others found it okay. I didn't have a period for almost two years (and i only took the shots for 11 months), which sounds great, but I had terrible back acne, thick, gross, fat skin and zero sex drive. I later found out it's what institutions used to give intellectually disabled men to diminish their strong sex drives.

Yep, I had the same thing for about 4 months and then never again...going on 3 years.

I hated mine too. Had it removed after 3 months.

Anonymous wrote:I dunno... I had a friend who had Depo three months after delivering her baby, and promptly gained 60 pounds. That's enough to scare me off. It took her years to lose the weight, but she did, after the Depo cleared her system.

I have since had a tubal but, when I was on the Depo, it had the opposite effect on me. I promptly lost 15 lbs! And my sex drive was awesome! I went off of it to get pregnant and wished I didn't have to. I used it in between my 2 pregnancies and actually thought about staying on it forever! My Dr. didn't advise it though, so I went with the tubal. No weight loss - average sex drive.

Anonymous wrote:There, I said it. You mostly see glowing reviews, but 4 months in I really hate mine. I'm continually and unexpectedly spotting all the time. I have to wear a pantyliner EVERY DAY just in case. I'll go a few days without spotting, think I'm safe and stop wearing pantyliners (for fear of yeast infection!) and out of the blue start spotting again. Now, recently every 2-3 weeks I'm getting a mini-period. Heavier than spotting, but not quite a normal period. The worst part is occasionally after a bowel movement I'll have really bad cramping and bleeding as if the bowel movement caused the IUD to move and reimplant slightly (it's a very similar feeling to when you first get the device and it "settles in" as my dr. put it).

The whole thing is really annoying and frustrating. Will this go away or at 4 months in is this as good as it gets? If this is it, I'm getting it removed and we'll just have to be celibate.

I had that for a year pretty much and had it removed. I couldn't take it anymore - no cramps but the PMS was out of control and the nonstop periods drove me insane. I went back on BCP and I'm much happier.

I dunno... I had a friend who had Depo three months after delivering her baby, and promptly gained 60 pounds. That's enough to scare me off. It took her years to lose the weight, but she did, after the Depo cleared her system.

I had a bad experience with mine, as well. I had chronic ovarian cysts (not related to any other conditions) which were very painful, and once required me to be hospitalized to have the fluid drained from my pelvic-area. I, then, had spotting that never stopped, and constant cramping and discomfort. I had it removed, and let my body go "all natural" for three-months before I used ANY form of birth-control again. I was entirely better almost immediately and never had another isssue with cysts, cramps, or spotting..
I switched to the Depo- shot, and it has been a dream.

I would give it 6 months. I had spotting for 3 months and was fine afterwards. My friend had a light period for 6 months and then it stopped completely. We are both believers now!

Ehn... I've had mine for a year and a half, and it's ok. I like the low hormone. Better than NO hormones, since it does improve my periods and my complexion a little. But yeah, there's some spotting, and my periods have never gone away completely. It's not the miracle I was hoping for, but it's better than most alternatives, I think.

OP here, to the 7:13 pp -- did you not have the same cramping/spotting issues with the Paragard? The reason I went with Mirena over Paragard is that I had really bad, heavy periods to start with so I was afraid to make them worse!

Glad to hear the spotting may stop after 6 months. I'm counting the days.

I had mine removed and replaced with a Paragard. After six months of heavy periods, all is well, and I'm back to where I was on oral contraceptives period wise. No hormones, and good for ten years.

It will get better....give it at least six months. Think of it as payment for the next four years of easy birth control!

I hated my Mirena. The crampy feeling never went away for me. I spotted on and off for about 6 months then it stopped and I got no more periods either. It dried up my mil supply, causing me to wean way earlier than I wanted to. Even worse, it killed my sex drive, so I didn't want even think about sex until I finally had it removed. My sister had even worse side effects with it, including horrible, pervasive cystic acne that has caused scarring.

There, I said it. You mostly see glowing reviews, but 4 months in I really hate mine. I'm continually and unexpectedly spotting all the time. I have to wear a pantyliner EVERY DAY just in case. I'll go a few days without spotting, think I'm safe and stop wearing pantyliners (for fear of yeast infection!) and out of the blue start spotting again. Now, recently every 2-3 weeks I'm getting a mini-period. Heavier than spotting, but not quite a normal period. The worst part is occasionally after a bowel movement I'll have really bad cramping and bleeding as if the bowel movement caused the IUD to move and reimplant slightly (it's a very similar feeling to when you first get the device and it "settles in" as my dr. put it).

The whole thing is really annoying and frustrating. Will this go away or at 4 months in is this as good as it gets? If this is it, I'm getting it removed and we'll just have to be celibate.