any suggestions?

[http://users.livejournal.com/_last_serenade_/]

well, it's full moon time, when i should normally be on my period (and i am), but i'm in a bit of a quandry. i know it might be a bit of a long shot to post it here since it deals with hormones, IUDs and other confounding factors, but i'll try anyway.

i'd been on hormonal birth control for about 8 years with a few months off here and there. stopped taking them about a month and a half ago and got a mirena IUD (miniscule amount of localised hormones and more effective) as a precursor for eventual sterilization (i'm only 24 and most doctors won't even consider it). my last period before the IUD was september 9th-14th. i got the IUD on the 19th.

here's the problem: this month (october) i started spotting on the 4th or 5th (at first i thought it was a bladder infection because it was only a bit of spotting when i urinated) and started full blown bleeding around the 8th. it's now the 19th and i'm still bleeding the exact same amount. so i'm going on two weeks of constant bleeding. cramping was pretty bad up until the 14th or so (friday).

i don't know what to do, a few gals from IUD_divas said that this is normal but it feels very wrong. every time i go to the bathroom and see that i'm still bleeding i get really upset and feel like crying. i started taking iron and flax seed oil supplements b/c i feel so weak and tired from bleeding. i've also been drinking raspberry leaf tea every night as well as my normal amounts of soy.

my only thought is, my cycles tend to synch up to the moon, but my hormonal pill cycle was set to start on the 8th (which it did). could this be the result of the two trying to synch up? any thoughts on this? or what i could do to make it stop? i'm getting pretty desperate. i don't want to get the IUD removed as i need a reliable method of contraception, but i don't know if i can take another week of bleeding.

x-posted menstrualhut and bloodmoonherbs

Comments

[myhalobroke.livejournal.com]

honey, the bleeding is NORMAL!!! I felt the same exact way and I went to my six week check up after having my Mirena put in, and I explained to my doctor I didn't think it was normal and I was really scared. And she said it is normal. And if the bleeding doesn't come to a complete hault by the 6 month, then it's a problem....so stop worrying...you're gonna be okay!
And one side effect of Mirena is being tired. I suggest you take Ibuprofen daily. I take 800mg twice a day and it keeps the bleeding to a minimum. Sometimes it even stops it for a couple of hours.
If you have any questions about it, they do have a website...
www.mirena.com

[http://users.livejournal.com/_last_serenade_/]

yeah, i did alot of research on it beforehand, but i didn't realize (or read anywhere) that 6 months straight of bleeding was a possible side effect. i don't think i can handle it much longer. i'll give it maybe another week before i get it out and find some way to get my tubes tied. :(

[myhalobroke.livejournal.com]

that's shocking...because My doctor gave me a whole stack of stuff about the Mirena and like everyone of them said bleeding for up to 6 months.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_last_serenade_/]

i dug through the site and found that pdf that mentions that. but it also made it sound like kind of a rare occurance. /sigh

[myhalobroke.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't run out and get your tubes tied at your age...you might change your mind later.
Of course I could just think that because I couldn't imagine not having children myself.
I guess everyone is different though.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_last_serenade_/]

hmm, i've defintely thought it through. i raised 3 of my parents kids (4 if you count myself).

beyond that, i'd feel very globally irresponsible if i were to reproduce when there are many many children in the world in need of loving parents and a safe home.

thanks for questioning my decisions the same as the doctors did.

[garillama.livejournal.com]

I don't think she's "questioning your decisions" in the way that you think. As she said herself, she's probably biased because she can't imagine not having children. And that's a huge decision to make, it's certainly not a common one. Thus, it's surprising to most people. It sounds like you've thought it through completely, and have very good reasons for it, but that's all the more reason for your decision to be able to stand up to a little questioning :)

To summarize, I don't think that myhalobroke meant to offend. That's all.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_last_serenade_/]

probably not, but it's very easy to get pissed off and defensive when all i've heard for the last 8 years is "you'll change your mind".

:(

[1scarletbegonia.livejournal.com]

i love you because i have said the exact words you just did.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_last_serenade_/]

yeah, we're out there. alot of us over at childfree. ;)

[myhalobroke.livejournal.com]

i forgot something as usual....

Your doctor should have told you that you would bleed for up to 6 months before he or she put the mirena in. It's one of the side effects and that's something that I'm pretty sure they hafta tell ya.

[(Anonymous)]

No experience with IUDs, but speaking on personal experience with raspberries:

I credit the old wives' tales with belive-abilily (you know, the one where if a woman is overdue to have her little one, have them eat raspberries... pie, fresh, whatever... and the natural properties of the raspberries will bring on the labor.

Why? It never fails that when I have them, it always makes me cramp up like my uterus is going on flush overdrive. Even mid-cycle... sometimes with a bit of bleeding.

So? The raspberry leaf tea may be adding to your problems. *shugs* Just something to check into.

Cheers and good luck.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_last_serenade_/]

well, i'm actually cool with cramping...i actually kind of WANT cramping at this point, in the hopes it will shed the lining faster. :D

but it's good to know that raspberries work. :D