The condition of my condition

July 13, 2009 11:28 AM

Oh, my god. I've had a nearly month-long period after a Mirena insertion. I've been to the doctor and everything is seemingly fine - but I would like recommendations on how to deal.

In theory, I love the Mirena. The blood-free week immediately after insertion was fantastic. Sadly, it's a distant memory at this point - I quickly moved on to a period-like flow for nearly three weeks, and then my actual period came on schedule complete with crummy side issues. I've always had somewhat heavy, but relatively comfortable periods, so I have no idea how to handle this new stuff - cramping, moodiness, backache, stomach upset.

So - what works for you to make your period more bearable? OTC medications, hot water bottles, baths, a yoga position - I'll try anything. Have you figured out a way to avoid doing laundry every goddamn day? What gets blood stains out best? How do you deal with raging mood swings? You'd think that I'd have figured this stuff out over the last, oh, twelve years, but it turns out that I need Monthlies 101.

Any and all recommendations are helpful, whether an IUD lives in your uterus or not. If you DO have a Mirena...did you go through anything similar? How long did it take to balance out? Looking around for women with similar experiences got me a host of horror stories, which were pretty unhelpful. Relevant details: I'm 26, nulliparous, smallish but not too-small uterus, normal paps. I use a menstrual cup. I didn't do well on oral HBC, but my doctor and I decided that the super-low-dose Mirena would be a good option.

I've been assured that this is within the "range of normal" and to just wait, but the waiting is becoming a serious inconvenience. Halp!

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (22 comments total)

I had a similar experience when I started low-dose birth control pills. It really sucked, but it did go away eventually.

If you're having blood leaks, you probably want to invest in a pack of pads or pantyliners. They're no fun, but not as bad as buying a whole set of new underwear. I find just about any OTC pain reliever helps, but you probably want to take them before you're in real pain (like, whenever you start feeling extra bloaty/irritated in the uterus region). Take it easy, don't drink too much caffeine, try going for walks to get some endorphins.
posted by oinopaponton at 11:34 AM on July 13

I had a similar experience with the Depo shot--a year long period, followed by four years of nothing whatsoever. I invested in a lot of black underwear and pantiliners, and carried tampons with me everywhere I went.

The first periods on a pill after getting off the Depo shot were a nightmare--I'd completely forgotten what PMS was like, and it was much more emotional whereas before the shot it was physical. I learned to write on the calendar when PMS was supposed to start so that I wouldn't think the world had actually gone psycho when I started getting paranoid, weepy and furious over nothing. Physically, I concur with oinopaponton that you need to take OTC pain killers before the pain starts. I also found that light exercise (particularly belly dance type moves of hip and rib circles and gentle shimmies as well as walking and stretching) helped ease cramps as did very hot baths.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 11:41 AM on July 13

I don't have a Mirena, but I have a history of pretty awful periods. What works for me:

1. Take an OTC pain reliever when you feel the first twinges of pain- don't wait 'til it's bad. Advil works for me, so does naproxen sodium. My ob/gyn also used to prescribe Ponstel for me when it got unbearable.
2. Heating pad.
3. Wear a thin pad anytime you think leakage is possible.
4. If you sense leakage, and you're at home, immediately remove undies and run cool to warm water over the stain, washing with Woolite. No hot water, that'll set the stain. Then leave a pre-treatment on it, and wash with the rest of your laundry.
5. Do some light exercise like easy yoga or Pilates. Sometimes you just want to lay in bed and cry [I know I did and sometimes do] but exercise really does ease the cramping and makes you feel better.
6. Along the same lines as using a heating pad, taking a nice, long, hot shower relaxes me and soothes some of the crampy pain.

Good luck!
posted by rachaelfaith at 11:47 AM on July 13 [1 favorite]

Oh, and, um, masturbation. Some people find it eases cramps, some find it makes them worse. Luckily, it eases mine. Worth a shot, no?
posted by rachaelfaith at 11:49 AM on July 13

For getting blood out:

Tools- a sealable plastic container, oxygen bleach
Method- put blood stained cloth in container, fill with cold water, sprinkle with oxygen bleach, let stand. Add newly stained cloth as necessary. Change water and bleach every 24 hours, until cloth is relatively clean-looking. Rinse away any residue, lightly scrub any remaining stains and do a load of laundry (cold water, inspect for remaining stains before drying. Heat sets blood).

For cramps:

Camomile tea. Get real camomile flowers and brew them, don't bother with tea bags. Get as fresh as possible (try a health food store or a tea speciality shop).

Ibuprophen is also helpful for many, although I have had mixed results.

For mood swings:

Plenty of sleep, and general stress reduction techniques (for me mood swings are never *just* linked to my period, usually I only have them when I have my period and am also stressed).
posted by carmen at 11:58 AM on July 13

For cramps and back-aches. I take 2 Aleve before I start to feel any pain - ie, the day before or the day my period is scheduled. Then I take it regularly every 8-12 hours until the 3rd day or so. Since Aleve is an anti-inflammatory, not just a pain killer, it seems to help me more than Tylenol does.

I have heard anecdotally that Mirena leads to heavier and crampier periods for lots of women. If this is an issue you might want to try something else?

(Also, I totally relate to the '3-week-long period' suckiness. I am on hormonal birth control for the first time, started having breakthrough bleeding in week two, and was told by the doctor to wait until the 3rd pack to see if it goes away eventually - that's easy for her to say! She's not paying for the pads and panty liners!)
posted by muddgirl at 12:06 PM on July 13 [1 favorite]

No Mirena, but a veteran of very bad periods. One thing my first gynecologist recommended was taking 600 mg of ibuprofen (that's more than the recommended dose, so check with your doctor) every 4 hours, to keep ahead of the pain. I don't have to do that anymore, but it was a lifesaver in high school and college, when my periods were at their worst. It also limited the flow, somehow.

I still have to lay an old towel or two out on the bed, directly under me, at night. That keeps me from having to change the sheets every morning, anyway.

I find OxyClean to do a great job on blood.

My final piece of advice would be to find out for yourself what the range of normal is exactly, and also not to take more discomfort and bleeding than you want to. In my experience, doctors tend to try to jolly you along pretty much forever when they've decided some solution is going to be just great for you, and it's up to you to say when enough's enough.
posted by palliser at 12:06 PM on July 13

Please make sure you are monitored for anemia.

I take ibuprofen round-the-clock before and after my period. The medication is more effective that way. If ibuprofen isn't cutting it for you, your doctor can prescribe some more powerful pain relievers (Ponstel, Ultracet) that can help you.

Exercise, even just walking for half an hour, helps the pain a lot. So do heating pads.

Simple Green is a cleaning product that can get almost anything out of laundry. You can keep a bucket of water with some Simple Green in it by your hamper and just throw your soiled items in there so they can soak before you do your laundry. Then, cool water wash, and don't dry anything that still has a stain on it. (Unless you don't mind the stain.)
posted by FergieBelle at 12:14 PM on July 13

I've had a Mirena for about 2 1/2 years now and I love it. After insertion I had some mild cramping and light bleeding but I've had almost nothing since. I never cramp and have only spotted about 3 times since it was put in. Prior to having it installed I had normal 4-5 day periods every 28 days or so with little to moderate cramping.

I am not a doctor, and of course your doctor, well, is, but did s/he check for any kind of allergy to the materials within the Mirena, or sensitivity to the hormones that it contains? Has an ultrasound been performed to assure that the device is positioned properly and isn't irritating surrounding tissues? You may try abstaining from sex or using your menstrual cup for a few days to see if the bleeding/cramping decreases.

As for blood stains, try soaking clothing in cold water with a little detergent and some OxyClean. Dry in the sun if possible.

For cramps, laying down with a heating pad and a glass of red wine always helped me, along with ibuprofen.
posted by mezzanayne at 12:14 PM on July 13

I feel your pain. I had cramps for pretty much 4 months straight after I got my copper IUD, and then serious cramps every month after that. It finally started to ease up in the last couple months for me, about 2 years after insertion. Hopefully they stop sooner with the mirena.

When my cramps were so bad I couldn't stand up straight I took lots of advil and bought boxes and boxes of heat pads. I can't remember the name of the company right now, but there are some great disposable heat pads made specifically for cramps. They last for about eight hours, stick to the inside of your underwear, and are nice and thin so you can wear them all day. For the longest time those were the only things that got me through the day. I bought them at Walgreens and Target. They come in a red box and there are a bunch of different kinds -- neck, lower back, shoulder, etc. I haven't been able to find the ones for cramps lately, but in a pinch you might be able to use the neck ones.
posted by lilac girl at 12:28 PM on July 13

>I didn't do well on oral HBC, but my doctor and I decided that the super-low-dose Mirena would be a good option.

Any reason why you didn't get the non-hormonal ParaGard? I also had distant but bad experiences with hormonal birth control and opted for the ParaGard, twice now. Each time I had two or three months of very long and erratic periods after insertion, then things settled down. So it may be too soon for you to call this the new normal, but if it turns out it is, you might consider switching to the ParaGard and see if that helps.

As for the cramping, I agree with muddgirl's course of action with the Aleve. I used to take it for cramping before it was OTC, with roughly the same timing and dosage muddgirl describes, and it made a hell of a difference. A sugar fast a day or two prior to my period also helped with cramping.
posted by cocoagirl at 12:39 PM on July 13

I have had a Mirena for a few months. The first month was really utterly wretched for me. I was not a happy camper, and was concerned that there was something medically wrong with me. Too much blood, pain, cramps, nausea, too much everything.

The good news is that it goes away. It went away for me after about the first month- along with my period. I've had occasional light (very light) spotting, but that's it. No period whatsoever, and just occasional crampy pain in my uterus region.

No good advice except try to ride it out- I took a lot of warm baths during that month.

Anecdotal data- a doctor I know has been inserting Mirenas since they came out on the market more than a decade ago. It is his "go-to" IUD of choice. He recommends it widely, and uses it a lot. He says that only twice has he ever had patients with issues- one "fell" out after three months, and had a new Mirena reinserted without incident. The other patient had persistent pain and gave up on it after four months. Both were nulliparous women (e.g., never been pregnant).
posted by arnicae at 1:17 PM on July 13

The only thing that works for me, for cramps, is naproxen (Aleve). Take it with food, take it about an hour before you think you need it, and stay ahead of the pain. Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) has never been effective for me.
posted by mmw at 1:19 PM on July 13

Hey, so, I had exactly the same experience as you. I didn't do well on normal birth control, got a Mirena. I felt super bloated for the first two few after insertion, and then had a bizarre cycle for a while (got it inserted mid-October 2007, had wacked out cycle until June 2008, including random spotting, looooong weird periods, random bolts of pain, whatever. Email or MeFi Mail me if you want to talk more about this or need someone to talk to about Mirena in general). After July 2008, things got pretty awesome for me. I got the promised super light periods, never have cramps, and rarely even think about the Mirena.

What worked for me was:
1. Yoga (do this
2. Aleve (seconding suggestion to take it an hour before you need it. for real)
3. Wine (drink it. physical and psychological relief).
4. Black underwear (wear it. seriously = the easiest solution.)
5. Raspberry leaf tea (internet recommended drinking it to help with cramps. I did. don't recall how well it worked)

Also to consider: a thing that one of my friends does for awful cramps is taking half or a full muscle relaxant. I tried this once and my cramps just disappeared. I don't understand why doctors don't prescribe this for people with debilitating cramps.
posted by mustcatchmooseandsquirrel at 2:52 PM on July 13

Talk to your doctor and see if you can get a menstrual cup.
posted by Lobster Garden at 3:09 PM on July 13

I had a not dissimilar, but much less bloody experience, and it did go away. For the first month or two after my Mirena was inserted, I had frequent cramping and spotting, necessitating lots of black underwear and the occasional awkward moment of being doubled over in pain. Gradually, the pain and spotting decreased, and by month three, they were almost completely gone.

I've had the Mirena for almost two years now, and it has been a dream. As mustcatchmooseandsquirrel says above, "I rarely even think about the Mirena." Hell, I barely even remember what it's like to worry about things like my period.
posted by dizziest at 3:44 PM on July 13

I've had a Paragard insteted in January. My periods and cramps settled back to their normal (pre IUD) heaviness in about 3 months. I notice you're a menstrual cup user. I haven't been able to use my divacup since I got my IUD. Horrible fierce cramps. I'm not sure if this has to do with the tilt of my uterus (pretty severely forward) or not. I've gone back to tampons and fabric pads. I miss my cup, but am willing to give it up for 10 years of nearly worry free birth control.

Those little stick on heating pads that were mentioned above are fantastic. I find the cramp specific ones stocked next to the midol and pads, usually. At night, I take a lot of hot baths when I'm staying somewhere with a bathtub, and otherwise I cuddle up with an old fashioned hot water bottle.
posted by mollymayhem at 5:58 PM on July 13

Just seconding masturbation for easing cramps. I often find it will work when nothing else does. Happy contractions seem to sooth painful ones!
posted by amileighs at 7:00 PM on July 13

Got a Mirena in December. I've had maybe 5 days with no spotting. Sometimes the spotting is heavy enough it might be a period, and sometimes it's just a little. (I can't tell if I've actually gotten periods, as there hasn't been no-spotting times, and I'm still nursing my daughter.) I just always wear a pantiliner these days. My midwife says that 6 months spotting is normal...and sometimes longer. I'm not real thrilled, but not frustrated enough to have it removed.

Can't help on cramping as I don't get any (never really have, and that didn't change with the Mirena.)
posted by leahwrenn at 7:24 PM on July 13

I had a Mirena put in about 6-7 months ago. I bled pretty heavily at first, with alot of cramps. The only thing that really relieved it was a hot bath. The second month I had light spotting. I'm happy to say that after that - nothing! Try your best to stick it out, it is worth it!
posted by sporaticgenius at 7:34 PM on July 13

I've had my mirena for 3 months now, with nearly constant spotting and bleeding. The manufacturer of mirena is quick to point out that the bleeding is a feature, not a bug - it means the lining of your uterus is thinning out and you are likely to have much lighter or possibly nonexistent periods after enduring the first few months.

I've had distinct periods since getting the mirena (4 in 3 months - woo hoo). Each one is lighter than the one before. Since the mirena set me back about $500, I am hanging in there. If you haven't given it 6 months, you haven't really given it a fair trial. At least that's what I keep telling myself... Seriously, though, I really did not like the mirena after the first month, but it keeps getting better. Hang in there.
posted by selfmedicating at 7:48 PM on July 13

Hydrogen peroxide does a really good job on fresh bloodstains, just soak the stain in there for a while, swish it around once in a while until it's not foaming up anymore.

Also just wanted to echo what was said regarding having an IUD, using a menstrual cup, and also having a tilted uterus/cervix. Sometimes these three things just can't get along, and can result in awful cramps. And, having a tilted uterus/cervix can also mean that some resting positions put pressure on the crampy area - sitting curled up, for example. It might be worth investigating if there is anything notable about the positions of all your bits.
posted by illenion at 9:13 PM on July 16