Women’s Hair Loss Project

I signed the petition, too!

There seem to be many sites out there that are devoted to letting women know about the side effects of Mirena. Hopefully women interested in this procedure will do a little research first.

Signed!! I am a former Mirena user and current member of Women’s Hair Loss Project. I too have been losing my hair and other various side effects and I had mine removed a year and a half ago. I had mine in for 8 months and encountered nearly the same symptoms you did!! Thank you for writing this!!

Thank you very much for alerting me to the petition. I always thought that there was a connection, but told differently. My man is going to get the snip and I will get this removed right away. The piece of mind is not worth all of the pain I have gone through. Thank you vey much again!

Thank you for such an informative email response. I’ve spent countless amounts of money trying to find a cure for my TE. I too think I might be shifting from TE into Androgenectic alopecia as my follicles are miniturizing as well. I haven’t had another biopsy since my last one 2006 to be sure of what type of hairloss I have now. I’ve been on spironolactone, propecia, finisteride (5mg of propecia), and none of them stopped or even lessened my hair falling. I’m currently using Regenix but I don’t recommend it. Its very expensive and I have to wash my hair daily which makes it completely fall out! I usually lose around 300 hairs per day! I’m looking into wig systems and was wondering if there are any particular ones you or anyone would recommend. The one that I am interested in is by Farrel Hair, Los Angeles. His wigs can be worn while working out, swimming, etc. and look very real. Do you currently use a system? I think I am too vein to walk around with a shaved head, sorry to admit that…I am going to sign the petition, look into it a little deeper and talk to my OBGYN about it. I know there isn’t anything I can do to reverse the effects and after 5 years, thousands of dollars, and now your bright light about the IUD, I’m ready to give in to the wigs! My hormones have also been effected by all of this too. I was reading the other side effects of the IUD and I can check a few off that list of what I’m currently going through. Sounds like we are going through similar situations as I’m sure many others on this site are as well. Glad I found you!

Thanks again

Hi Marie - You are so very welcome. Yes I’d agree with your assessment of Regenix, I think it’s a bit of a waste. All That shampoo and scalp cleaner junk reminds me of Nioxin. Our hair isn’t falling out because our follicles are clogged with sebum or anything else. In my opinion these companies prey on the vulnerability of men and women losing their hair. I’d say stick with the FDA approved products. I took Propecia (finasteride), but it was only the 1mg dosage. The 5mg tablets of finasteride is actually proscar. It did nothing for me except make my skin extremely oily and I had tons of pimples for the first time in my life.

Hair Replacement Systems (wigs): I do not currently use a hair system yet and everything I know is only what I hear from other women here. I think that Farrell Hair Replacement is okay for some women, but I have heard from a few women who were unhappy with their customer service and they felt it was more of a mill type place like The Hair Club For Men. This is such a personal and emotional issue that I think it is better to go to a smaller salon that specializes in it, or what several of the women do is order the hair online from a wholesale manufacturer type place and they get excellent quality hair for a fraction of the cost, then you still need to take to get cut and colored and of course a couple lessons on putting it on. I have come across many women on here that have opted for The Reprieve Hair System. You can read more about that here:

http://www.womenshairlossproject.com/hair-loss/hair-loss-photos-before-after/

http://www.womenshairlossproject.com/hair-loss/bonded-toppers-repreive-hair/

You mentioned Farrell Hair in Los Angeles, so I’m assuming you are in the area. A friend of my made a visit to Lee Anthony & Co in Costa Mesa, CA and she was really impressed by the place she felt they were honest and felt comfortable (well as comfortable as you can be in a hair replacement salon). You may want to make an appointment and do some reconnaissance This is their website:

http://www.leeanthony.com

They also have a video up on the Orange County City Search:

http://orangecounty.citysearch.com/profile/36196090/costa_mesa_ca/lee_anthony_co.html

The shaved head look is not for everyone, and there is definitely no shame in saying it’s not for you, we all have to do what makes us feel most comfortable. I think moving forward an at least “looking into” wigs and toppers is a good idea, it takes the mystery out of the unknown, thus disabling the fear.

Best,
Y

Without going into all the gory details (which so resemble a lot of other women’s), let me just say that I started losing hair in rapid fashion in July 2008. Did the doctor circuit to no avail and finally decided to have my Mirena removed in October 2008 and began seeing a wholistic doctor who actually listened to all my symptoms and began working on what could be wrong. I am happy to report that I feel TREMENDOUSLY better since the Mirena removal, my hair loss has slowed considerably, and I have a lot of new growth. I don’t know if I’ll ever completely regrow the 50% of my hair that I lost, but I feel so much better just knowing I’ve found some reasons for the hair loss and the other symptoms. I hope this gives some of you peace of mind as you struggle to resolve your health mysteries.

Dear Adrienne

How long were you on Mirena before your started loosing hair, a few months or longer, just interested?

Bees

SIGNED! All women should be informed of ALL side effects and risks associated with Mirena usage. I forgot to put in my letter that I also suffer from lower backaches.

LIVE A MIRENA FREE LIFE!

omg…all these symtoms…i feel like im reading about myself.
i have had mirena now for 11 months..and like the author ..i feel like its been non stop bleeding!!

tomorrow i go in to remove it and also for a colposcopy…these past 11 months have been nothing but hell…with the mood swings…hair loss, constant bleeding and a tummy that looks like im smuggling a baby kangaroo..im SO OVER mirena.

i really wish they would better inform women.

as i type this i am sitting with a horrible cramp, as if a cat is clawing at my ovaries.

1. MY MIRENA EXPERIENCE
I had a Mirena IUD inserted in 2005, age 41, and was extremely happy with it at first. I’d begun to have heavy, painful periods for the first time in my life — they immediately lightened up and the cramps went away.

I have a LOT of hair, so it took me more than 6 months to notice that it was falling out. Then I noticed fuzz growing out of the crown of my head which I’d never seen before. My hairdresser said, “Use more product.” I went to a more expensive salon and consulted the owner, who said, “You’re over 40. It’s the menopause.”

A year later, definitely losing hair (now I really noticed), I got bloodwork done. My hormone profile was normal (no menopause). My thyroid was normal. I blamed the hair loss on stress.

I have now lost HALF of my hair, and finally decided to Google “Mirena hair loss” today. It was a nasty shock. My IUD will be removed in 10 days, and I will be changing to a different gynecologist.

2. GROWING YOUR HAIR BACK:
If you’ve removed the Mirena and are trying to get your hair to grow back, this method was told to me by a friend in her late 60s with beautiful waist-length hair who used to go to a famous salon in New York (George Michael on Fifth Avenue, an expert on long hair). She has had severe seborrhea in the past, and George told her about this treatment:

Solgar Brewer’s Yeast, powdered (nothing else is good enough). Take one rounded tablespoon stirred into about 6 oz of water (not carbonated) immediately before bed - after using the bathroom one last time. Do this every night, no cheating, for 90 days. Pause for 30 days, then repeat if necessary. It must be powdered yeast; capsules/tablets won’t do it.

I’m only 2 weeks into my first treatment with the yeast, and I still have the Mirena (but not for long), so I can’t report on its effectiveness — yet.

Good luck!

Still trying to get RID of my Mirena.

November 2005: Mirena inserted.

……..(For 2 1/2 years: My hair is definitely falling out; I am not imagining it. But I started with so much of it that nobody believes me.)

1 May 08: Complain about hair loss to my GP, who looks at my scalp and agrees it’s thinning. She orders bloodwork, but it all comes back “normal”. She has nothing else to suggest except it’s due to stress.

24 April 09: Find the Women’s Hair Loss Project site and the Mirena petition. Make an appointment to get the Mirena removed. Start 90-day treatment with nightly dose of brewer’s yeast in water (I’ve posted the instructions here; email me if you want them sent to you).

14 May: Having waited 3 weeks for the appointment, my doctor can’t get the Mirena out: she can’t get hold of the threads. Refers me to OB/GYN department at the hospital.

17 May: A friend tips me off that the local family planning clinic has a walk-in service with several gynecologists available. I spend an afternoon there. The GYN does her best but can’t get the thing out either — she can’t even FIND it. She tells me I need to come back for an ultrasound when the senior GYN is on duty, but that will take a while because the senior GYN is officially retired and only comes in a few days a month.

19 May: I have an appointment for a scan on 2 June, but I won’t be able to make it, so reschedule for 10 June.

22 May: Visit my GP to discuss how to deal with the hair loss, as it seems the Mirena won’t be coming out immediately (it may require minor surgery — BLOODY HELL!!!!!!!!!! — which will mean another wait after I’ve gone for the scan in 3 weeks). She has nothing to say except what I’ve already heard: it’s normal in the menopause (if that’s so, why does my mother still have a full head of hair at age 70?), it could be stress (Dr. Redmond’s book says “Stress doesn’t cause hair loss except in extremes: war zones, etc.”), and there’s not much that can be done about it except using minoxidil (which Dr. R is negative about: it has to be applied 2x daily, which is very inconvenient unless you have very short hair; it causes facial hair growth and irritates the scalp; AND it usually doesn’t work!) or Finasteride (steroids???? No thank you — and they don’t rate a mention as effective treatment in Dr. R’s book, unless I’ve missed something).

This GP did agree to order more finely-tuned bloodwork, and review it when the Mirena has been out for 3 months. But she was deaf to requests about referring me to an endocrinologist and a prescription for spironolactone to slow the hair loss while I get rid of the Mirena and let my system rebalance itself (I hope and pray).

I live in England, but I can see that I’m going to have to get myself to New York for a consultation with Dr. Redmond. I’ve already lost nearly half my hair — I’m not hanging around waiting to lose the other half.

GRRRRRR.

I will sign! I have had the Mirena in now for almost 3 months and can’t wait to get it out in 3 days! I wish I would have dug deeper for more info before having this done. I have lost so much hair, my abodomen is huge, my joints ache, moodier than ever and don’t even get me started on the impossibility to lose weight! I can’t believe the difference in who I am physically and mentally since having this put in!

i have had my mirena in for about 10 months now and have an appointment on tuesday to have it taken out… i was only 20 when i had it placed and thought i would be great. my husband is in the military and was set to deploy so i figured if i got it just before he left we could have fun without worry and all the side effects would be gone before he came home. I WAS WRONG!

i am now a day away from 21 and i cant wait to have it out, i havent struggled as much with hair loss as i have with no growth. i use to have to cut my hair every other month regardless to keep it healthy and reasonable. now i dont want to cut it every 5 months because who knows when it will be back.

and for everyone on here who had all the other side effects im sorry… this has hurt my marriage… my husband says i am very different and i feel very down most of the time… not good when you are raising a 14 month old on your own, but we are ready to start over this comes out about 3 weeks before he comes home and not a moment too soon!

good luck everyone!

I am at a loss for words…I had Mirena inserted on 01/2008 I started to notice hair loss in 9/2008 I talked to my Dr because I suspected it was the Mirena. She assured me it was unlikely she thought it was due to some extreme weight loss I had experienced. So I stopped dieting and figured my hair would return, and boy was I wrong. Since 01/2009 it’s been WORSE, much worse… and now my hair is so think I wont even wash it everyday to reduce the hair loss.
That’s it, I’m DONE it’s coming out ASAP! Thanks for all this in information and good luck !

Wow what a coincidence. I had mirena inserted May 2008. At first it was the perfect birth control until a few months went by and my hair started falling out like CRAZY!! It was like a nightmare. I had beautiful thick hair and now my hair is so ugly! I had many apt. with my obgyn but she promised that it defiantly wasnt the mirena. So I decided to go to the dermatologist, had blood work done for thyroid and came back negative. I also went to my main dr., had blood work and nothing! I was so confused what is wrong with me?? Hmm.. what could it be, obviously MIRENA! I dont know what to do now. I want to get it removed but I heard my hair will fall out more. Is there any birth control that doesnt cause hair loss? Please help I dont want to go bald Im only 19.

I had seen your story on-line I’m at my wits end this all has happened with in a matter of the 5months he Mirena IUD was inside me.
I’m 28 married stay at home mother of 3 boys 10, 8, and 17 months..
and am going through such hard time trying to figure out what to do…
my life changed the day I had Mirena inserted, I was told there were no side affects or hormone in it….
and it was almost like my body slowly starting rejecting it. I started breaking out i rashes that turned into lesions..
my hair started coming out day by , oh my beautiful blonde hair I’m miss so much .
but I gave it about 3 months and went back to see if the IUD was making this happen well of-course the Dr. OBGYN at Scott and white Waco Texas says no no mirena would not be making this happen well no no huh this is his number one birth control at almost $6000.00 a pop like he is gonna talk bad about his money maker… OK sent me home so started eliminated vitamins, thyroid med, and on and on no change more hair going more skin
lesions , SEVERE migraines , and more feeling like my body was falling apart ..
so Dr after Dr no diagnosis just take some antibiotics and some Zoloft and some iron pills ..inserted November 27Th 2008 by January the lesions were all open sores on my arms and legs my hair was starting to recede down the front . By March my hair was getting unmanageable and I could not hardly fix it anymore .
I was tired of hiding all the sores that keep popping up so back to another family Dr. says possibly could be the IUD but no help… he would not remove it ..
finally after my hair completely fell out crying looking in the mirror I begged my Gyno to get this IUD out NOW well of course booked up you will have to wait until the next available appointment June 9Th so I did and the day I got it removed it was almost like my body took a deep breath but no change in my hair on my head and body it will try to grow back but falls out instantly I Lock at myself after the wig comes off and cry I cry for my life back I want answers I have seen even more Dr’s but know Dr wants to Diagnose an healthy 28 year old women. My 3 boys love there mommy so much and my husband has been there for me every step f the way. The lesions have finally healed but I am scared from them on my arms and legs and my hair is still gone bald… I’m bald never in my life did I ever think this would happen to me Mirena has taken my life from me…
know one told me I would lose my hair, develop permenate skin damage and now suffer from depression and anxiety over having to were wigs now I’m 28 this should have never happened to me and still no answers no help I’m alone and bald and confused????? any suggestions for all the pain and suffering and hundreds and hundreds of dollars on Dr visits and wig after wig???

I sent pictures before and after…

thanks

I am having my Mirena Removed next week because of the same issues. I have thin hair to begin with but now have lost so much and the texture is different. Not good at all. I have had other systems as well night, sweats, fatigue, Head aches and so forth. I sure hope having it removed helps!

I thought i was going mad and was wondering if i was losing my hair excessively. Now no matter how i style my hair, i can see my scalp and i’ve certainly lost a lot. i’m italian and as italian women can suffer hair loss i thought it was just my genetics with me reaching 40 (except that my mother and her mother had a full head of hair).
i get cramps, tension headaches, sweats at night, tiredness, mood swings. Thank you girls - i thought this thing might have had something to do with my hair loss as it started pretty much the same time i had it inserted.
so i googled ‘mirina+hair loss’ and look what i find !!
Mines getting removed next week!!! And i guess i now pray that my hair returns.

Hello. My name is Deborah and I have been Mirena free for 4 days, 16 mins and 5 seconds.
I became contaminated on March 16th 2008. The first 5 months I bled worst and had worst pain than I’ve ever had in my life. My sex drive took a a ride on one of the shuttles into space. I started itching insanely. And let’s not even mention the severe hair loss. I can actually feel when my hair is going to come out. I thought I was going to lose my mind with all of the mood swings. That alone was enough to want me to take this alien implant out of me!!
Well, with no insurance, that became difficult to do. I even considered removing it myself.
I finally got a job and it had great insurance so the first appt. I made was with my gyn. I thought something was wrong with my thyroids. When I stated that I wanted them to test the levels because of my severe hair loss, she casually states that the IUD ‘may’ be the cause. WTF!!!
I pretty much shut down until I heard the words “we can remove it today”.
I hope my symptoms disappear soon!

I had Mirena inserted on September 24, 2009, just 4 days ago. The past four days of my life have been awful. The Gyn told me the insertion of the device would be uncomfortable, but was possibly the worst pain I have ever felt in my life. I was also horrified that they did not do a pregnancy test prior to inserting Mirena. I had read the pamphlet that my Gyn gave me cover to cover 15 times and it really did sound too good to be true…turns out for me, it was! After having it inserted I was told that I would have “menstrual like cramps for a couple of hours.” I pity anyone who has menstrual cramps like the ones I experienced ALL day and night. I was confined to my couch with a heating pad and trying to keep myself medicated with Motrin. The next day I woke up and on top of the severe abdominal pain I was having excrutiating back pain. So another day stuck on my cough unable to move. Woke up Saturday morning and the pain was worse and I was afraid something had gone wrong. I spent 5 hours in the ER yesterday and they diagnosed me with “early endometritis” from having the IUD inserted. I am now on antibiotics and narcotic pain medication. I plan on calling tomorrow morning (Monday) and having this removed. My worry is that my Gyn will try to talk me into giving it more time. But I cannot live my life like this! If I could reach the strings I would pull this damn thing out myself!
After doing online research and hearing all of these horror stories I am really disappointed that I did not do more research prior to making my decision to have the IUD inserted. I also really think that doctor’s need to be more informed of the “other” side effects and be more understanding when their patients are in pain and scared after this thing starts poisoning your body. Some people may not have any issues with it, but for those of us who do, it is horrifying and painful!

Just to offer some balance here, I had my mirena inserted about 4 years ago and haven’t had any problems. Well, my periods came back after about a year, but other than that nothing. And it helped immensely with the problem I had it inserted for, namely vicious menstrual cramps.

As far as my hair is thinning, but it was doing that before I got the Mirena. Personally I think with me it is primarily due to my approaching menopause.

Just wanted to share my experience.

i have been researching side effects of Mirena since i have had it since June of 2008 with no issues, and am suddenly bleeding, cramping and having lower back pains.
i definitely had no idea of these other side effects…though i can’t say i’ve experienced them.
i’m so sorry you all have had such bad experiences.

Have had the mirena for five months now, and noticed about 2 months ago, huge handfuls of my hair falling out in the shower, and then another handful in the towel and another when I tried to style it or apply gel or conditioner. I have never had any kind of hair loss, and it was very sudden. I don’t have very thick hair and am horrified at how thin it has become so quickly. When I called my gynaes office (in the netherlands) they had never even heard of it, but the mirena is coming out tomorrow. No contraceptive is worth going bald in your thirties. Will have to make do with condoms and temperature method, till my body gets back to normal ( I think I’m going to stay away from hormones for a while).
They also totally didn’t prepare me for the agony of insertion, and the fact that I completely couldn’t function or move for about a week afterwards.
What is really shocking though, is that apart from women talking to each other on the internet, the whole medical establishment is trying to say that this isn’t happening.

I have had Mirena for 3 months now and it finally donned on me that I had read somewhere that hairloss was related to it. I have been wondering why I have lost almost a third of my hair in the last couple months and it hasn’t grown even 1/4 in!!! I’ve had other symptoms as well since getting it: insomnia although I have never been this tired in my life and nausea that almost feels like morning sickness! Definatly talking to my GYN about removal. Good Luck growning your hair back! I kno that I’m gonna need it! SIGNED!

I am a mother of four and after my last child I was talked into getting the Mirena by the ob that delivered my first child. I was hesitant bc I hate being on hormones. I was told by my ob that the hormone does not reach the blood stream and only affect the lining of the uterus thus providing effective birth control. I am a nursing student and in my resewrch I have found the following: Printice Hall Nurses Drug Guild 2009, Wilson Shannon Shields, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey
Adverse Effects (1%)
CV: Hypertension. GI: Abdominal pain, nausea. Endocrine: Breast tenderness/pain. Hematologic: Anemia. Metabolic: Weight gain. CNS: Depression, emotional lability, headache (including migraine), nervousness. Skin: Acne, alopecia, eczema. Urogenital: Amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, leukorrhea, decreased libido, vaginal moniliasis, vulvovaginal disorders, cervicitis, dyspareunia.
Cautious Use
Women at risk for venereal disease; anemia; diabetes mellitus; history of psychic depression; persons susceptible to acute intermittent porphyria; fluid retention; history of migraines; impaired liver function; presence or history of salpingitis; venereal disease; genital bleeding of unknown etiology; anticoagulant therapy or coagulopathy; previous pelvic surgery.
I believe that the decreased libido should be reworded as loss of libido. Oh and the alopecia is a fancy word for hair loss. I pulled mine out my self two weeks ago bc my dr was going to put me on more hormones. And yes my lower back is killing me and my hair is falling out. Pooey.. GOODBYE Mirena.. and good riddence.

I am 18 and my hair is falling out in the hand fulls. I am been told to wait. I am getting it out. Thanks

My Mirena was inserted about 6 months ago Sept 2009. Two month ago, my hair started falling out and I had no idea hair loss was one of the side effects…. My hair was very healthy until I got the IUD. I would not suggest the Mirena for any one….

First, I would like to say that I hate to see so many people have had bad reactions to the Mirena. However, I am also relieved that I am not the only one. I have read sooo many stories just like mine. I got the Mirena in 9 months ago. 8 weeks later, (not realizing it was because of the Mirena) I went to the Dr. because I was having cramping and feeling pressure in my lower abdomen. The Dr. did an exam and could find nothing. I asked if it could be that my body was not adjusting the Mirena. My Dr. didn’t think so. So, I left it in. ugh. Then, I noticed my hair was getting brittle and thinning a little more. I thought it could be due to dyeing my hair. However, my husband had to clean out the shower drain twice as much as normal. That is when I became concerned. I was extremely fatigued. I was having bouts of dizziness. Once I thought I was going to pass out. It came on suddenly and left suddenly. I lost my sense of balance. I am a physically fit person. I suddenly couldn’t get through my daily workouts like I use to. What I was able to do, I could’t do as well or push myself as hard. I was having heart palpitations. I had severe mood swings and the past three months, severe depression. The last three months I noticed my scalp showing through ( I had very thick hair before). I started researching reasons for the hair loss. I thought some kind of hormonal imbalance. I stumbled upon this website and others. I was stunned. All the symptoms I have had, are listed here and other women have gone through the same thing. Anyway, I immediately contacted my OBGYN. I wanted this thing out!!!! At this point (just a few weeks ago to be exact) you can see my scalp and I have lost at least half my hair. I can hide most of the thinning spots if I pull my hair back in a ponytail or a barrett, but it is getting more difficult. As for the Mirena, it took 3 weeks before the dr. would get me in to get it out!!! It was torture. In the mean time, I kept watching handfuls of hair go down the drain. It is finally out. I told my OBGYN that I thought it was the Mirena. I wanted him to check my hormone levels and rule out any other cause for the hair loss. I wanted to know what was causing it so we could stop it and get it to grow back! My dr. did run blood tests, but did nothing to help with questions about the hair loss. I felt as if he didn’t believe me. My hormone leves were fine except for low FSH and elevated liver enzymes. He put me on Orthotryclen and said to come back in a month to restest my blood. That was it. He ha dno interest in helping me figure out the hair thing. So, I went to my dermatologist. He took blood, (without me asking him to). He looked at my scalp and pulled out a few hairs. He siad it was coming out at the root. It was not from hair dye. He said it was from something intenal and he felt it was the Mirena. He reassured me that my hair would grow bback. My body just has to adjust. He gave me a shot of Cortisone, (not in the scalp though? I am confused by this since I read it is usually injected in the scalp). He perscribed high dosage of Biotin vitamins. I go back in 5 weeks to get another shot. I am not sure how long I will have to take them. The shot is to get rid of inflammation and help start the regrowth process. The doc said that the shot will also stop the hair loss. While I am still losing hair, it is not as much as before. I am actually counting hairs now. I don’t have many more to lose before I won’t be able to hide it anymore. He told me NOT to get extensions or a weave put in. It would only break and cause more damage on the existing hair because it is so fragile right now.

Anyway, reading all of the above stories helped me to feel less alone. I have been soo depressed about my hair loss. I miss my hair.! At least I know why I have been having such a difficult time with the depression etc.. as well. It has only been a short time since it was taken out. i am still tired, but I can tell a difference. Now, it feels more like my body is tired from an illness and I just need rest. It is not the fatigue from before.

I hope that anyone getting the Mirena makes sure to research it.

Hi,

My name is Lani and I am trying to find a birth control that will not trigger my hair loss. I am recovering from my hair loss that I’ve first started noticing back in my late junior year of high school and I am currently a junior in college.

It has been a tough experience as you all can imagine and I am scared to my skull to touch any form of birth control pills, as much as my doctors tell me they’re safe.

When I came across Mirena, I was extremely excited. My school doctor told me there are non-hormonal IUD’s called the ParaGard Copper T 380A IUD which contains copper. I’m wondering, did anyone experience hair loss using these IUD’s? Or did you experience hair loss using the Hormonal IUD. This information would be very useful for me in this decision making process. Thank you.

~Lani

ps. I have been using Rogaine foam for the past 2 years, the HairMax Laser comb and Tricomin Revitalizing shampoo and conditioner since June of 2009 and I believe I’m experiencing good results. I am always on the edge of my seat, however, because how well my hair is doing fluctuates from day to day. But I pray it will get better and I hope you all get better as well.

I am so relieved at the comments I have just read. I had the Mirena inserted in Aug 2008 and noticed in Aug 2009 a small bald patch at the back of my head which has grown considerably todate - I now have three other bald patches on my head. I had my doubts about the device, but persevered as it stopped the night sweats I was getting. I would rather have my hair than worry about sweating! I am seeing my GP tomorrow to have the IUD removed. I just hope my hair will grow - have so much of my confidence and usually happy nature.

I’m not sure how to add my name to the list. Please give instruction?
I had a mirena inserted last year, and was quite content.
But i didn’t see how the hormones was making me depressed. After having a break-down NO doctor would remove it.. Ego!!

I lost half my hair, and I’m getting Mirena removed ASAP. Does anyone know if Rograine or Minoxidil will help?

i totally agree ive now had the mirena in for 3 years and am just now getting enough money to have it taken out. They said that the bleeding eventually subsides and my cycle is still rediculous. I typically have a very light period 5 days a week since i have had it in. I bleed for over two weeks striaght a month. I have also gained weight from it. Most recently i am experiencing really bad cramps that bring me to tears. Sign me up, and thanks for letting everyone know how horrible this can be.

I have had Mirena for 2 years as of April 15, 2008. I bled heavily for the first two months during which time i was put on bc pills to regulate it and then it eventually stopped. I haven’t had a period or bled in a year and half and while that is great I have had other side effects that were not mentioned by the research or my ob gyn. I’ve gained about 25lbs, have intermittent horrible cramps, literally no sex drive, have had acne in places where i never have had before, I am constantly bloated and eating less doesn’t help. I have had severe mood swings have to take Vitamin B 12 just to have energy after a full night’s sleep. I’ve cut back considerably on soda and only have one a day but still have recurring UTI’s which have resulted in having to take cranberry pills daily. I have horrible lower back pain intermittently that nothing seems to cure. I am seriously considering having mine removed asap.

Hi I’m from Canada and boy have I suffered for over the last two years. I had the mirena in for 8 months which during I had sudden hair loss. Looked it up on line and discovered the “mirena users” were prone to this (much to the denial of pharaceutical comp)!!! UNBELIEVABLE. Confronted the family doc and he claimed iron deficiency (however blood work did NOT show SIGNIFICANT problem here, gyno claimed mirena and hair loss no association; however gut tells me differently. Had it removed and still a year later am lossing it ..a general all over hair thinning. Derma doc just wanted to put me on rogain etc but that would never solve “underlying” problem. I didn’t want to put creme on my scalp for the rest of my life. 2 homeopaths later , lots of b vitamins, cvitamins, and iron still no difference. I firmly believe to this day that the MIRENA upset the balance in my system and to this day it is still not right. I want to sue the company for all the side effects that they claim arent’ substantial yet prove otherwise through all these stories online here!!!! USERS beware. That product is detrimental to all users one way or another. Let’s get em….

I had the Mirena coil fitted 2 months ago and last week I noticed a significant hair loss. My crown and hairline is thin - I have lost so much hair you can see my scalp. I’m so worried….. I am going to see my GP tomorrow and will refuse to leave until they remove the wretched thing. To say I’m angry is an understatement.

I got the Mirena in January 2010. Besides nearly a month of soreness and cramps around the area it is in, I have long drawn out PMS symptoms like sore breasts for a whole week before my period even begins, and sometimes my period lasts for almost 2 weeks! I thought I would wait for the symptoms to subside. Instead, the mood swings and depression just keep getting worse. Now I’m feeling cramps almost daily from the IUD. Though I’ve been lucky to not lose much more hair than normal, many of the symptoms listed above have been no stranger to me. I’m definitely signing the petition, and I’ve made an appointment to get the Mirena removed this week!

Thank you so much fir this! I notices my hair thinning but I just assumed it was post pregnancy hair loss. Now I’m really ticked off and can add this to my long list of Mirena side effects!
Here’s a side effect the company won’t even look into but clearly is an issue! Ready for this? Multiples. Yes women are having twins after getting this monster removed! Can you believe this?! We try to do the responsible thing and protect ourselves from unplanned pregnancies and after we have this T shaped terror removed we get pregnant with not one but two or more babies!
Please feel free to google it. There are too many women out there for it not even to be mentioned at all!
Get this… Bayor won’t even entertain it because supposedly twins are ONLY hereditary and they don’t skip a generation. They say that dropping two eggs runs in the family and an egg splitting is just a fluke. Well that may have been true before we got in there trying to outsmart mother nature.
The problem is there are a bunch of women getting pregnant with twins that have no history of twins in the family. Their common denominator is this IUD that many of their doctors “begged” them to get. It’s all about money and people’s lives are being drasticly changed!!! >:-(

Hello everyone,
Im so glad I stumbled upon this website! My story is kinda long but I need to let it out and talk about my nightmare to people who understand. I had my Mirena placed in october of 09 just 8 weeks after I had my son. My doctor pretty muched pushed it on me saying it was the best meathod of birth control out there and It would be perfect for me. I was so excited and all for it so I gave it a go! I had no problems at first and went on with my life as usual. However in march I noticed I was growing more fatigued then ever and I developed these horrific legs pains. Im talking pain so bad I could barley get out of bed or even take care of my son. I knew I was just getting used to the routine of motherhood and starting back working again so I passed it up as I was just overdoing myself. I started taking vitamins eating better doing yoga and working out and at first it seemed to help. However that didn’t last long. The leg pains were growing more frequent and on came the headachs back pain and hip pain. And just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, intercourse with my husband and I was getting painful as well. I started to develop this discharge and I assumed I was just getting a yeast infection. When that came out negative I was more discouraged then anything. What was wrong with me? But just like before I pushed along thinking that its nothing. My leg pains were preventing me from sleeping and another symptom occured, I was so moody! I mean SO REALLY MOODY! I was lashing out at my husband cry everyday and slipped into a deep depression. And one morning while I was taking a shower I was washing my hair and when I started to rinse I realized I was pulling hair out of my head!! Literally! Shedding hair like crazy! Even during the day brushing my hair or even just running my fingers through my hair, I was shedding really bad! I just figured it was from stress so I made an app to talk with my doctor about getting on meds for my anxiety/depression. I was so busy though that I couldn’t make the app so I cancelled. My symptoms grew more and more painful and frequent. I felt like an elderly women in a nursing home unable to take care of myself anymore. My husband was missing work to stay home and take care of me. I had to take a leave of absence from my job and almost lost my job all together. I couldnt even get out of bed. I honestly wanted to die….I just didn’t care anymore. I was lashing out losing my friends and almost my marrige. My son was picking up on my behavior and he started showing sighns of anger himself. Finally one night after putting my son to bed, I went into the bathroom and while I was going I felt something. It didn’t hurt but it was like I had a tampon in or something. So I washed my hands and felt with my finger and as I went up inside I felt my Mirena!! It was falling out of me!!! I freaked out because I got this burning itching feeling. And in a couple of hours I developed this thick whit discharge along with an odor. The next morning I called my doctor right away and made an app to have this removed. At this point I started to research online to see if it was normal to have the Mirena fall out. I thought something was wrong with me! As I started to research I came accross all these posts about women and these horror stories! I was shocked! I couldnt believe it! I made the connection with all these symptoms I was having with all these other women! It was like everything I was reading came from my lips! The hair loss, leg pain, back pain, hip pain, headachs, dizziness, mood swings, depression, panic attacks, nausea, fevers, heart palipitations, weight gain and fatigue. I planned on having a talk with my doc during my app with her but it was saturday and my app wasn’t until monday. I thought I would be ok until I woke up sunday morning in agony with the worst menstural pain ever!! I couldn’t walk. My husband rushed me to the ER. I thought maybe I was having a misscarrige cause my Mirena was falling out. Or maybe an tubal pregnancy. The doctor took my Mirena out and he told me that it was tilted and stuck! It hurt so bad! But this is where it gets really crazy, as soon as he removed it and did the pelvic exam I got up and walked out of the ER pain free!! I had to get checked for all these stds and PID. They were all negative and the doctors played dumb like they have never seen anything like it before. I saw a specialist who finally determined that my body was rejecting the Mirena and was literally killing me! My body was under attack from itself!! They had the nerve to say that it was so rare and almost never happend! Ya well I have spoken to a bunch of women (including myself) who strongly dissagree! Its only been 4 days since I had my Mirena removed and I am a new person! I feel great and I have slept wonderful. Im still having cramps and a period but I can handle that!! The devil is out of me and I am now free!!!

Im seventeen, never had a kid, so I illegally have an IUD. Since I was young I had more than normal hairloss. I got Mirena about 8 months ago, and in the past week or two have had 3 to handfulls of hair come out. i thought it was stress related from work and college but i feel absolutely certain its the mirena. i have always had migraines and have had the same one for the same two weeks of excessive hairloss. i WILL call my gyn and i WILL have it removed. sign my name on that petition!

I had the Mirena in for a grand total of 5 days. The insertion was painful but tolerable in comparison to what followed three days after insertion. I was literally in tears and doubled over in pain by the 3rd day (the 2nd day wasn’t much fun either) and ended up in the emergency room. They diagnosed it as PID, pulled the awful thing out of me and sent me home with antibiotics. At least I got dilaudid for my troubles!

I, like many women, did my research before committing to Mirena and thought it would be great for me: I have one child (7) and one partner. I tolerate BCP OK but I liked the idea of lighter periods (mine are already light and usually only last 3 full days, I shouldn’t have messed with that!) and not having to worry about the thing. Of course it didn’t work out that way.

After reading LATER after insertion about the potential for hair loss, I was mortified. Not my precious thick hair! But I figured that would be a small price to pay for convenience… I’m sort of glad that I didn’t make it longer than 5 days so I didn’t have to worry about my beautiful mane coming out in chunks, that would have been more traumatizing than the pain I experienced days after insertion.

My conclusion is that this thing is evil. EVIL. Sure, some women tolerate it and even swear by it but doctors don’t seem to realize that these side effects are not just random and from what I’ve read, many try to talk their patients out of removal. Screw that! I demanded that they pull it and they seemed more than happy to do it in the ER, which leads me to believe that they DO know how awful this thing is otherwise they would have tried to run more tests before being so willing to pull it (especially because I did not pay out of pocket for it and the county had covered the cost in the first place, there’s $700 down the toilet!). I was more than prepared to pull it myself in the ER bathroom if they would have told me no.

I KNEW that my body did not like this thing from the beginning and if my uterus could talk, it would have been screaming “GET THIS THING OUT OF ME!!!” the entire time I had it in.

Nothing is worth feeling the way some women feel as a result of Mirena and I would like to see nothing more than it get pulled from the market - at least until doctors learn how to recognize the more-common-than-Bayer-would-like-you-to-think side effects.

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. It knows better than your doctor and most certainly better than Bayer.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to go run my fingers through my luscious hair.

I just had my mirena removed today, after pulling out chunks of my hair for the past week! I’m also a bit upset about the fact that I kept giving me ovarian cysts… It cost me out of pocket, but I’m just glad I’m done with it. As I figured my GYN tried to talk me out of it the whole time… Someone really needs to start a class action lawsuit against these people. I don’t understand how it’s still even on the market.