Ladies, I have to share with you what I just found out. Last month I had my IUD, Mirena, removed after having it for three years. I lost my hair last year, Nov. '07. Although I went to many doctors to try and find the reason that I was losing my hair not one mentioned the IUD side effects of hair loss. Well, as crazy as it sounds after just one month I have regrowth for the first time since this happened. So, it got me thinking, could my alopecia been caused by Mirena? Thanks to Google I found so many websites that helped me answer that question. So many women have lost their hair because of this birth contol. I know for many of you this info won't be of any use to you, but please remember my story and you might just save one woman from remaining bald for no reason! And by the way, hair loss is only one of the many awful side effects from this drug; Mirena should be researched by anyone considering it as birth control. I will keep posting to let all know if my hair is really going to come back now! Peace peeps!

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As I sit here and read every ones comments, I can't help but feel I am reading my own story! I am a 33 year old mom of 2. After the birth of my 2nd child, I had the Mirena IUD implanted in Feb. 2011. Everything as been wonderful with it until July 2013. I was put on a medicine for what my PCP thought was shingles. Sitting on my couch 4 days after starting the medicine, I found a bald patch on the back of my head about the size of a silver dollar. The more I looked at my head that night, the more spots I found. Thinking that it was the medicine I was on, I freaked out and stopped taking it. Since stopping the meds, my hair loss has continued to get worse! I went to a dermatologist and he diagnosed me with Alopecia Areata. I saw started on womens Rogaine, Biotin vitamins and I started taking coconut oil pills on my own (after talking to him). Since starting all of that my hair is growing back in the bald patches, however new patches are appearing and the ones that were already there are now connected. After reading online I believe that the hair loss is from the Mirena. I have an appointment to have it removed in 6 days. I am hoping that after it is removed the hair loss will stop and no more spots will appear!

If you have any insite into what I can expect or what happened after you had your IUD removed, please let me know! How long did it take for your hair to stop falling out? I have had a very hard time with all of this and have spend many sleepless night crying over the situation.

Hi Jennifer! I hope the holidays finds you well. To be honest, im not sure how long it took for the hair loss to stop but I know that within a month (close to the 3rd week) was when I noticed that my hair was growing back in! Im not a doctor by any means, but I honestly think that taking Biotin really helped. I took about 3 pills a day and the recommended dose is I think 1.... I googled side affects for Biotin and also if you can overdose on Biotin and everything I saw said No. Not saying that this is the way that you should do it, but it worked for me. I continued taking Biotin until I noticed that my large patch was fully filled in again ( about 2 months ) My patch was on the side of my head above my ear. I had my Mirena taken out in February and my hair is now down to my neck :-) Good luck to you!

I'm getting mine taken out next week. I have just been diagnosed with AA.

I'm not relying on this curing me. I don't want to get my hopes up, just to be brought down again if it doesn't make a difference.

But regardless, the symptoms I've had this past year besides the AA (severe cramps, weight gain, breast tenderness, anxiety) is not worth it. This is only the second time I've been on birth control in my life- the first time was when I was 17 and I gained over 30 lbs. I stopped after about six months of that, my body must be extra sensitive to hormone changes. The reason I went on mirena was to avoid serious side effects.

Fingers crossed that this does help with making me feel somewhat closer to normal!

Glad you're taking out your Mirena! I hope that it helps with your hair. It helped ME!! My hair is back and almost normal again!

Thanks! I really hope it does.

I will keep you posted! :)
Since having my iud removed in March/April of 2013 I have about 5 inches of regrowth. I had my iud for almost a year and was diagnosed with alopecia areata. My dermatologist told me there was absolutely no connection in my hair loss and the iud. I did not take her word for it and had the iud removed and what do you know, my hair came back...
This is very interesting. I have a Mirena IUD and have had it for a little over two years. I got the IUD a couple years after my tubal ligation because my periods were incredibly painful and my uterine walls required an ablation. As for alopecia, I had a few patches that never amounted to much prior to the Mirena, but about 2yrs ago I had 50% loss and then regrowth but always getting and losing patches, and now I have 90% and shaved the rest off of my hair a couple weeks ago. I do have hypothyroid and take a low dose of Synthroid daily. I wonder now if I should try to have the Mirena removed and see what happens?
Thanks Erica,
I appreciate the response. It's so hard to know what to try. I'm not sure what the result of my having the Mirena removed would be. Would I go back to all the pain every month, not sure. I tried the injections a few years ago and they worked, but I found them quite painful so decided to forego them this time. Good luck to you and thanks for your reply.

I THINK SO I STARTED LOSING MY HAIR AFTER THE IUD, AND ONE STRESSFUL EVENT HOWEVER I HAVE LIVED ON EARTH A LONG TIME AND HAVE HAD SEVERAL STRESSFUL EVENTS...... I KNOW IT WAS THE MIRENA, IT WAS NEVER LISTED AS A SIDE EFFECT ABOUT 7 YEARS AGO WHEN I FIRST GOT IT PUT IN. I KNOW FOR A FACT IT WAS THE MIRENA EVERYONE WHO HAS THE MIRENA (PRATICALLY) HAS THIN STRAGLY HAIR. THIS MADE ME ALSO SPOT FOR A YEAR STRAIGHT WITH CRAMPING THIS IS A FOREIGN OBJECT INOUR BODY.......THEY NEED TO TAKE IT OFF THE MARKET

I had my Mirena for five years and ended up with several health problems.  I had to have an unplanned mammogram due to drastic changes in my breast, got gallbladder disease, beginning menopause, etc.  I had AA for five years and then it progressed to AU after my Mirena.  I never made that connection, and maybe there isn't one, but I can tell you that it has taken me almost a year of no Mirena to start feeling normal again.  As for the breast issues, the official diagnosis was "hormones".  Well, yeah.  But they weren't mine.  Once the Mirena hormones were gone from my system, the pre-menopausal and breast issues resolved.  If anyone is thinking about getting one, run, don't walk, away from that decision.

I read this thread with great interest as I also have a mirena, I'm on my third actually. Anyway I rang the govt sexual health department here in South Australia where I live and who inserted all three for me. The nurse I spoke with said the new information coming out is showing hair loss as being a side effect more common than originally thought and that now they advise all women considering the mirena of this possible issue. She said they have not seen anyone with hair loss as bad as I was describing mine but she also said she wasn't totally surprised to hear it. Anyway long story short I have an appointment for mid January and they will probably remove mine then. (a 6 week wait for an appointment is normal) She also said they no longer recommend this type of birth control for women over the age of 50 (I am 50) and for that reason they would have called me in on my 51st birthday to discuss removal anyway. In the mean time I'm giving acupuncture a go. I figure it can't hurt. :)

My Mirena birth control pills made my alopecia start again in my 30s after I had had full regrowth for 15 years. I stopped the pills immediately, but hair went to AU, then AT. Coincidence? Who knows...but I doubt if I will ever have hair on my head ever again.

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