I had a Mirena fitted 8 weeks ago. The side effects were awful (migraines, depression, brain fog, zombie like, plus bloating, greasy hair, digestive issues etc). After a week the Mirena went rogue taking the strings with it and creating a myriad of other problems (intense cramping, heavy incessant bleeding, PID )and I was left in an abyss trying to get the Mirena removed. The waiting list for a complex coil removal on the NHS was somewhere between 33 weeks and 70 weeks depending on whether my GP had inserted the word ‘urgent’ or ‘expedited’ on the urgent referral form. My GP used both which has proved to be too confusing for the hospital.
Yesterday I had the coil removed privately. The waiting time for this was 4 days so it was a no brainer. It cost £140 and the relief is overwhelming. However, to add value to the cost, the doctor had a long chat with me about hormone sensitivity and referred me to a very long and detailed HRT study, trial and report which took place in France, covering the EU.
So just pre HRT I had a scan and everything was in good shape. 2 years down the line, I have large fibroids, a bulky uterus, ovarian cysts. Pre HRT I didn’t even have a sniff of hayfever, now I have histamine issues which can be intolerable. It seems that oestrogen is not my friend, and judging by my experience of the Mirena (and provera, utrogestan etc) progesterone isn’t either.
So back to the French study, one paragraph in particular struck a chord with me
Women reporting moderate alcohol use were less likely to stop their treatment than women reporting no alcohol use. The women who drink not at all or only rarely may have health problems; they may also be more sensitive to HT side effects and, therefore, may stop more easily. This result points in the direction of the “healthy user effect” (i.e., women who continue treatment are in particularly good health) (36). Light or moderate drinking (we found that “heavy” drinkers accounted for very few of the regular drinkers) may be a sign of good health, while drinking not at all or very little may reflect poor underlying health. We have found no other study that analyzes this factor.
I don’t drink because even a small glass of wine produces an awful migraine. As this doctor chatted to me and asked about alcohol etc and hormone sensitivity, concluding that I shouldn’t have been prescribed HRT, I wondered why my GP and menopause specialist had never spoken to me about any of this. They’ve had plenty of opportunities.
So I can’t continue with HRT, but will stopping reverse the negative effects it’s already had? I don’t know. I feel left out in the cold again and having to do my own research.
Or should I see this as every cloud……… I was given a golden opportunity to speak to a gynaecologist who really understands hormones and maybe being set on the right path whatever that path might be.
Any advice from anyone welcome. I’m struggling.