I don’t know if this is going to be a rant or informational… probably a mix of both because I’m still a little mad about it.
Backstory:
Kyleena was the first IUD I ever tried, and for my body it was perfect. Low hormones, smaller size—it was truly “set it and forget it.” I have heavy periods that absolutely wreck me for 2–3 days, and Kyleena stopped my periods completely for 3 years with basically zero side effects.
When it was time to take it out, I decided to try going all natural for a while. As nice as it was not having periods, I always felt a little weird knowing there was a tiny device inside me.
Fast forward 5–6 months… I couldn’t take my periods anymore. Bleeding through everything, stained sheets, the whole experience.
I had a new job and insurance at that point, so I went to a new doctor.
The appointment:
I told her I wanted Kyleena again. Straight up:
“This worked great for me, I want another one.”
She recommended Mirena instead because it’s approved for heavy periods. I was hesitant, but I trusted her and agreed.
Insertion day:
No meds. No Valium. Nothing.
She said if I needed something stronger, she’d prescribe “ibuprofen 4.” 🙃
I almost passed out during insertion—vision went black, dizzy, the whole thing. When I had Kyleena inserted previously (with medication), it was nowhere near this painful or traumatic.
The next 54 days:
I spotted. Every. Single. Day.
Not heavy, but constant enough to be annoying and completely ruin my sex life.
At my follow-up, everything looked normal. I was told to wait it out and take high-dose ibuprofen for a few days to help with bleeding.
Then things went sideways (April 4th):
I woke up at 1:45am feeling that kind of wet that immediately sends you running to the bathroom.
Sat down and… clots.
Huge blood clots. Just dropping out of me.
I was half asleep and in complete shock. I got lightheaded and dizzy, and honestly didn’t know if it was from blood loss or just seeing that much blood.
This went on for about 10 hours-heavy bleeding and massive clots (golf ball sized, no exaggeration).
I seriously debated going to the ER.
Realization + expulsion:
I started checking my strings in the shower and noticed they were way longer than before.
By noon, I could feel about an inch of string.
At that point I remembered being told we’d know within 3–6 months if my body rejected it… so I had a feeling that’s what was happening.
While in the shower, I pushed a couple times. More clots came out, and suddenly the string was right there.
I grabbed it and pulled the IUD out.
I never felt it move or expel before that—probably because of how much bleeding was happening.
Aftermath:
I bled for 3 more weeks after that.
So in total, I was bleeding for almost 3 months straight.
Now my iron is low, I’m exhausted all the time, and my workouts have been terrible.
Other side effects while it was in:
- Mood swings
- Random crying for no reason
- Constant fatigue
My boyfriend even said I seemed like a completely different person during those 3 months.
Now:
Since it’s been out, I finally feel like myself again.
This whole experience sucked, but I’m so relieved it’s over. I’m also a little frustrated with myself for not sticking with what I knew worked.
Final thoughts:
I’m not trying to bash Mirena—it clearly works great for a lot of people.
But for me, it was a complete disaster.
Moral of the story: trust your instincts. You know your body better than anyone.
If anyone else has experienced expulsion or prolonged bleeding like this, I’d really like to hear your experience.