Thinking of getting a minera..

I'm strongly considering getting a mirena (yes I know I spelt it wrong in the title, I had a dyslexic moment) put in at the end of the year, because I have extreme period pain which has caused me to faint before. I've tried numerous things like pain medication, going on the pill, etc to try to make my pain even just bearable, but nothing works. I went to a gynaecologist and she suggested I get a minera because it's the most certain way to get rid of the pain.

I was wondering, how much does it hurt to have it put in? And what are your thoughts on them?

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9 replies since 30th August 2011 • Last reply 30th August 2011

Don't know if it's the same thing, but here it's called a merina coil??
I've used them for about 11 years (they need changing every 5, for various reasons I've had it changed more frequently, so in that time I've had a total of 4.
I had really painful, heavy and prolonged bleeding for years but can honestly say it's been amazingly effective.
For the first few months most people find they have intermitent bleeding and your periods may seem heavier but TBH, it won't be any worse than the problems you're already having. It settles down quite quickly and I soon found Iwas having maybe one or two days of very light bleeding a coupla times a year. Which was a big difference from 10 days heavy out of every month!!

I had already had 2 kids by the time I had my first one fitted so I'm guessing you may find it slightly more uncomfortable than I did. But, if you weigh up a coupla days discomfort against the possible benefits, I'd say go for it.

If you've got any other questions, just ask hon.
And PM me if u'd prefer Happy

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Thanks bindiibabe, my gynaecologist gave me a little booklet with info on it, and it says that over 80% of people are satisfied with it. My mother's friend told me that it is extremely painful to have put in though. I don't know how true this is though, and I have a high pain threshold but the thought of pain scares me. I generally work myself up about something that's "painful" so much that I can hardly believe how little it hurts (like my laser treatment to get my birthmark removed).

I also heard that the younger you are, the more likely it is that your body rejects it and you will need emergency surgery to have it removed, so I'm scared of that happening. That's why if I do get it (which I think I will), it will be after my exams, just in case.

I'm going to do a lot of reading up on it, but it sounds like it will be worth it.

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By surgery to remove it they just mean taking it out the same way it goes in, there's no actual surgery involved. Anyone I know who has one has had their first one after having kids, but it honestly isn't too bad. Leaving it till after your exams is a good idea just in case you have any problems, in the meantime u can always do a bit more research.

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I decided to give it a go (after doing A LOT of research). My appointment is on Friday, so I'm stressing a bit, but I feel much more calm about it after reading people's personal experiences of the pain on another site.

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I got mine in yesterday. I was sick of having to take pills every day, and my insurance covers 80% of everything, so the $1300 Mirena procedure isn't going to cost much in the long run.

Hurt like crazy for the first hour after I got it in and I started spotting almost immediately, but after a day of resting I feel better and I'm glad I don't need to have a pill alarm on my phone anymore.

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Wow, you're so lucky insurance covered it! We had to pay for it ourselves because medical aid doesn't pay for anything here..

I had mine put in just over 2 weeks ago, it was the most painful thing I've ever experienced in my life and I've been spotting since the procedure. A week ago I had the most extreme period pain I've ever had before, but I read that it happens to some people in the first month after getting mirena. Now I just have to be patient and wait for my body to adapt..

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I've had spotting, too, but it's been fairly light and painless. Mine hurt worse than anything I've ever felt in my life before, probably because as it turns out, my uterus is retroverted, so things had to go in at an odd angle. Ouchies.

I've adapted to mine well so far but my next period isn't supposed to happen for another 2 weeks so we'll see how that goes. Menstrual cramps are something I can put up with though. I've had a hormone imbalance my whole life and until I got birth control, my cramps would lock up my body from my middle back to my ankles and I had a hard time walking. If mirena is better than the pill after the first 6 months, I'll be very glad I got it put in.

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i dont want to sound rude but $1300???? holy freakin hell that is damn expensive! what country are you in? im in Australia and had mine done after bub 2, all it cost was the Mirena itself (almost $100 but i figured if it lasts 5 years its worth it) and got it put in at the gyno clininc for free.
but then again i did also get the appointment and the script while i was in hospital after my emergency c-section

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I haven't had a minera, but i just started cerazette (mini-pill) and holy hell i've had a period for 3 freaking weeks and I want it to stop. The doctor told me it WOULD stop my period, but the booklet it comes with and people online say its only a possible side effect. Contraceptives are free in UK, but the cost of pads and tampons for 3 weeks works out to be about 3 months worth! my friend got the thing which is the stick in her arm which apparently has the same hormone as the mini-pill and she had one period for 4 weeks then hasnt had one since. she went back to the doctors after the 2nd week because she wanted it removed because of the period and they just said to come back in a couple of weeks if she still had a period then because she could be pregnant! she wasn't but we both thought it was a silly thing to say. (also because if you are pregnant and bleed your supposed to go to the doctors because something could be wrong, but that's a different topic).
anyway i chose the mini-pill because my periods were/are irregular and i would like them to be stopped and i dont want something as long-lasting as minera, coils, stick thing in arm which are all 3+ years. ideally i wanted something that lasts 1 year as sometimes doctors are reluctant to remove them early.

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