BellaOnline Forums Relationships Married No Kids Switching from the Pill to Mirena IUD

Hi all,

I saw my doctor today about switching birth control methods. I have been on Depo Provera and Ortho Tri-Cyclen so far. Depo-Provera was a total nightmare with the side effects (gained 35 lbs, complete loss of sex drive, worsened acne, extreme fatigue). After five years, I switched to the pill. Lost the 35 lbs (with an extreme level of exercise and starvation!), energetic, no acne, and marginal improvement of sex drive. I told my doctor that I am "rather" happy about the pill, but I want to recover my ability to easily maintain my weight and re-gain my lost sex drive to the state it was in before I ever got on birth control. At my age (31), your sex life should be better than ever, and it's not.

So she suggested Mirena to me. The way she describes it, this should be the answer to my problems. However, I get on the web and find a lot of negativity about Mirena's side effects (weight gain, loss of sexual appetite, etc, etc). Have any of you made a transition from the pill to Mirena? I am curious to hear your stories before I invest the money and risk into trying this out.

Hi. Just sharing what weve done...I ve never taken the pill or mirena, I think they mess with hormones way too much, and have crazy side effects...which is what you seemed to experience. My husband and I were using condoms spermicide gel, and not having sex during ovulation. I was still paranoid, so he got a vasectomy. It rules !

Yeah -- don't think we're ready for a vasectomy yet -- DH is not ready to go that far. Hoping and praying that the Mirena thing works out (if I don't get too spooked by then). I'm having to wait almost 2 mos. to see the OBGYN about it!

Wow, yes the vasectomy is permanent, no-good for those debating what they want in life. Hope mirena works out...crazy that you have to wait 2months.

I am now 39 yrs old and have experienced many forms of BC. Unfortunately, there are not that many forms of BC that do not have some sort of adverse effects. Anotherwords, there is nothing perfect (accept for some sort of permanent method). Also, messing with a woman's hormones is almost a guarantee of some sort of side-effect. Depo might cause low sex drive in one person and not effect another. Thats why I also do not trust what the general side effects say because it is different for everyone. Until you are ready to make the decision to either want children or become child-free, the best drug-free way is what MISSTALIA said. Condoms and spermicide. It also bothers me as to why the woman always has to take most of the responsibility in the area of BC? If your DH says he does not like using condoms as an excuse, it's a pretty bad one! Not only condoms, but other non-hormonal forms have come a long way. Between the "pill" and Depo, I was on BC for an amazing 23 years! My doc was going to keep me on it even thought I was over 35 and I made the decision to get off of them. Best decision I ever made! I got a tubal ligation done in April of this year making the permanent decision of not wanting children. My main thing with BC was acne and my monthly cycles. Since I had the procedure, I have not had a monthly cycle (loving it!) and my acne has cleared. Another side effect of being on BC is thinning hair. I get perms to make my "doo" decent. Once finances allow it, I plan on seeing an endocrinologist to check my hormone levels so my hair will get back to normal. I hope I was able to help and share my experience on this topic.

I almost tried the Mirena but the side effects I read about were just too scary. Not to mention that this method is intended for women who have already had a child, which I have not. Insertion of an IUD into your body can be extremely painful if you have not already had a child. The kicker for me was when I read that this IUD can possibly puncture through the wall of the uterus (probably every IUD has this risk) and the company who makes this product will not be held responsible. I told my doctor "No way."

I've been on a low estrogen pill for a year now. Prior to this I haven't been on a pill for 20 years....I am 44 now. The pill has changed a lot since then and I like the idea of low estrogen. Too much estrogen can be linked to cancer. I get less cramping and bleeding during periods, sometimes no period at all, and worry free intimate time in the bedroom. I am not one for condoms just out of personal choice even though I think they are quite trustworthy. I want my partner to enjoy our intimate time as much as I do. I know that condoms cause some loss of sensation for men.

I've been taking Microgestin FE 1/20 and have had good luck with it, but I do not intend to be on this pill for too long. My boyfriend wants to get a vasectomy at some point, so I will not be taking any kind of birth control then. I will miss the light periods but I know it is always best not to put foreign substances into your body.

Hi Beth, Mirena is an IUD with low-dose progesterone embedded in it, so if you reacted badly to Depo, you may find that Mirena will have side-effects for you as well. I had a non-hormonal (copper) IUD for almost 10 years (not the same one, obviously,a s they only last 3-5 years). I've never had children and the insertion and removal, while not pleasant, was not extremely painful and only took about 10 minutes. I never had any issues with my IUDs and it was a "fit and forget" form of very reliable contraception. All BC methods have their drawbacks but I liked the fact that the IUD was hormone-free. I would not recommend relying on condoms and spermicide - the failure rate is very high, well, too high for someone like me who DEFINITELY did not want to get pregnant. Plus, condoms are a pain which you can put up with when it's casual sex or a new relationship, but when you're in a long-term monogamous union?? Anyway, this is just my experience. Ah and BTW you can also get two sizes of IUD - I needed the smaller one as my uterus is quite short which can be the case for a lot of women who have never been pregnant.

Firegirl,

After reading and researching Mirena extensively online, I am tending to agree with you that just as many people complain about it as they do with Depo. And I read some really good articles from various websites about how hormonal birth control (no matter what you use) will always "water" down your testosterone level, which is responsible for making libido possible, as well as replacing your female hormones with synthetic ones that don't do the job when it comes down to arousal.

The copper IUD (ParaGuard) does not seem to be overly popular, as I read that Mirena is more extensively used. I think I would be willing to give it a shot if I had absolute certainty that it would return my hormones to the state they were in before I ever took birth control medications. Has that been the case for you? I have read that some women have complained of heavier periods, but that might be because their periods were bad to begin with. Pre-BC, my periods were moderate, and I never had endometriosis, so I think I could live with the type of periods I had before.

These posts have opened my eyes some. From here, as well as my chat with the doc, I have learned that not all women out there are on the pill, that some will avoid the hormones all together. I want to try this as well, but at the same time not risking a pregnancy.

P.S. My doctor told me that I can opt for a local anesthetic for an IUD insertion. I know it will cost some $$$, but I will pay the bill happily to not feel the insertion!!!!

Hi Beth, Switching to Mirena from the pill was the best thing for me. I'm pro-Mirena and here's why... 1) My cycles are now short, light, and only occur every 3-4 months 2) The hormones are only released into the uterine wall so it doesn't have to go through your whole system to do it's job 3) You don't have to worry about forgetting to take it like a pill 4) There is no medication interaction like antibiotics does with pills 5) I've had no decrease in sex drive Negatively, yes it is very uncomfortable to place. But it isn't any worse than a severe menstrual cramp. Midal took care of it. I hope this helps you. Good luck with your decision....

Some of my experience with the Mirena was mostly just a problem for me, and won't really apply to many women. But, it never hurts to be prepared, just in case you are like me.

I wanted an IUD (or my tubes tied, which no one would do, so IUD was the best I could get at the time), and I could only find one doctor willing to do it for me seeing as I had had no children (Wussies. Perforate my uterus, see if I care. I'm not using it anyway.) Unfortunately, he would only give me the Mirena, his reasoning being "the plastic is more flexible than the copper IUD, and safer for you." My problem with this was that the reason I had to stop taking the minipill (progesterone only) was that I had a rare, adverse reaction to it. *** TMI ALERT *** Most women who take it have their bleeding lessen or stop. For me, it INCREASED. I bled like I had my period 3 months, became severely anemic, and had to stop taking it. My old gyno said that less than 1% of women have that kind of reaction. So, that's why I had to start looking into other options (she wouldn't give me an IUD or tie my tubes, arg). Anyway, I told this gyno that I couldn't do progesterone, but he said, "this has less hormones than the pill and is directly in the uterus, you'll be fine." So, how did that work out? Well, less hormone meant less bleeding, but not none. I still bled just about every day (I'd say enough to fill 2 pads) for about 3 months, and again became anemic, so it had to go.

Here's the part that might actually apply to you though. So, if you get it, they say you have to check it with your finger every month after your period to make sure it's still in place (not that I could tell where my period began or stopped). It has a "string" that sticks out that you have to feel for, but the string isn't soft. It feels like fishing wire. *** TMI ALERT - ADULTS ONLY!**, So, my poor husband complained that when we had sex, the "string" poked his [censored], and was quite painful. It was actually impairing our sex life, as I could tell he was avoiding going all the way in. When I told this to my gyno (a man), he said, "He shouldn't be able to feel it, it's at your cervix." To which I replied (honest, this is exactly what I said), "I'm sorry, you said I'm supposed to be able to feel it with my fingers, right? Exactly how small IS your [censored]?" Man, the look on his face, priceless. It was almost worth the annoyance.

Anyway, I'd of probably had it removed due to the "poking" issue anyway, but regardless, it had to go because of the bleeding for me. And, along with my allergy to spermicide, inability to use any hormonal BC, and already one failed condom incident resulting in pregnancy, this was the guy who FINALLY (after all the doctors) agreed to tie my tubes for me.

So, sorry for the long story, but you said you wanted info, and that was my experience. Sorry if parts got too graphic, but in situations like medical care it's better to be uncomfortable and informed than surprised.

I hope it works out for you!

-D.