For the ladies: After you had Mirena removed, how long before your cycle started?

I don’t understand what you mean by “your cycle started.” Your cycle is not interrupted with Mirena. If you mean menstruation, some women have it on Mirena and some don’t.

I menstruated fairly regularly while the Mirena was in place, it was lighter and lasted fewer days, though. I had a hysterectomy due to fibroids when my 5 years were up, so I haven’t had a period since then.

I’m pretty sure a friend of mine who had Mirena (and hated it) went back to cycling/menstruating right after it was taken out, but she was bleeding while she had the Mirena anyway, she didn’t stop getting a period. Those hormones from Mirena should quickly leave the body once the IUD is taken out. I’m always shocked when anyone has a good experience with Mirena, but some people seem to.

@JLeslie – And I’m always surprised when people have had a bad experience with it. Everyone I know who had it, including myself, loved it.

@hearkat I remember from another Q you were happy with it. The discontinuation rate is pretty high with Mirena for dissatisfaction. I looked it up a while back when I was trying to help my girlfriend who was unhappy with it. I think it was just over 50%. but, that means about 50% of women are happy, or happy enough. I would not want to insert something that has hormones on it that I can’t easily stop or get rid of. It’s why I don’t like BC shots either. It’s in you, if you hate it you have to wait it out. I realize Mirena you can have taken out. A pill you can just stop taking, or switch to another pill. That is if your doctor doesn’t make you wait months to see if your current pill gets better. Doctors tend to want to make patients wait with pills that make them feel crazy or have breakthrough, or also with Mirena, they want to convince patients to give it a chance. Thank goodness my GYN wasn’t like that with my BC pills. That’s not medical advice I am trying to give, just my own personal thing regarding hormones and trying them.

I love mine. It’s my second. Other than it being a bitch to put in, I haven’t had any complaints at all. I can’t feel any significant changes in my hormones, which was a big concern with the shots or depro.

@JLeslie: I can’t take BC orally. Gastric bypass patients often become pregnant because their oral birth control is not properly absorbed. I liked Mirena quite a bit, and I will probably use it again after I have a child.

@poofandmook Aren’t there hormone free IUD’s? I’m not trying to persuade you, just curious, I don’t know much about IUD’s. If you were happy with it then I don’t see a need to change.

Yes, the copper insert is Paragard. I can’t say why, but I didn’t like the thought of the copper insert over Mirena, which is plastic. I may use Paragard next time. I used to be on Depo Provera but that leaches calcium, which is another issue with gastric bypass as I already have to take daily supplements. Can’t take the pill. Don’t want the patch or under skin implants.