Mirena: not what it says on the tin.

Mirena, Never again.

*Before reading, please be aware that this blog post in part, discusses periods*

For just over 10 years, I had something fitted that my Dr's told me would be life changing - and in the most part it was. I was no longer crippled by my raging uterus/womb which I was told was mangled by Endometriosis and that PCOS had left me with a naff ovary, all of which was combining in making my life hell.

Prior to having this 'miracle' fitted I would literally be fine one minute then the next minute be on the floor crying in pain, and this is not an exaggeration, I remember walking through town with my mum once, and she turned around to find me on the floor...I would sometimes be in bed for a week with a heavy painful bleed or I would have some sort of period every 4 days.  This made trying to have a normal life very difficult and I had to keep explaining to the HR department of my then job, that I was legitimately not well and I wasn't taking the piss.

So, post 'wonder drug' the pain stopped as did the irregular bleeding etc and for the most part the physical nastiness stopped and I thought, 'Yay! I have my life back'. However, fast forward to the not so distant past and in the past year or two I have felt really unwell. Amongst other things, I thought I was having another visit from the 'black dog' and at one point thought I would be going back to the Priory (a story for another day) as I really was mentally in a shitty place. I have felt so wretched the past couple of years I can't actually describe it but just know it's not been good, physically or mentally. I have piled on the pounds in the past decade, and try as I might I have been unable to shed any of it. I went back on anti-depressants but it wasn't right. I somehow knew that that was not what I needed, so I took myself off the pills and coincidentally felt less flat, but still not me. I was looking into my symptoms online and stumbled across an article about side effects of the Mirena. It was like a lightbulb moment and from that moment I spent lots of hours researching the Mirena.

...And I should have done it some time ago. I read that the wonder drug that I had been fitted with was not so miraculous after all and that I was actually suffering from a lot of the side effects, ones that are not so readily available in the info pack you are given prior to having it fitted.

If you weren’t already aware, Mirena is a hormonal contraceptive device placed in a woman’s uterus. This T-shaped polyethylene frame contains a steroid reservoir which holds 52 mg of levonorgestrel, which is then slow released into your system - and for me, this meant reducing bleeding by controlling the monthly development of the lining of my womb by making it thinner. Sounds great eh!...That was exactly how it was sold to me and why I agreed to have it fitted. I was given a pamphlet with the patient information on it for the device, which contains the following side effects:

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

infection 

embedment 

perforation

discomfort during placement 

expulsion 

missed menstrual periods 

changes in bleeding 

ovarian cysts.

Whereas I have since found out that the physician information for the device contains the following side effects:

fatigue

abdominal/pelvic pain

vaginal discharge 

nausea 

headache 

nervousness

vulvovaginitis

dysmerorrhea (cramps) 

back pain 

weight increase 

breast pain/tenderness 

acne 

decreased libido 

depressed mood 

cervicitis (vaginal infection) 

hypertension 

migraine

vomiting 

anemia 

dyspareunia (painful intercourse) 

alopecia (hair loss) 

eczema 

pruritus (itchiness) 

rash 

urticaria (hives) 

abdominal distension 

altered mood 

hirsutism (abnormal hair growth)

edema (swelling).

Bit of a difference eh!

But, and this is the real 'gem', in America, Levonorgestrel is also categorised as a PESTICIDE!

Think about that for a minute... Something that is legally categorsied as a pesticide has been inside my body for over a decade. Oh, and Levnorgestrel holds the highest level of concern in Reproductive or Developmental Toxin category - neglect to put that on the packaging, don't they!

So, the fatigue, weight gain, the hair loss, the mental health issues, the decreased libido, the pains and cramps, the headaches and other issues I won't disclose - are all down to this 'wonder drug' sold to me as something that would change my quality of life, and I believed it. 

The good news for me is that my Dr agreed that my symptoms were presenting as severe side affects of the Mirena and he agreed to remove it. So I had my Mirena removed on Friday! The bad news is that I have now been told I have the 'Mirena Crash' to look forward to... 

The Mirena crash.

Basically, when the Mirena is removed from your body and the flow of Levonorgestrel stops. It can be weeks or longer before the body wakes up and realises it needs to produce its own progesterone because it has become lazy, relying on the synthetic provision. This then causes hormone imbalance or estrogen dominance. In many women this imbalance causes severe symptoms similar to those associated with the usage of the device.

Typical symptoms of Mirena crash include:

Runaway emotions such as anxiety, sadness, anger and depression. Severe cases have produced suicidal thoughts.
Frequent mood swings that can strain relationships and effect work performance
Lethargy
Physical symptoms such as muscle fatigue, cough, sore throat and even fever which are often misdiagnosed
Nausea, vomiting and stomach pain
Breast tenderness
Decreased sex drive and painful sex

So basically, I have had the Mirena removed and now I have the side effects of that to look forward to, which are basically the same side effects I was already experiencing from having the Mirena but worse, and on top of that I have the actual period to contend with too!... FML!

I am currently waiting for this 'crash'. At the moment apart from the initial discomfort from the removal, I am feeling fine. My better half has actually said that in the 2 days I have had it out my mood has been much better. I haven't noticed any change myself, but I am hoping that I will see some improvements to my health in the next 6 months. 

So yeah, to sum up, hindsight is a wonderful thing and I would love to go back in time and do some real research into the thing before I let the Drs put in my body. But I can't. So I hope that this blog entry will help warn others, that sometimes the thing that seems too good to be true, actually is.