I have had my Mirena for 23 months - placed 6 weeks postpartum. Like most, I too experienced the usual breakthrough and almost consistent bleeding/spotting for the first 6 months with cramping, headaches, and weight gain. What I have also experienced is an overwhelming sense of exhaustion that has not improved but gradually worsened.

Around 4 months PP I realized that something was off in my body. I did not have any energy, didn’t feel like myself, super emotional and no matter what I would try I could not gain motivation to accomplish the task of maintaining my house. I was struggling with a feeling of fogginess and cloudy thinking. I've experienced hair loss, increase in breakouts, dry and splotching skin.


During the first year I would have 1-2 good days in a week where I felt energized and I would be fooled into thinking that I was on my way back to the old me. I could accomplish things, rationalize clearly and deal with life. The rest of the week though would slowly slip back into a drained, over emotional foggy state. At 15 months into having my IUD in place, my days of productivity were dwindling further and further apart.

I have been blessed to have a husband that truly loves me. However, even still he has had a hard time comprehending what I have been dealing with and it has taken a toll on us. He will often say you are just not a happy person no matter what. I know that I am not unhappy with my life in general, my husband or kid and yet he is right. This thing robs you of your happiness and sense of self.

For the past 2 years I have said over and over again that I know something is wrong. I simply don’t feel right. I have been very aware of the changes within myself. I have struggled to be an active parent to my child and I have struggled with the most basic tasks. Things that use to take me 1-2 hours could stretch into days now. I was once this extremely productive individual that now barely is able to get the simplest of things done. I literally put all my effort into trying to accomplish things yet it barely makes a dent.

Until I started doing some reading, and I have found there thousands of women going through the same stuff I am, I really felt like I was going crazy. These symptoms are so subtle and similar that they most often get passed off as PPD, or dealing with the pains of motherhood and stress of life. Up until 2 weeks ago I couldn’t even verbalize the fact that no matter how much I slept, took vitamins, or exercised that I still felt tired all the time and was experiencing an inability to be productive.

So My question to all you mommies is......

 Do you have the Mirena IUD/IUC??  What kinds of side effects are you experiencing?? 

 

I Have an appointment scheduled for Monday to get this thing out.  I can't wait to see the improvement in the months to come. 

I never had IUD but your symtoms sound like thyroid issues too. I did have thyroid issues after Liv up until this YR and she is three. Go figure. I was on medication my thyroid was not making enough hormone. But everything is back to normal now and i feel great!

I would definitely talk to your dr about all of the symptoms.  There might be other things that they want to check for and rule out.  But I do know that hormone-related things can REALLY mess you up!  Best wishes on all of this and I pray that everything gets resolved.

"I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.  For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth." -Psalm 57:9-11. 

 

glitter-graphics.com ...

i've had my iud now for 2 months and i cramp and feel tired all the time. My back constantly hurts and seems to be getting worse and worse. i get major mood swings but i don't know if its the mirena or from having a baby. Also i get these god awful headaches.  good luck and sorry its effecting you so bad

Hey,

I have never had an IUD, but what you describe sounds A LOT like what I have felt with various birth control pills.  It's hard to describe in great detail, but when I have tried with doctors I generally say that my life just seems more grey and less vivid.  I feel muffled and also have had a huge loss of sex drive, which seems to defeat the purpose.  I know that it's from the pills because each time a get to the week off, I feel a momentary reprieve.  I have tried probably at least 10 different types of pills and the best ones so far were the progesterone-only ones that they give when you're breast-feeding.  However, after my second daughter I decided to give the nuvaring a shot.  So far, I have felt great!  It's been about 4 months so that's enough time to feel any side effects. I think that my sex drive is higher that it has been since I went on the pill at age 18.  Seriously.  On another note, it sucks that we (women) have to deal with all of this stuff.  It's hard for men to understand because they just can't experience it.  Someone should create a pill for men.  That's my 2 cents!

I put off getting the Mirena out because some mommies brought up other things taht could be wrong that would be causing the same issues I am having..  I went to the our family doc and expressed my issues and let him know that I honestly feel like the Mirena is the culprit.  He wanted to do some lab work regarding my syptoms and asked that I cancel my appt with the obgyn.  So I did.  He ran pretty much everytest under the sun and everything came back normal, except for my Cholesterol was a lil high..  Otherwise, A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH...  So his next assumption is Clinical Depression.  I argued with him about this..  "I'm not depressed I dont' hat e my life, family, job, I dont' hate anything.  I jsut really stinking tired, like I have worked 14 hrs outside on a 100 degree day" I told him.  He asked me to go see a psyciatrist to rule out depression.  None the less I have recieved a clean bill of health both physically and Mentally.

 

I have an appt tomorrow to get the Mirena out.  It should take a month or two to get the hormones out of my system.  Until then I will be anxiously awaiting my return to a Normal Life

Thank You for all your posts and advice.