Anyone using the Mirena IUD have a low sex drive?

Today I had the MIrena removed and Paragard inserted. My story is - age 30 had my 3rd child and had Mirena put in. I went the 5 years without (I thought) a side effect. I will say that I spotted for FIVE months (yes, for real) when it was first put in. I gave it 6 months to try it out and after that ended I never again had a period or anything - for 7 years.

I had the first one from 2006-2011. 2011 I opted to have a new one put in. Again, no issues. No bleeding, nothing. But then I started thinking how I never really "recovered" mentally from having #3. Scattered...kind of all over the place. A few days every month I would have the LOWEST energy level and drive to do anything at all. I chalked it up to the possiblity those were the days I would have AF, if I did. I am a very active, go get them, organized person otherwise. I even tracked my mood, motivation, etc. It seemed to also relate to sleep (duh) if I had gotten less, but that had never affected me to this degree in the past. I chalked it up to getting older, kids busy, working more, etc.

Eventually the low libido started really affecting my relationship w/my husband. I mean I feel nothing. Not even affection.

I looked into it and realized I have quite a few side effects that I never associated to MIrena - hair loss, extreme exhaustion at times. I wondered if the new one in 2011 was stronger in some way? I will say though that the majority of 7 years I have NOT been unhappy with it. I mean, I would have switched out long ago if I were. NO cramps, nothing horrible anything as others described. NO weight gain, nothing went horribly wrong. I debated removing it a year ago at my annual, due to the libido loss along. I Literally kept it for the no period bonus.

I again tracked mood, motivation, sleep, etc in January-April thinking it just had to be me. Took Vitamin D. Took DHEA (horrible side effects of acne). Looked again at forums of Mirean taking women with side effects and others saying "I didn't realize this was Mirena related til I went off!" (mental cloudiness, scattered thinking, low energy, low libido, hair loss, migraines - although those I've had in past ) I decided 2 weeks ago this was it. I had been on 7 years and I don't know what normal feels like (I think, ha-ha). I need a break. I need to see what I truly feel like, hormone free. I took the pill for years and never noticed these things - but #1 I was younger then and #2. it's not the same drug and #3. maybe I just didn't notice these things? Made the appt after debating other BC methods. I hate condoms, I didn't want something with a monthly copay if I could avoid it, pills suck - remembering them and then antibiotics, etc - need I say more? - , and I went with Para gard.

I am hoping that since I went from an IUD to an IUD that the old uterus stays calm and I avoid the cramping, etc etc I read about. It's been ohhhh, 3+ hours since I switched out, so I am seriously brand new at this change. So far so good. I had initially very minor cramping due to Hey something happened in here...sort of wakeup call but other than that my fingrs are crossed and no other issues to note. Pulling the Mirena and getting this one was easy-peasy, as it was with the other mirena inserts. Minor cramping, pinch and over.

By the way I'm now 37 and not willing to go tubal and undergo that surgery if I don't have to. Husband could do V but I like taking resp. for myself. Weird but there's my reasoning for this.

I'm hoping to avoid the "MIrena crash" I read about. Going to get extra sleep, extra fluids and take care of my emotional health by walking, reading, getting out with friends, kid playing..pick the things that make you happy and do them, sort of thing. Hoping the old libido wakes up and saves me.

Other than that and the return of AF (sad I can't avoid that one anymore, it's been a great 7 years in that respect), I have a hopeful anticipation for the future without Mirena.

I had the Mirena put into place after my 6-8 weeks after my 3rd child was born(5yrs ago). I was 29 at the time, 34 now.
I have to be honest, it hurt going in, and was uncomfortable for about 3 months, and I bled/spotted for the majority of that 3 months. BOOO.
But after those approximate 3 months, I thought it was great!
I stopped have periods almost completely, with only light spotting on occassion(+).
No worry about more babies!(+)
No remembering pill(+)
No buying embarrassing contraceptives (+)
After a yr or so, I stopped feeling the desire to be intimate with my husband. (-)
Now, my husband and I went though a rough time a few yrs ago, so I chalked it up to this. After this bout, my desire never really came back. Even after things between us were to be going better.
I felt that I didn't love him anymore. I talked to him about considering separation, 6 months ago. We decided to see if we could make it work.
Had my Mirena removed about 2 months ago, and my life has been turned around. I have desire to be intimate, all the time. Almost too often. ;)
He actually turned me away for the first time. I didn't take it personally, it's a huge change from the last 3-4 yrs. Never would have thought it was my Mirena lowering my sex drive.
Didn't even consider it, until it was like a light switch turning back on, once it was removed.
We aren't intimate everyday(but much more than before). But I feel a closeness I haven't felt in a long time. Sometimes we just hold hands in bed.
I feel like my life has suddenly changed.
That said, I loved Mirena otherwise. It did its job like a workhorse. But for now, we will be using condoms.

I got the mirena about a year ago only because I was breast feeding my daughter and the doctor said it doesn't produce estrogen and I was OK for the first couple months but here it is a year later I can't loose the wait I put on I'm always hungry and I workout on a daily basis and my Bf likes to have sex almost everyday and I use to want it everyday sometimes twice a day but not since this birth control was put in now its like don't touch me idk I'm only 32 so I know I should still have some hormones my question is this how long does it take for your drive to come back cause I'm getting it out on Monday

Hi again - I originally posted on March 5. I've had my Mirena out for almost exactly 2 months now. I am SO HAPPY to say the my sex drive is BACK!! I have nothing else to base this renewed interest in sex on other than the fact that the Mirena is out. Nothing else in my life has changed, so I am concluding that it is due to not having the hormones in my body anymore. My husband likes to have sex multiple times per week and I am enjoying it once again. I can't begin to say how happy I feel physically and mentally since having it removed. Best decision ever.

I've had mine for a couple of months now. I've come to feel my sex drive disappear completely . My boyfriend likes to have relations almost every night. And, all i can tell him is i don't feel like it.

I'm speechless. It never crossed my mind that it was my Mirena that is causing everything in my life to go wrong. I got my IUD two years ago as a Mother's Day gift to my self because my husband and I weren't sure if we wanted another child. The first year was fine. I loved it! The Cropper IUD caused heavy and long periods, so the Mirena was a huge relief. In the second year my sex drive has gone from must-have-every-single-day to HUH?-Sex?-WHATS-THAT?. I have no desire but once in the act I'm fine only if I am thinking of extreme porn (crazy). But the list goes on, no motivation to do anything. I don't know how I manage to go to work or do things with my kids. I have gained weight that I can't lose it. I'm hungry all the time. All I want to do is sleep. Sleeping has become my favorite hobby and I'm a very outdoors kind of person. Now reading this and other blogs about the Mirena, I have also discovered that it too is the cause of my on going BV infections. They never go away. It horrible and embarrassing. Just feel bad for my husband and I because my OB/GYN kept saying that it is NOT my Mirena that is causing these issues. After reading from many many different women with my same problem and we all have two things in common, issues with our vagina's and the Mirena. I'm taking the first doctor's appointment I can get and taking it out. I'll worry about another form of birth control later. Thank you ladies.