My Comprehensive Mirena Experience

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Today I want to share my experience with the hormonal Mirena.  I have read SO many horror stories from women who have had horrible experiences with IUD insertion, but (so far) my experience has been pretty good.  I share this in the hopes that it can help you make an informed decision about your own birth control needs.

Choosing the Mirena
I have used a few versions of 'The Pill' on and off since 2014 (6 years ago).  When I first started taking The Pill as a 21 year old university student, I did not even consider any other form of birth control.  The Pill was what everyone used, and for many people it worked.  However my body did not like birth control pills - my acne was the same (or worse), I gained weight, my depression was amplified, and I soon forgot to take the pills (hence the on and off).  While at first I needed birth control to regulate my period, I soon found that maintaining a healthy diet and exercise did the trick.  Finally in 2018 I decided enough was enough, and swore off birth control pills for good.

Fast forward to the end of December 2019, and I felt that getting back on birth control was necessary for many reasons.  The deciding factor was that my periods were ridiculously heavy, to the point where I was passing clots 3 inches at their widest point.  My period ruled my life, and I was afraid to do anything while menstruating for fear of leaking.  If you've never experienced heavy bleeding, you won't understand why I was so afraid.  But I've gotten out of bed and had blood flow right down my leg (while wearing an overnight pad), so I think my fear was valid.

The Pill was not an option for me, so I decided to look into the Depo-Provera shots and the Mirena.  While I found Depo-Provera to be quite an attractive option, I opted for the Mirena for the following reasons:
1. It offered care-free birth control - I wouldn't have to think about it or come in for regular shots.
2. It would likely lighten my period, which I desperately needed.
3. I knew several women who had great experiences with the Mirena, and went on to have happy healthy families when they were ready to do so.

My doctor recommended the Mirena over Depo-Provera, which I also took into consideration.  And while weight gain was common on both forms of birth control, the Mirena was more attractive as it seemed to be mainly water weight.

Weighing the Risks & Cons
If you're here, you probably read the 129,047 articles sharing horror stories of what IUD's can do.  But truth be told, there is a risk with every single type of birth control.  It's all about what YOU consider to be worthwhile.

Here's what I would say to you if you asked me my thoughts:
Is pregnancy an option for you right now?  Pregnancy also comes with its own risks, and so does abortion if you ever decide to go that route.  If you're thinking about birth control, then I doubt pregnancy is the route you want to take.  You NEED to have a form of birth control that you can control.  An IUD is scary, but it works for so many women!

I will say this - my one biggest 'pro' with the Mirena was also a huge 'con'.  As I mentioned before, I had issues with regulating my periods in the past.  I was FINALLY able to manage it through diet and exercise for the past 2 years.  A part of me feels like the Mirena could mess up my cycle, and I was so proud of being able to regulate it naturally by myself.

The Process
To kick start the journey, my doctor gave me a prescription for the Mirena.  I recommend filling the prescription at least 1 week before your insertion appointment - it took about 5 days for mine to arrive, and an additional 2 days for me to make it to the drugstore during opening hours to pick it up.

Booking the appointment was fairly easy, and it just so happened to fall on the 4th day of my period.  I recommend trying to schedule your insertion for the latter half of your period for a few reasons:
1. Inserting an IUD while actively bleeding means that your cervix is slightly softened (to allow for blood to pass out of the uterus).  This makes it a bit easier for the IUD to pass through the cervix.
2. Spotting and bleeding is normal after insertion, but my doctor told me that since I had already passed most of the blood that was in my uterus, I would experience less bleeding (I did).
3. I have a 5-6 day period, and so my post-insertion symptoms didn't interfere with my life at all!

On insertion day I woke up and took a pregnancy test as instructed by the nurse.  Even though I knew I wasn't pregnant because I was on my period, I figured it wouldn't hurt.  I went to the clinic later that day with the negative test and my Mirena (it comes in such a big box, really threw me off).  I was instructed to take some ibuprofen 30 minutes before my appointment, so I did.  The gynecologist came in and talked to me about side effects and risks, and I asked a few questions.  Then it was time!

Insertion
I was instructed to take off my clothing from the waist down, and to lie down on the table with my feet in the stirrups.  This was prime time to conduct a pap smear, so after inserting the speculum, the gynecologist did a few quick swabs of my cervix, and then sanitized the area.

Using her hands, she conducted an external pelvic exam to locate my uterus.  This was not uncomfortable at all - it kind of tickled.  She then used a tool called a 'sound' to measure how far into my uterus the IUD should go.  This part was not painful, but it was HIGHLY uncomfortable.  I felt a lot of pressure, kind of like a more intense pap smear.  She told me to keep deep breathing, and then she quickly inserted the IUD through the sound and removed it.  Immediately I felt relief, though I was still a bit shaky.  The gynecologist clipped the strings, removed the speculum, and we were done.  The process took no more than 10 minutes - it was probably closer to 5.

After the procedure was done I felt great, minus some clammy hands from all the anxiety I was feeling about the procedure.  I was able to leave the clinic and drive home with no issue.

Post-Insertion
About 2 hours after the insertion I started to feel some mild discomfort in my lower abdomen.  I later found out these were contractions as my body adjusted to this foreign object in my uterus.  I drank some hot tea and used a heating pad, and while I was uncomfortable,  I was not in any pain.  I did experience some light bleeding, however as I was on day 4 of my period this was completely normal.

I will say that I was kind of convinced that I could feel my IUD on one side.  I don't think that was the case, I think I was just extremely paranoid that something could go wrong.  When I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the washroom, the sensation was gone, and so were the contractions.

As this post is long enough, I will be making a separate post describing my symptoms in the days to follow.  Stay tuned for more posts on my Mirena experience.

xoxo, Jayy