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Mirena is wonderful, but the cramps were intense and lasted off and on for about a month. After that, my periods have been light or nonexistent and minimal cramping. Take some OTC painkillers when the cramps get bad and hang in there! It’s worth it!
Enthusiast
Hi all, thank you again for sharing all your experiences and advice. Reporting back after insertion.
Based on all the advice, here's how I did it:
1. Scheduled the insertion on Friday and took the day off
2. Took two tylenol an hour before
3. Had loud music headphones during insertion for distraction
Literally hurt for less than a min and then mild cramps through the day.
I'm on day 2 today and light bleeding. Did stretches and light workout, all in all no pain as of now.
I did have a weird mood swing last night though, not sure if I should attribute it to hormonal change or not 🤔
But totally tolerable experience for me :)
I just got mine replaced after my first 5 years were up. If you have pass-out level period cramps, I wouldn’t be nervous about it. My first one was about a week of moderate cramping, but I was surviving pass out cramps before. Ask your doc, but mine suggested a pre-dose of Advil or whatever works best for your regular cramps about an hour before and regular doses for a few days to prevent the gateway pain coming on as best you can.
The non-existence of a period or cramps for the past 6 years has been absolutely worth it.
The cramps are bad but go away - just remember that there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I've had two inserted. The first time, I had bad cramping for about a week and moderate cramping for three more. The second time, moderate cramping continued on and off for three months. But then I never got any periods on Mirena, so life is GREAT on the other side!
My sister made the mistake of getting her Mirena out during month 2 because of the cramping. She got the insertion cramps and none of the benefits, so she still has periods. Even though the second time my cramping lasted longer than expected, I still plan to use Mirena for as long as I need birth control!
Rising Star
I did not historically have bad cramps, but I passed out and threw up after my insertion. That being said, it was absolutely worth it
All these comments are spot on.. insertion almost made me pass out/throw up. Nurse had to tell me to remember to breathe! Cramps were bad for about 3 months but it’s been over a year and no other issues.. SO WORTH IT.
Take tylonel and advil 30 minutes before, look at the sky and crunch your toes really hard so you focus on them instead of the pain- it really is a very short pain and then anywhere from 20 minutes to a couple days of discomfort but nothing compared to your period.
Feel free to DM me if you have questions, I had mine inserted in January and I have 0 regrets!
Rising Star
Take your painkiller of choice 30 mins before I did ibprophen, then every 4 hrs for the next 1-2 days especially before bed. Also if your cramps are that bad, talk to your doctor about PCOS, Endometriosis or Fibroids. You shouldn’t be passing out, hormone therapy is a bandaid on an open wound not a treatment
Pro
I was super nervous due to cramps as well. My doctor sent me home with a prescription for muscle relaxer but I didn’t end up needing it - I was fine with just OTC pain meds. Hope the same for you!
I am considering an IUD. What made you ladies choose the Mirena vs. the no-hormone IUD?
My doctor recommended it- i was having 11 day periods on the pill (it was miserable). Ask your gyno what they think will work best for you and the side affects of each of them
Not Mirena-specific but: 3 years ago, I had Skyla inserted and had a horrible vasovagal reaction (near fainting, vomiting, diarrhea) followed by horribly painful cramping for at least 2 days (and on-and-off for a good 3 months, if not more). I just had the Kyleena inserted and based off of my last experience, I was dreading it and planned to be down for the count for 2-3 days. I took prescription pain meds plus 1 Aleve (for cramping) about 1 hour before (intended 30 mins but doctor was delayed) and yes, there was some quick pain during insertion but nothing unmanageable. And then I had planned to stay horizontal on the table for a while before trying to get up (to avoid another vasovagal reaction), and I stayed down for like 5-10 minutes, but when I got up, I was totally fine. I got sleepy shortly after and had a little nausea for 2 hours after (both could have been the pain meds honestly), but I was otherwise totally fine. I even went for a hike later in the day and made a full dinner for my family. And the next day, I was super active as well, and I haven’t had any cramping since. Not sure if it was the painkiller before, the difference between Skyla and Kyleena, the different doctor, or the fact that this wasn’t my first insertion, but my reactions were night and day. Hoping the best for you!
Conversation Starter
I have had the skyla and now the Kyleena which are a bit smaller than mirena but they didn’t hurt nearly as bad as some people said it did(I took 3 ibuprofen before). I know my roommate was actually prescribed a cervix softener for her insertion in a few weeks so see if your gyno will do that for you!! The cramps sucked at first, I never had many before, but so worth it for 5 years of peace of mind :) best of luck, the crappy part only lasts for 15 seconds then it’s over
Conversation Starter
Ooo yeah and I don’t get my period much anymore so I’m saving so much money and avoiding most of the cramps!
Nearly passed out during insertion, followed by about four hours of the worst cramps of my life, followed by absolutely zero problems. It’s worth it!