So, sorry if this is TMI in advance.

I've been on Mirena since my son was born about 6 years ago (6 years in Dec). I had light bleeding when it was put in, maybe 1-2 light spotting type periods, and then nothing. Doctor said all of that is normal and not to worry about it. Now, I've also always been overweight.

I've went from a bit under 200lbs to 260 at my highest, and then now I'm at 236.6 (as of today's weigh in). Last night when I wiped, I was spotting a little and it surprised me. I haven't made an appointment with an OB/GYN yet to get it checked out cause we haven't been living in the area too long yet, and I honestly just haven't looked at finding a doctor for that yet.

My question to you guys would be, have any of you actually started getting periods again after changing your diet to a healthier lifestyle and starting to exercise?

I have done some diets over the past 6 years, but they've always been the fad ones. I did Atkins, and HCG (which I in no way condone), tried juicing for all of a week.. but none of the diets was I able to last over a few weeks on, certainly not over a month. I'm going on about 6 weeks of Weight Watchers now, and my diet is varied so I'm not really excluding anything, more just eating healthier overall. I still get carbs/fats and not foods are really off limits. I'm just wondering if part of getting my weight off is going to be me having to put up with TOM again. Which I will do and all, but I can't say I missed TOM.

I guess my first question is...is it the same Mirena as 6 years ago? I thought they were only good for 5 years.

I've only had my Mirena for a year, and it coincided with changes in my diet, so I can't answer your other questions, but I'll be interested in seeing replies.

Nope, not the same Mirena, I got it changed about a year back now. You're right, they're only good for 5

My period lasted 9 days when i was overweight. Now that i'm a normal weight it lasts 3 days. So eating healthy can change your cycle. I'm not on BC but fat cells hold estrogen and when you lose it ... it must go somewhere right?

That does make sense, and I know bad diets can cause irregular stuff, so it makes sense that switching off a bad diet would also cause changes. So I'm not overly worried. I've just never really heard it being discussed, or this side of it, so I was wondering if I was the only person, haha. It is a bit of a specific scenario though.

Thank you for your input

Personally, when I hear "Mirena" all red flags and alarms go off in my head. I had it. It wreaked havoc on my body and my sanity. The worst side effect by far was the really severe depression I was going through (which also tied in with my weight along with other side effects).
If you google Mirena IUD side effects or even check out the various Facebook Groups that are out there with that topic, you'd be amazed how many of your ailments can be linked to the Mirena.
Personally, I think that having our period has its purpose. It cleanses the body in a way. With the Mirena, we're denying our body to cleanse itself.
My advice is to get rid of it rather sooner than later.

I don't mean to step on anyones toes, but this is a really passionate topic for me, as this little thing has literally put me through ****.

Tanyanka, I understand your concern, but not everyone has terrible side effects from it. The OP has been on Mirena for 6 years without problems (as far as she's told us), so it is doubtful it is related.

I have had some side effects, but personally I would rather have the birth control and just deal with the side effects.

It's only been the last 100 years or so that women have actually experienced having a period throughout adulthood (thanks to various methods of birth control) - typically, women were bearing children so often that they didn't get much of a period. So in reality, it's "abnormal" for women to get their period all the time.

The really mean thing about the Mirena is that many women have no side effects whatsoever on the first one, but full blast on the second one.
But yes, I agree, everyone is different and reacts differently.
I'm also very much for birthcontrol, but there are other ways than putting additional hormones in our bodies. The only side effect I'm willing to accept for myself nowadays are monthly cramps, as I can fight them with other means.
I'm personally using a gold/copper IUD, as it's very effective but does not meddle with my hormones.

I've had depression since I was about 14 years, and anxiety as I put on weight. The weight gain happened prior to Mirena. So all were present long before I had Mirena, and they haven't gotten worse or better with it. In fact my depression has gotten a whole lot less severe thanks to finally taking prescription medication over the past year. Previously I'd just done therapy. My weight gain became worse with yo-yo dieting, which is pretty normal.

I realize people have different reactions to different treatments, and I thank you for your concern. My current Mirena I've had in for a little over a year (I got it replaced a tiny bit early since I was moving and would be without health care for a brief period, plus would have to find a new OB/GYN). I don't have any side effects that I'm aware of.

This post was because I started spotting a bit, that actually lasted for about a week.. was continually very, very light, and now it's gone away, so I'm not really even worried about it. The post was made more out of curiosity than concern.

I tend to avoid Google as means of medical information. There's tons of horror stories about the copper IUD as well and both of us are fine. Everyone is different.

With Mirena you don't need to have a period, something about the lining of the uterus never building up. My GYN explained it to me and it made perfect sense but I don't remember his exact words. I opted for the copper for various reasons but Mirena would've been my first choice. I loathe periods.

I got the Mirena 3 years ago and have dieted on and off with it. I spot occasionally (one or twice a year), but that is all.

Weird... my understanding was that not all women lose their period completely on the first one, but almost all women have no period when they get the replacement put in.

I had my Mirena for 6.5 years (yes, the same one - I left it too long) and after the first month or so of light spotting I had no period at all, ever. Not when I gained weight, not when I lost 40 lbs... no difference. No period. No mood swings. No cramps. Gosh, I loved that thing.

Mind you, when I had it taken out I had the period to end all periods... (I was seriously concerned, going through a super tampon every hour or so, but apparently that's normal).

I would definitely get the spotting checked out because that sounds unusual to me. I think if you JUST got it changed out there can be a small amount of spotting because of its placement, and if it's been about a month it's possible the hormone level in your system dropped low enough that your body JUST started to have a period before the new Mirena told it to shut up. :P (This is NOT A FACT - I am not a doctor and I'm guessing)

But if it's been a few months (actually, even if it hasn't - your health is important) I wouldn't wait to go in. A GP can probably check it out for you, but if you're more comfortable with an OB/GYN now's your chance to find one! I would think a small checkup like this would be a good test of whether they're a good doctor for you.

I'm sorry to hear you had a bad experience, but I think it's important to consider that you have no way of knowing for sure what the causes were of your problems. The timing may coincide, but all it takes is one small coincidence or one small life change to make another big difference in your life.

I'm not saying you're wrong - I'm not an expert on the subject, and I don't know your life or your body - but I do think it's easy to find one thing to blame when a lot of problems spring up at once, when often it's one of those problems (or something else entirely) that made the dominoes fall.

Also, as another user mentioned, google and facebook are terrible sources of information. There are websites about how tap water is going to bring about the downfall of mankind... I recently read one that insisted we shouldn't be eating any fiber because we're meant to have crumbly poos like carnivores or something. You could probably pick ANY product and run a search and find people saying it's terrible and causes cancer and every other illness known to mankind.

And even if Mirena really did cause you some terrible problems (which again, it may have), it's important to realize that people need to make their decision based on likelihood of risks. If you need a surgery, for instance, there is always a risk of dying on the table because that's an inherent risk of surgery. So you have to decide if it's worth the small risk. I realize that Mirena isn't a necessity for most people - it's more of a convenience - but there are lower risks to go along with that. In fact, the only statistically significant risk I'm aware of is uterine puncture when it's being put in or taken out, which is an important risk to consider. The risks of the hormones is actually very VERY low, because the dosage is low. It's a much lower dosage than taking a birth control pill, and it doesn't circulate widely in your system in order to perform its purpose.

Overall, I think it's perfectly fine to say "well, this was my experience and it wasn't good" but when you start talking about "red flags and alarms" and saying things like "you'd be amazed how many of your ailments can be linked to the Mirena" it sounds like you're trying to give something more than your experience and opinion... it sounds like you're trying to scare people.

And scaring people means they can't make rational decisions anymore.