[sharon_lee_family]

Mirena is suppose to take away your cycle after one year of being inserted. It gets removed after 5 years. Will this effect growth? Does anyone have mirena and has had any growth.
btw, I looked on the old forms and found conflicting information. So i'm a little confused.
thanks girls!

[obeng14]

Mirena is suppose to take away your cycle after one year of being inserted. It gets removed after 5 years. Will this effect growth? Does anyone have mirena and has had any growth.
btw, I looked on the old forms and found conflicting information. So i'm a little confused.
thanks girls!

*I had the Merina put in June and my Cycle has went away completely. My breast have seemed to look a little bit different but not by much. *

[moneygirl]

I had the Mirena in for a grand total of 5 days last year - had to have it removed after I got PID (I never get infections) and excruciating pain. After that, I REALLY did my research.

To find out if Mirena has an impact on NBE, you have to look at the mechanics of Mirena. The actual way in which it prevents pregnancy is not known but it is known that Mirena (unlike the copper IUD) releases progesterone into your system. That's what keeps you from getting your period 3 - 6 months after insertion, if you are the "normal" user Bayer expects you to be and not one of the 1% like me whose body refused the device.

Some NBE tactics - mostly herbal ones - could, in theory, impact the effectiveness of birth control as they affect hormones. It would be hard to find a doctor to ask about this since most doctors have little to no knowledge when it comes to herbs and you'd have no easier time finding a naturopath who understands the mechanics of Mirena.

From the Mirena FAQs:

Mirena slowly releases very small amounts of the hormone levonorgestrel directly into your uterus.

There is no single explanation for how Mirena works. Mirena may:

* Thicken cervical mucus to prevent sperm from entering your uterus
* Inhibit sperm from reaching or fertilizing your egg
* Make the lining of your uterus thin

Mirena may stop the release of your egg from your ovary, but this is not the way it works in most cases. Most likely the above actions work together to prevent pregnancy

That being said, the hormonal function of Mirena doesn't seem to be the "only" function (like it would be in the birth control pill) as there are some theories that the actual structure of the IUD can prevent pregnancy on its own (which is why it can be used as emergency contraception if inserted within 10 days of unprotected sex).

So long story short, NBE with herbs probably wouldn't have an impact on Mirena's usefulness (not sure about vice versa as you are dealing with lab chemicals versus herbs) but it would be wise to be careful when mixing lab progesterone and herbal hormonal treatments. Just my (totally unqualified) $0.02, I'm not a doctor nor herbalist.

[Wahaika]

"Mirena slowly releases very small amounts of the hormone levonorgestrel directly into your uterus."
I think that the previous statement should be illegal. By referring to levonorgestrel as a hormone, it could suggest to some that it is a natural hormone. Levonorgestrel is not a natural hormone, it is a synthetic hormone.

"Levonorgestrel is a synthetic form of the female sex hormone, progesterone."
( http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/100001706.html )

"Mirena contains levonorgestrel, a progestin hormone commonly used in birth control pills. The low level of progestin in Mirena is safe and effective. Mirena is the only form of birth control that releases very small doses of progestin over time, directly into your uterus. Mirena does not contain estrogen."
( http://www.mirena-us.com/faqs/index.jsp#30 )
( A "progestin" is a synthetic progesterone - which will never be the same molecule or it could not be patented.)

See also:
http://www.drugs.com/mtm/levonorgestrel.html

Estrogen at the right ratio to other hormones is what causes NBE to work.
Progesterone modulates (opposes) estrogen. NBE programs that use progesterone usually do not work.
Anything that takes away the cycle is going to make NBE harder to accomplish.

NBE friendly BCs, depending on individual hormonal makeup, are:
* Yasmin
* Ortho Tri-Cyclen
There may be others.

[moneygirl]

"Mirena slowly releases very small amounts of the hormone levonorgestrel directly into your uterus."
I think that the previous statement should be illegal. By referring to levonorgestrel as a hormone, it could suggest to some that it is a natural hormone. Levonorgestrel is not a natural hormone, it is a synthetic hormone.

Amen.

Personally I think Mirena should be illegal but that's just me.

[sharon_lee_family]

"Levonorgestrel is a progestin hormone and does not contain estrogen. The intrauterine device releases levonorgestrel into the uterus, but only small amounts of the hormone reach your blood stream. "

My doctor also told me this. Little to none of the hormones in the mirena get into the blood stream. It all stays in "that area". No medications should bother the mirena at all. I can't take the pill in birth control because bc caused blood clots in my family. My doctor felt mirena was safer because of this.

Mirena has been great for me so far. I still get my monthly period but it's extremely light and last 4 days. No more extreme pain around that time of the month.

I'm not a doctor myself! Reading all the things that happened to other people while on the mirena is really scary but it's been a dream come true for me. i guess everybody's body is different?

[moneygirl]

"Levonorgestrel is a progestin hormone and does not contain estrogen. The intrauterine device releases levonorgestrel into the uterus, but only small amounts of the hormone reach your blood stream. "

My doctor also told me this. Little to none of the hormones in the mirena get into the blood stream. It all stays in "that area". No medications should bother the mirena at all. I can't take the pill in birth control because bc caused blood clots in my family. My doctor felt mirena was safer because of this.

Mirena has been great for me so far. I still get my monthly period but it's extremely light and last 4 days. No more extreme pain around that time of the month.

I'm not a doctor myself! Reading all the things that happened to other people while on the mirena is really scary but it's been a dream come true for me. i guess everybody's body is different?

I am glad you are one of the people it has worked for and are happy with it! I couldn't last 5 days on it, presumably my body rejected it and I'm glad that it did. I finally feel like I have control of my fertility and have been BC-free for several months. It took me months to regulate after the Mirena incident and years of Depo injections... but I learned a lot in the process and really connected with my body - which has now led me to NBE and alternative medicine. So at the end of the day I am grateful for the experience, even if it was painful and traumatic.