Mirena removal - finally!
TW: ED/weight content
I finally got my Mirena removed today. Everyone's experience is different, but this is mine. If the Mirena works for you, great! I'm making this post for awareness reasons because I was poorly informed when I got the Mirena in and I am angry about it. Birth control has lots of positives but I think everyone has the right to proper information and support when choosing what works for them.
TLDR: Having considered all factors, I (32F, highly physically active) think the Mirena quietly made me gain weight and made it more difficult to lose the same weight (from approx 56kg to 75kg in 4 years). Was gaslit for years about the weight gain because 'it doesn't cause weight gain'. No other side effects. I've decided to have a 4 week break from hormonal BC but will eventually go back on the combined pill I was on pre-Mirena. I'll make updates on the removal experience.
Weight as at date of removal: 73kg.
Background
I got the Mirena in May 2022 and got it out today (August 2026). I've been on BC since I was 19 - I was taking the combined pill (tried several options initially, but eventually settled on Femme Tab ED 20/100) from 2014 to 2022. I swapped to Mirena purely for convenience reasons.
I have been physically active all my life. I'm an Olympian, retired from elite sport in 2018. After I retired, I completed my degree and have worked a high stress desk job since 2020. My relationship with exercise was initially stable in the first few years of starting FT work, (10-12h a week) but some life stuff happened in 2023/2024 that made me cut back to about 4h a week. I've now been back in regular exercise since the beginning of 2025 (about 8h a week - mixture of lifting, martial arts, climbing and dog walking).
Experience on the Mirena
My period stopped completely after the first 3 months. I didn't notice any negative side effects except steady weight gain over time (from approx 56kg to 75kg). Now, I know people are going to say 'lifestyle and exercise', so my data points are set out below.
- Exercise & weight data
Until I got the Mirena, I NEVER had a problem with losing weight (I actually had issues maintaining weight before the pill).
• 2014: When I went on the pill - 52kg. Training approximately 25h a week.
• 2016: my lightest adult weight - 50kg. Training approximately 30h a week.
• 2018: retirement - 54kg. I cut back training to about 18h a week in 2017 (immediately post Olympics) but was still actively competing. I had a break in the end of 2016 (no formal training sessions) where my weight went up to about 56kg, but by the time I retired it had stabilised at 54kg.
• 2018-2021: I started martial arts in 2018 and maintained my existing gym sessions - approx 12h a week. Weight remained largely stable (54-56kg). I did occasionally do weight cuts for martial arts competitions, but these were not drastic cuts - they were more focused on stabilising water weight so it didn't unexpectedly fluctuate pre-competition (e.g managing salt intake).
• 2022: was 56kg when I went on the Mirena (I know because I had it done under GA and so was weighed at the doctor's office). Similar activity level as 2018-2021. I was about 61kg by the end of the year (I'd never weighed above 60kg in my entire life).
• 2023-2024: had some life stuff happen, was working slightly longer hours. Had a drop in activity levels, but was still hitting the gym at least a couple of times a week. Lots of ambient exercise (e.g. walking to and from the train, walking the dog etc). Went from 61kg to 70kg, and kind of fluctuated between 68-71kg.
• 2025-2026: no change in job but I made a concerted effort to stabilise my exercise regime and build back up to 2022 levels. Sorted out some stuff, got a proper gym routine going, cleaned up my diet a bit. Went from 68 to 75kg instead.
- Diet
When I was an active elite athlete, I was in a sport that emphasised being thin (I was very lean - see my 2016 data point), and that's obviously not sustainable in regular life. EDs were prominent, and while I never suffered from one, I certainly had eating habits that would be considered disordered today. I've worked a lot on this, but for this reason, I do not count calories. I previously consulted sports nutritionists and have had many years experience in gauging the food on my plate honestly. For these reasons, I am comfortable as to my food assessments and that I'm not just saying 'im on a diet but i just can't lose weight'.
My diet composition has not changed significantly while I've been on BC (aside from the amount of food, which has generally fluctuated with my activity levels). I'm not a health freak by any means and have a sweet tooth. I cook 80% of the time, balanced, omnivorous meals, focused on whole foods. I do not restrict food groups. I take lunch to the office. I don't snack, I generally don't drink my calories (I drink alcohol, but I would say my consumption levels have been consistent, and I drink less now than when I was a student, for example). I'm pretty dialled in on what's nutritious, what works for me and my hunger cues.
As mentioned, I did occasionally 'cut' for martial arts competitions, but that was focused on stabilising water weight so I didn't get a nasty shock at weigh in. What I'd do then is just stop eating out and stop drinking alcohol for about 3 weeks pre comp - no other changes. I would typically drop 2-3kg this way anyway.
- Stress and the impact of a sedentary life
As mentioned, I have worked a high stress desk job for the last 6 years. I'm not discounting the impact of stress on weight gain or loss, so some of the weight gain may be attributable to that. However, I still think the Mirena had an impact, because:
• Pre-Mirena, I typically lost weight when under significant stress.
• I was working in the same industry with similar stress/pressure from 2020-2022 (plus impacts of Covid etc), and I did not see significant / sustained changes in weight.
• Exercise levels did drop over 2023 and 2024 (see above), but I also moderated food intake to account for lower activity (I'm naturally not as hungry when I'm lower activity). Historically, my weight has been stable when I have periods of inactivity/reduced activity (or at most, 2-3kg variance).
• When I stabilised my exercise regime in 2025-26, my weight actually went up, without any real change in food consumption.
Other thoughts on the Mirena
I'm actually pretty angry with the GP that I was seeing when I got the Mirena put in. When I was discussing contraception options, I told her I was sensitive to weight gain as a side effect of birth control, because I wanted to avoid triggering old habits that I'd worked hard to eliminate. I was told repeatedly that it was not an issue with the Mirena at follow ups, and I really beat myself up thinking I was the problem and couldn't lock in. I was told that the Mirena was the same as the pill I was taking (nope, it's got a different hormone composition). I was told it lowered my risk of breast cancer (nope, it doesn't, your risk is elevated as long as you're on hormonal BC). My current GP actually remarked that the script I had previously was uncommon, because it was prescribed to me by a sports doctor, who monitored me and was very quick to respond to any complaints of side effects (in fear it would affect athletic performance). I can still do all the physical activities I love but my body doesn't feel like it's mine.
Removal was a fuckery too. My current GP AND an Obgyn attempted to remove it, and both couldn't reach the strings so I had to get it removed under GA. While the actual removal under GA was quick and easy, due to my mental health spiral over this I paid to have it done at a private clinic instead of waiting several weeks in the public health system. So not only has this cost me some of my sanity, it's actually a financial net negative at this point AND to add insult to injury, filling one of my pill scripts (4mths) is....$10. So while the Mirena is a great option for many people, it didn't work for me - I should have listened to myself and got it out sooner.