1 Year With the Mirena IUD - Should I Get it Removed?
Last May, I switched from taking a daily oral contraceptive pill (Tri-Previfem) and got the Mirena IUD inserted! For more on that experience and for my 6 month post, click here. You can also read my Contraceptives 101 post detailing each contraceptive option. So it’s been a little over a year and if you follow me over on Instagram, you’ve heard me chat about it here and there. In this blogpost, I want to talk about some main thoughts I’ve had recently.
First of my many thoughts is that I’m still spotting. WTF? But definitely not as frequently. I was spotting every single day until the 1 year mark and still spot, and not just the days following sex. It is still very annoying but I’ve also come to accept it. My OB recommended that I try adding on an oral contraceptive with added estrogen to control the spotting but I figured that contradicted the whole point of getting the IUD - I didn't want to take the pill everyday, remember? This is common side effect of a progestin-only contraceptive option.
I also think about that I do have another option to control the spotting: switching IUDs. Mirena is typically recommended for women who have experienced childbirth due to its size and dosage. Other options, such as Kyleena, Liletta and Skyla are recommended for those who have never had children and are lower dosage, smaller size, but also last a shorter period of time (5 years vs. 3 years). However, my insurance only covers Mirena.
Now I don’t want to seem like I totally hate it. Because I don’t! Not only does it give me peace of mind knowing that I can’t contribute to user error (forgetting to take a pill) and possibly decreasing the effectiveness, but another cool part is that I no longer have periods. I really only had 3-4 days of bright red, period-like bleeding twice in the 1 year and 3 months I’ve had the Mirena.
Another thing that I’ve shared my frustration over on IG is weight gain, which also can be common with switching birth control methods and progestin-only options. But also night-shift and marriage, ha! This is something I’ve come to accept. The first 6 months were very difficult for me - my skin broke out like crazy, I gained a lot of weight despite maintaining the same eating habits. However, I also have to factor in that I was exercising less due to exhaustion of working night shift full time and my body was still trying to find its new normal post IUD insertion and no longer having an influx of estrogen via the pill. Bodies change. Life changes. Seasons change. We need to start normalizing weight gain/loss as a result of life changes and stop equating worthiness to body size.
The hair loss from taking a daily combined pill has normalized itself, thank god. I was losing a lot of hair on the pill, which is also another common side effect.
After this past year, I’ve been wondering if I should just get it removed completely and go back to the pill. I’ve weighed my alternatives:
The Copper IUD (Paragard) - I don’t like that it works via inflammation, but it’s hormone free!
Fertility Awareness Method - not reliable enough for me, I’m in the middle of grad school and 75% effective rate is just not enough for me and my husband right now.
NuvaRing - I would like a more longer lasting method and not have to deal with changing rings.
Paying out of pocket for another IUD - Possibility.
Nexplanon (arm implant) - Another possibility.
Going pack to a daily pill - I also think about the time when I eventually go off of all contraceptives to try to start a family.. wouldn’t I want to start “weaning off” each hormone (estrogen) in this case, as soon as I can? Ugh.
The thing about trying a new IUD or the Nexplanon is that I’d have to go through the 6-12 months of my body trying to self-regulate again. And I’m just not sure if I can emotionally go through that again, on top of school, work, running this business, and other personal things I’m going through. Also, my insertion experience was quite uncomfortable (I discuss this in my Girl Talk story highlight on my Instagram) and I don’t particularly want to do that again.
So my thoughts ultimately conclude with a combination of these thoughts:
I survived 1 year, my body will only get used to it for the next 4 years, right?
I’ll be done with grad school in 1 year, which means I’ll hopefully find a normal, non-night shift job in 1-2 years (night shift works a lot better for me in terms of studying and being a GRA and clinicals), and that will help with the pure exhaustion and messed up circadian rhythm.
The spotting’s getting better!
Monthly string checks prove that it’s still there and not lodged in my intestines or something freaky like people love to share in their horror stories.
With my current schedule… I’ll surely miss a pill. There’s no user error with an implanted device like an IUD and I can’t blame myself if I accidentally get pregnant.
Maybe I’ll look up what the Nexplanon experience is like, or if my OB even inserts them. Hmm..
So there’s my not-so-exciting recap of the past year with the Mirena. For now… I won’t get it removed, but I do think of about it often, haha! If you’ve had a similar experience with the Mirena, leave your experience below! I know that I’m not the only one going through this with the amount of DMs that I get every time I talk about this.
xo,
Clara