NWR: Birth control (going back on the pill from Mirena)

badbnagdway · October 2014

So, kind of an over-share. If you're uncomfortable talking about birth control, not the thread for you.

Background is that I am very sensitive to birth control. Being on the pill makes my skin beautiful but also makes me gain weight like crazy. I know that studies have shown that the majority of women actually do not gain weight on the pill, but I am the exception. If I am on regular dose birth control and then go off of it, I lose about 10-15 pounds in 6 weeks without really adjusting things like diet and exercise. As a result, the last time I was on the pill I was on low dose birth control, which resulted in some but not as extreme weight gain. I cannot remember what brand it was -- I thought it was ortho but it's not that one. It might be loestrin. First question is, what brand of low dose do you use, and do you like it?

The reason I have not been on the pill is that I had an IUD (Mirena) put in last fall. Two of my friends recommended this highly to me. Unfortunately, I am again more sensitive to it than others. I have gained 17 pounds (working very hard on losing it, but still about 12 pounds up from where I was before, and that was my "easy to maintain, exercise whenever, eat mostly what I want" weight when I was on the low dose birth control). I am not going to pretend all of the weight gain isn't my fault, but I just also know that if I am on no birth control it is very easy for me to maintain a much lower weight than when I am on it. I also am having (here is the very personal part, be prepared I may edit this out later) the sexual side effects -- I am just not interested in sex and sex is sometimes painful. This never ever used to happen (same partner). So bottom line, when I go to my regular appointment tomorrow I think I am going to ask my doctor to take the Mirena out.

To sum up, have you been on Mirena and what was your experience? Do you have a low dose birth control you like or some other form of bc that I haven't thought of (not going to do a copper IUD)?

Maggie0829 · October 2014

Have you considered going off birth control permanently and just using condoms?

I have only ever used pills. I started with the typical one pack a month and it was the generic version of Ortho. I then switched over to Seasonique because I just didn't want to deal with my period every month. It works great for me, but from the background you provided it may not be the right fit for you.

Of course, in the end, you should talk to your doctor about what may work best seeing as you are more sensitive to the medication then others.

birdybride2014 · October 2014

If you've had the Mirena, why is it that you don't want to go use the copper IUD? Because there aren't any hormones, you wouldn't have any hormonal side-effects.

If you are sensitive to the hormones, you can either keep testing other pills or the only other option would be NFP or condoms. I had to get off of the pill because I had an incredibly low libido, was tired all of the time, and my anxiety was extremely high. I got the paragard in May, and have been very happy with it.

martha1818 · October 2014

I've been on Alesse for the past 6 years and have never had any problems with weight gain or any other issues. I know a handful of friends who are on it and they say the same thing. That being said, each person is different obviously- ie my sister had bad skin and crazy mood swings on any type of pill she tried!

badbnagdway · October 2014

birdybride2014 said:

If you've had the Mirena, why is it that you don't want to go use the copper IUD? Because there aren't any hormones, you wouldn't have any hormonal side-effects.

If you are sensitive to the hormones, you can either keep testing other pills or the only other option would be NFP or condoms. I had to get off of the pill because I had an incredibly low libido, was tired all of the time, and my anxiety was extremely high. I got the paragard in May, and have been very happy with it.

Well, in retrospect I think the Paragard would maybe have been a better fit than the Mirena (probably). Mirena was pitched to me as "having almost no hormones" by friends (and the doctor to a lesser extent). I don't know if it's because of how direct the contact it is with the hormones or whether there's something else but I definitely react to the Mirena worse than regular dose bc. Honestly the reason not to switch to the copper right now is mostly because I hated having the Mirena put in (I did not dig the weird contraction stuff) and if I get another IUD it will have to come out of my health savings account because I'm on a high deductible plan.

It annoys me to no end that as women we are responsible for bc in this way and yet it is not at all side effect free, but that's just a whole rant thing.

I have considered using condoms but they are not as fun, let's be honest. I am considering that as a temporary solution for FI and I to let my body detox a bit from the IUD and then going back on a low dose in a month or two.

On the Seasonique -- Yeah, that would not be a good fit for me. My period refuses to be skipped. Even on the IUD, which usually people stop having their period, I still get mine. When I was on bc and would try to "skip" a period it just happened mid-way into the second month. I would also get really emotional.

birdybride2014 · October 2014

You know your insurance better than I do, but my high deductible plan covered most of the cost of the paragard. I think they covered roughly $700 and I think my HSA paid for $100 more. It may be something to have your doctors office look into for you.

And I agree- the insertion is absolutely horrible. But at least with the paragard, it can last up to 10 years so you don't have to do it often hehe.

I'm sorry you are struggling with this

It took me a long, long time to realize what I wanted to do. Having hormonal side effects can make you feel like you have no control over your own body, and it really does stink.

emmaaa · October 2014

I had the same issues when I was on the pill. I gained a lot of weight, my acne did not improve, my cramps did not get any better, and my hair fell out. I was on Loestrin24fe I realized that hormone based birth control was not for me and I didn't like adding hormones to my body so now we decided to just use condoms.

morphemes · October 2014

badbnagdway said:

birdybride2014 said:

If you've had the Mirena, why is it that you don't want to go use the copper IUD? Because there aren't any hormones, you wouldn't have any hormonal side-effects.

If you are sensitive to the hormones, you can either keep testing other pills or the only other option would be NFP or condoms. I had to get off of the pill because I had an incredibly low libido, was tired all of the time, and my anxiety was extremely high. I got the paragard in May, and have been very happy with it.

Well, in retrospect I think the Paragard would maybe have been a better fit than the Mirena (probably). Mirena was pitched to me as "having almost no hormones" by friends (and the doctor to a lesser extent). I don't know if it's because of how direct the contact it is with the hormones or whether there's something else but I definitely react to the Mirena worse than regular dose bc. Honestly the reason not to switch to the copper right now is mostly because I hated having the Mirena put in (I did not dig the weird contraction stuff) and if I get another IUD it will have to come out of my health savings account because I'm on a high deductible plan.

It annoys me to no end that as women we are responsible for bc in this way and yet it is not at all side effect free, but that's just a whole rant thing.

I have considered using condoms but they are not as fun, let's be honest. I am considering that as a temporary solution for FI and I to let my body detox a bit from the IUD and then going back on a low dose in a month or two.

On the Seasonique -- Yeah, that would not be a good fit for me. My period refuses to be skipped. Even on the IUD, which usually people stop having their period, I still get mine. When I was on bc and would try to "skip" a period it just happened mid-way into the second month. I would also get really emotional.

The bolded is worrisome and you should talk to your doctor. The Mirena has a lower hormone dose than any BC pill and it is isolated in your uterus. Meaning that when you take a pill the hormones enter your blood stream and will effect any area of your body and may contribute to weight gain. The Mirena does have hormones but the release of the hormones is isolated to your uterus and the hormones don't enter your blood stream the way they do with any pill or ring. It is VERY unlikely that the mirena is contributing to your weight gain--which might be worth having a conversation with your doctor about. Weight gain and loss as your describing could be indicative of other issues.

I hope you find something that works for you!

dolewhipper · October 2014

It looks like you've been on a few multi phasic bc options in the past, have you tried a monophasic? If I take multiphasic I get a little koo-koo. Also, has your Dr done your bloodwork to see if your hormones are higher estrogen or progestin?

badbnagdway · October 2014

morphemes said:

badbnagdway said:

birdybride2014 said:

If you've had the Mirena, why is it that you don't want to go use the copper IUD? Because there aren't any hormones, you wouldn't have any hormonal side-effects.

If you are sensitive to the hormones, you can either keep testing other pills or the only other option would be NFP or condoms. I had to get off of the pill because I had an incredibly low libido, was tired all of the time, and my anxiety was extremely high. I got the paragard in May, and have been very happy with it.

Well, in retrospect I think the Paragard would maybe have been a better fit than the Mirena (probably). Mirena was pitched to me as "having almost no hormones" by friends (and the doctor to a lesser extent). I don't know if it's because of how direct the contact it is with the hormones or whether there's something else but I definitely react to the Mirena worse than regular dose bc. Honestly the reason not to switch to the copper right now is mostly because I hated having the Mirena put in (I did not dig the weird contraction stuff) and if I get another IUD it will have to come out of my health savings account because I'm on a high deductible plan.

It annoys me to no end that as women we are responsible for bc in this way and yet it is not at all side effect free, but that's just a whole rant thing.

I have considered using condoms but they are not as fun, let's be honest. I am considering that as a temporary solution for FI and I to let my body detox a bit from the IUD and then going back on a low dose in a month or two.

On the Seasonique -- Yeah, that would not be a good fit for me. My period refuses to be skipped. Even on the IUD, which usually people stop having their period, I still get mine. When I was on bc and would try to "skip" a period it just happened mid-way into the second month. I would also get really emotional.

The bolded is worrisome and you should talk to your doctor. The Mirena has a lower hormone dose than any BC pill and it is isolated in your uterus. Meaning that when you take a pill the hormones enter your blood stream and will effect any area of your body and may contribute to weight gain. The Mirena does have hormones but the release of the hormones is isolated to your uterus and the hormones don't enter your blood stream the way they do with any pill or ring. It is VERY unlikely that the mirena is contributing to your weight gain--which might be worth having a conversation with your doctor about. Weight gain and loss as your describing could be indicative of other issues.

I hope you find something that works for you!

Weight gain is one of the listed side effects of Mirena, and if you google weight gain and Mirena, you will see that there are some women who gain weight with Mirena. As with any side effect, it's hard in the general population to control for other factors. It's hard to say why Mirena, which, like you said, is very low dose, has this effect on some women. But it does and it's not actually very unlikely that the Mirena is (somehow) causing it.

Honestly, it sucks to feel so chubby, but my FI loves me no matter my size. I think if it was just that, I could reconcile myself to careful eating and being a little heavier than I'm used to. But the loss of libido sucks big time and is not acceptable.

theartistformerlyknownas · October 2014

I had crazy mood swings when I first started taking the pill a million years ago, but once I got used to the hormones after about 6 months it was fine. I take whatever low-dose generic kind my insurance sends me - loestrin or low-ogestrel. I'm definitely about 25 lbs heavier than when I started taking it, but I can't say how much might be attributed to that versus diet, lifestyle and age.

I've had friends who loved Mirena, and friends who bled for 3 months on it with no sex drive. It's definitely not for everyone, and only you can know for sure.

jackannlu · October 2014

Dealing with BC issues is no fun. I bounced around for over a year trying to find the right BC pill that agreed with my body, and I just couldn't. I didn't gain any weight, and although they did make me break out, I could deal with that. What I couldn't deal with: my decreased sex drive, and lack of natural lubrication which made sex uncomfortable. FI and I decided it wasn't for me and that condoms were our best option. Its been a year and half, and I'm so happy with that decision! Just got to find what works for you!

themuffinman16 · October 2014

My sister went on Mirena and is ditching it soon for the Nuva Ring. When the doctor asked her how is her sex drive, she replied, "Well, let's see, I told my fiance if he brings his dick near me, I will punch you in the balls..... So I guess it has dwindled drastically and made me really moody." The nurse laughed and said it was an all too common side effect. It's easy to have a 99.9% effective rate when it obliterates your libido and you have 0 desire to have sex. Also, she is spotting all of the time, which she finds annoying. The Mirena has, also, been really painful for her. She is going off of it as soon as possible and going back on the nuva ring, once she stops breast feeding.

badbnagdway · October 2014

themuffinman16 said:

My sister went on Mirena and is ditching it soon for the Nuva Ring. When the doctor asked her how is her sex drive, she replied, "Well, let's see, I told my fiance if he brings his dick near me, I will punch you in the balls..... So I guess it has dwindled drastically and made me really moody." The nurse laughed and said it was an all too common side effect. It's easy to have a 99.9% effective rate when it obliterates your libido and you have 0 desire to have sex. Also, she is spotting all of the time, which she finds annoying. The Mirena has, also, been really painful for her. She is going off of it as soon as possible and going back on the nuva ring, once she stops breast feeding.

Hahahaha. Yeah. Mirena seems fantastic but it just isn't for everyone. I know women who really like it, and convinced me I would like it.

I do wonder sometimes if certain side effects are under-reported because people don't feel comfortable talking about them or maybe because they don't realize that the changes they are experiencing aren't normal. For me it wasn't like Mirena in, sex drive gone the next day, it was kind of gradual so I didn't realize at first what it was.

I know four women who are educated professionals in my friend circle who seriously do use the pull-out method of birth control because they did not have success with other bc. I'm not advocating that but it does tell you something about the state of bc options for women.

morphemes · October 2014

You're right that weight gain is listed as a side effect, but be wary of listed side effects as the rules governing what must be listed are absurd. It is possible that the weight gain is related to the Mirena, but it is also worth speaking to your doctor anyway as it is very unlikely and it never hurts to discuss your concerns with your doctor.

I do really love the Mirena and was THRILLED to get off the pill after 10 years. We also used female condoms a lot, which were a million times better than male condoms (maybe your friends who use the pull-out method should give those a try if they haven't). But all things considered, I cannot wait for the male birth control option to come out!

Peaseblossom55 · October 2014

I've been on estrostep for 16 years now. I never gained weight with it or had any problems. There is also the generic Tri-Legest. That has worked fine as well. This is my last month on it though, so I do wonder if I'll have withdrawal syptoms.

badbnagdway · October 2014

morphemes said:

You're right that weight gain is listed as a side effect, but be wary of listed side effects as the rules governing what must be listed are absurd. It is possible that the weight gain is related to the Mirena, but it is also worth speaking to your doctor anyway as it is very unlikely and it never hurts to discuss your concerns with your doctor.

I do really love the Mirena and was THRILLED to get off the pill after 10 years. We also used female condoms a lot, which were a million times better than male condoms (maybe your friends who use the pull-out method should give those a try if they haven't). But all things considered, I cannot wait for the male birth control option to come out!

I mean, I will have to have a conversation about this with my doctor no matter what. He is kind of an IUD pusher in retrospect so I'm sure he will want to know why I want it taken out already. I am on no other medications and am in the same relationship and have the same job as I did before the IUD was put in. Mirena contains levonorgestrel. Some bc pills use this but most do not. So although I too have used the line, "Mirena has less hormones", it doesn't seem actually to be an apples to apples comparison the way I used to think it was.

My reasoning for going back on low dose is that nothing will ever compare with not being on bc at all, but it seems the lesser of the evils.

themosthappy91 · October 2014

Has anyone else here tried Nexplanon? It's the implant that gets put in your arm- basically like a IUD but in your arm rather than your uterus. I had it and it did not work well for me but I'm curious if my results were atypical.

When I first got it, I loved it- insertion was basically painless (which is a big plus versus an IUD from what I understand), I stopped getting my period (which I loved, I know other women dislike that sometimes), and I had no emotional side effects! But within three months I gained 20 pounds and my skin was SO OILY that I was constantly breaking out, not only on my face but also all over my chest and back.. it sucked. I decided to give it more time to see if my body adjusted and went back to normal, but at the nine month mark I got it taken out. I was so disappointed, because other than those two side effects it really was the perfect easy birth control... has anyone had more luck with it?

theartistformerlyknownas · October 2014

themosthappy91 said:

Has anyone else here tried Nexplanon? It's the implant that gets put in your arm- basically like a IUD but in your arm rather than your uterus. I had it and it did not work well for me but I'm curious if my results were atypical.

When I first got it, I loved it- insertion was basically painless (which is a big plus versus an IUD from what I understand), I stopped getting my period (which I loved, I know other women dislike that sometimes), and I had no emotional side effects! But within three months I gained 20 pounds and my skin was SO OILY that I was constantly breaking out, not only on my face but also all over my chest and back.. it sucked. I decided to give it more time to see if my body adjusted and went back to normal, but at the nine month mark I got it taken out. I was so disappointed, because other than those two side effects it really was the perfect easy birth control... has anyone had more luck with it?

I would never consider something that made me skip periods. I know everyone says they're not necessary if you're not ovulating, but I'd be terrified I'd get pregnant and not know for months.

WinstonsGirl · October 2014

I know you said you didn't want a copper IUD, partially due to insertion. I'm on my second copper, and while the insertion sucked again, I felt almost 100% within the first hour. With my first IUD, I was laid up the rest of the evening and had major cramping for several days. The second time was much better, I think cos my body was used to having an IUD shoved up there.

badbnagdway · October 2014

WinstonsGirl said:

I know you said you didn't want a copper IUD, partially due to insertion. I'm on my second copper, and while the insertion sucked again, I felt almost 100% within the first hour. With my first IUD, I was laid up the rest of the evening and had major cramping for several days. The second time was much better, I think cos my body was used to having an IUD shoved up there.

Hmm, that's something to think about then. I was in the camp of being miserable for about 24 hours afterward after the first time. The doctor who put it in was filling in for my doctor who was delivering a baby. She said she had an IUD and she "didn't handle it well" when it was put in. So that made me feel somewhat better. She said basically it is disturbing if you've never had a baby because it's a bit like having a contraction. For me, it wasn't so much that it hurt, it was the weird feeling of muscles moving I had never realized I had. Very strange.

badbnagdway · October 2014

Oh -- and for those on the copper, I've read there's a higher incidence of painful periods and such which made me want to avoid it in the first place. Mirena a lot of women stop having their periods (not me though).

birdybride2014 · October 2014

From everything I've read and my own experiences, you are right that you have more painful periods.

I'm reaching the six-month mark, at that point they say things lighten up a bit. I have noticed that as months pass the cramps become less noticeable and my period has decreased in heaviness(although still much heavier than on the pill).

NWR: Birth control (going back on the pill from Mirena)

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