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[Cacarosa]

Hello, I've just joined this forum. I'm also very new to this menopause thing and feeling a bit lost.

Excuse my bad English, I'm Spanish.

I'd like to tell you about my experience on Mirena. Since I've read many good things about it in this forum, I'd like to give another point of view. I don't want to scare you out of it, but I think we all should know these things can happen.

At this time I' m 46 and childless. A few years ago, when I was 40, due to a very heavy, unstoppable bleeding I went to ER and they found I had a polymiomatous uterus. I had four Esmya cycles wich stopped my periods and gave me a good quality of life. But then the Health Ministry forbid its use because apparently it caused liver damage. So I was put on tranexamic acid, but it didn't work for me. The horrendous, unstoppable bleedings started again and since then I was always anemic, dizzy and very weak.

So my Ob-Gyn recommended a Mirena coil to stop the bleeding, wich was finally inserted two years ago. At that time I had no meno symptoms so no estrogen for me. Had it inserted for two years. The insertion was very, very painful and left me bleeding again for weeks. The Ob-Gyn said it was because I never gave birth and it was nothing to worry about. But the coil didn't work, so I kept on taking tranexamic acid and naproxen and iron supplements but was weaker and weaker. Three months ago I had my routine appointment with my Ob-Gyn who made me an echo and told me that everything was OK and that I should wait for it to function. So I left thinking everything was OK. Then started the excruciating pain and the bleeding again. Two whole months bleeding until I decided to go to ER again since I was so weak and felt like I was dying. They took an echo and told me the coil was displaced and was puncturing my cervix. They extracted it. This happened 7 days ago. The bleeding and the pain finally stopped. I was administered iron and offered another Mirena (the horror!). Obviously I said NO. Then changed to another Ob-Gyn, who prescribed me Qlaira, as she said I was peri and Qlaira was very useful to stop bleedings.

So guys, just wanted to tell you, be careful with the Mirena, these things can happen.

About meno, two weeks ago I had my first hot flushes: very intense and upsetting, since I never had experienced that before.
So I guess I'm officially peri now, yipee
Since my mother menstruated until 57 I thought it would still be far away from me

I've just started my second week of Qlaira. Stopped bleeding two days ago and now just spotting, and no hot flushes. I feel much better on iron and not bleeding, and my mood has improved, I don't know if because I am less anemic or because of the hormones.

Anyone on Qlaira? What should I expect on the two days of deprivation? I'm very afraid of bleeding again. I'm thinking of taking it continously to avoid bleeding for two or three months until my anemia gets better but I'm afraid it would cause a building of the uterine lining and then the bleeding would be worse. Any suggestions?

Thanks a lot❤️

[Crazee Haze]

Hi
I too had a horrendous experience with the mirena coil. I was doubled up in pain and bled TIL I could barely stand. I demanded it be removed against the medical professionals advice that “it would settle”
I was then put on a double dose of the progesterone only pill. This did bring my bleeding under control but did not deal with the other menopausal symptoms
So I was then put on Elleste 1mg After 3 months and no improvement I was then upped to the 2mg. It has helped aches and pains. My period only happens once a month now and lasts 5/7 days as opposed to all month bar a few days !!! It is however as heavy as ever and I take both mefenamic and tranexamic acid during my period to lessen bleeding. I am struggling with the elleste duet 2mg as when on the white tablets I feel absolutely awful. I go to a very dark place and can not tolerate being round anybody. Tbh nobody wants to be round me during this time. I change completely. I want to scream, cry and hate myself. Does anybody feel the same ? I believe it's the tablet that has both hormones in it.
Thx Crazyhaze

[Cacarosa]

I am relatively new to the wonderful world of menopause, but reading what other ladies wrote here, perhaps changing to a different progesterone would help your mood. Some ladies here say different molecules have different effects in mood.

[Focus]

What a horrendous experience

What is it with the Mirena? Doctors seem to be pushing it on all women now.

I've told them time and time again that I don't want anything that goes inside me (PTSD) and yet, and yet, they kept offering it to me.

Anyway, I had some of the same issues as you, with the heavy bleeding that was unstoppable. I tried T Acid, but it left me with crashing fatigue, migraines and olfactory hallucinations (I'm not joking, it was the devil's tablet for me that thing).

The doctor offered me the mini pill, but it didn't do anything for me. The bleeds were too severe and long.

Anyway, I begged for the combined pill. The doctor I had gave me one that had too low a dose of hormones, which meant  it sort of worked to stop the bleeds, but I was getting lots of breakthrough bleeding. She really didn't want to give me a higher dose, and didn't think I was perimenopausal. We actually had a massive disagreement about it and I had a panic attack down the phone while I was speaking to her about it. I changed doctor (to a contraceptive specialist) and she gave me a higher dose, no issue at all.

So now my bleeding is under control pretty much completely. I have hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings etc, but nowhere near as bad as I know they would be if I was;t taking the pill.

This whole thing went on for about 6 months.

[Crazee Haze]

Yip they tried to convince me the merina coil was the answer but I went into panic mode at the very thought of having it fitted. So hence I'm on elleste 2mg and at this point in time I'm on the BAD tablets. My head hurts and I'm irritable to say the least 🤬 Its a horrible place to be every month. I dread it As does everyone around me. I don't know where to go from here. Oh and I was also put on sertraline But they caused night sweats that I couldn't cope with. Totally desperate to find an answer to this living hell. I'd say I've suffered enough over the last 5 years

[Cacarosa]

What a horrendous experience

What is it with the Mirena? Doctors seem to be pushing it on all women now.
 

Yes, it was the Mirena. I think they are pushing it on everyone with heavy bleedings because it really is very effective for most women (not me). But I hate that they don't tell you how horribly painful is the insertion specially for the childless and that it can puncture your insides.

I find your message very helpful: I have just started on Qlaira (beginning the second week) and I'll give it three months and see what happens. If it doesn't stop my bleedings I'll ask for a stronger BCP. Thanks a lot.

By the way, do somebody know if tranexamic acid can be taken when on Qlaira? I know you can't take it while on BCP, but since Qlaira is so low dose, I wonder if I can take it if bleeding becomes too heavy

[Cacarosa]

Totally desperate to find an answer to this living hell. I’d say I’ve suffered enough over the last 5 years

Please don't give up. Ladies on this forum usually have to switch between multiple HRTs until they find something that fits. Why don't you try something with higher estrogen and other form of progesterone? I'm sure you'll eventually find something that fits you better

[Tinkerbell]

It's a popular chose of gynaecologists because it reduces the number of hysterectomies that are performed, so obviously the Mirena is an awful lot cheaper and takes away the need for GA and infection risk of surgery.

My mother had terrible heavy periods and was always being sent for D&C surgery back in the 1970/1980's.

[Cacarosa]

Well, I am not really sure, but from what I've been reading here in this forum, the UK health system assings an anual budget for every patient. It's not a problem here in Spain since we have no such limits. And even so practitioners keep on pushing Mirena for heavy bleedings. So I guess it's more that it really has a good risk /benefits ratio and is a sensible option and not so much a question of budget. Nightmares like mine aren't probably common.