Mirena/Paragard with Endometriosis

[annamluther]

I've read through most of the posts and comments here, and am hoping I can get some additional info/opinions.

My background:

Dealt with endo since I was 13. Have tried Seasonal, Depo-Provera, Depo-Lupron, Norethindrone, and Junel Fe. I have had 9 laproscopies done since then, the last being around July of 2011. It has grown despite the use of all of these hormonal BC. I quit taking birth control when I was 19, until 22 when i became pregnant with my son.

Now:

My body itself seems to handle hormonal BC okay.My mind doesn't. While I am bipolar II, I know my moods and my disease, and I have never been as bad as I have been since starting back on the BC after having my son. I was the same before I stopped taking them, 19-22 was probably the least "bipolar" I've ever felt. I have horrible mood swings, depression, etc. However, since starting the BC after having my son, I have had no appetite, and am now underweight. (From 186 when I had my son to 125 two months later). I have went to the doc, everything's normal, went to a dietician, but still can't get my appetite back/weight up. I'm working closely with both, as well as other docs, to get in the best health I can be, and I'd really like to give my body at least a year or two to let it even it's own hormones back out.

I am now 24, engaged to my son's father. He has five other kids from a previous marriage, and is perfectly fine not having any more (which I completely understand). Vasectomy is out of the question (no matter what, he will not be convinced that you can "have your nuts cut" and still feel like "a man"). I don't want more children, and have already tried to convince my doc to tie my tubes (you might want kids later, especially if you end up in another relationship). I don't. I had five near-suicide attempts (thanks suicide hotline!) during my pregnancy, and am just not one of those people who can mentally handle being pregnant. "We" won't be having more kids, and if something happens to this relationship I still won't have kids with another man (one of those things).

I'd like to get feedback/opinions from women WITH endometriosis who have either Mirena/Paragard, as much info as possible. Not as worried about insertion pain (I'll deal) as I am about your experience after, especially if you had it more than a year. EVERYTHING you can possibly tell me about your experience: cramps, bleeding, how long it took for periods to be "normal", what are your periods like now, side effects, etc. (I'm not going to get grossed out or anything, I just really want to know what the possibilities are so I can weigh my options). I'd also really like to hear from anyone who has Bipolar Disorder or who has had issues with other horomonal BC, and who had Mirena or Paragard. Please feel free to message me instead if you'd like.

[alphaomega]

I've had a Mirena IUD for about 16 months, and I got it primarily in hopes of reducing symptoms (mainly pain) of endometriosis. At the time, I had not yet had a laparoscopy (had my first and only about 6 months ago) so at the time I only suspected endo, though my symptoms were strong and otherwise unexplained, and I had been experiencing them for many years. I have never tried Lupron or any other hormonal treatment for endo, but I have used the "mini-pill" (i.e. progesterone-only) for painful periods in my 20s, and I've also been on a pill with estrogen and progesterone in my 30s. I was hesitant about getting the Mirena because I hated the "mini-pill" -- it put me in a terrible mood all the time, like I was having bad emotional PMS non-stop. (Interestingly, the combo-pill did not have this effect). I was told that Mirena has so little hormone that it shouldn't have the same effects; experience has shown me that it doesn't have quite the same effects, but it also is not completely free of side-effects. For starters, I gained 15 pounds within the first 2 months of having it (in my case this was very undesirable!). I was also on an emotional dive, the worst couple of months of my life (external factors made them that bad, but I firmly believe that the Mirena made it harder to bounce back). Those first couple of months I had only spotting, no periods, and since then I only rarely even have spotting. I do ovulate (I know because I have endo on my ovaries, so it's an explosion of pain) but not as regularly as before. And, I have more tenderness & cramping in my uterus than I remember having before, or maybe it is just more constant than it was before. So, I'd say if the mini-pill made me have PMS all the time, the Mirena makes me feel "a little bit pregnant" all the time. At this point, I am strongly considering having the thing removed because though I no longer have strong side-effects I feel I have insidious lower-level side effects that together are significantly affecting my quality of life. These include slight depression, reduced libido, painful sex, and the possibility that my hormones being out of whack are making my migraines worse. Complicating matters, I think the laparoscopy actually has helped me quite a bit but at this point I can't separate what it improved vs. what effect the Mirena is having. On the other hand, one thing about the Mirena is that things are fairly stable (though they weren't that great until I got the laparoscopy) and I'm reluctant to mess that up. The birth control side of things is a nice bonus too.

It strikes me that if you have had 9 laparoscopies in 10 years, plus trying all that hormonal intervention, plus a pregnancy, that you have been going so fast you may not know what has been effective or not. If I were you, I'd try to slow down a bit, avoid all further hormones at least for a while, and try to get your body stabilized so you can get a better handle on what's going on. I have found regular use of naproxen to be helpful for keeping the pain down, and cognitive behavioral therapy is very good for learning how to handle it day-to-day. You've grown up with this thing but you need to realize it doesn't define you, neither does it own you. You need to get yourself centered mentally and emotionally (being in good physical shape also helps, of course) so you can get on with the rest of your life. Good luck, and be strong!

[amandabaker]

Paragard is non hormanal losts of bleeding about 3times more than normal and cramping for the 1st year. My friend that has endo does all natural
Birth control regulates her self and uses condoms and the say the more kids u have the less pain u have with endo. Since u have biopolar stay away from hormonesur mood swings will increase with the mirina. I hope this helps.