Mirena IUD and Whole30

[beagreenberg]

Hey everyone - this might be a weird and unrelated question but I have the Mirena IUD, and I haven't had a period in months. No bleeding at all. I started my Whole30 a little over a week ago and a few days in I had a period with fresh blood. I know irregular bleeding is something common with the Mirena but I thought it was weird that it would just start up again after months of no period. Has anyone else experienced this and think it might be something to do with the Whole30 eating rules/habits?

Thanks!

[SugarcubeOD]

Hormones rebalancing can result in breakthrough bleeding even with a Mirena (I have one, I know).  We're not medical professionals here tho so if you are concerned, please see a doctor.

[Sarasaurus]

I had a similar experience, although I'd always had periods with my Mirena they were very light... until Whole30. Unfortunately my Whole30 last summer coincided with replacing my Mirena, so I can't say for sure whether it was the Whole30 or the new Mirena that caused the change. Since I'm now on my 3rd Mirena (i.e., 10+ years), it seems unlikely a new one would affect me so drastically, and it stumped my doctor. Regardless, It's been about 9 months and I've continued to have heavier periods, so apparently this is my new normal.  

[rfischer17]

This happens to me on about day 3 every time I clean up my eating.  I have a Mirena IUD and no bleeding otherwise.  I checked with a doctor and she said without a doubt these dietary changes are definitely going to change hormones enough for this to happen while adjusting. As your blood sugar levels adjust, so too will your insulin and other hormones.  It usually passes fairly quickly. 

[bibith]

I have had the Mirena for almost 10 years in total (two back to back, one for 4 and then another for 5). I also never had a period UNLESS I switched to really clean eating. I did the Hormone Reset (Dr. Sara) which is similar to Whole30 in terms of being an elimination diet. Usually as soon as junk food and sugar were taken out of my diet, I felt like my hormones adjusted and boom - spotting. I am just starting my first Whole30 and in an effort to really learn more about my body and my hormones, I had my Mirena taken out and did not replace it with a new one. I'll let you know how it goes! My guess is that I will actually end up doing a Whole60 or Whole90 and eat clean until my cycles are back to normal.  

[Bookgrrl]

I've had a Mirena for a year, and my first period after starting Whole30 was extra heavy. My body never got the "stop menstruating" memo from the IUD, so I'm used to having them regularly. It's good to know the heavy bleeding this month could be from my changed eating!

[cassiemarie10]

I'm so glad I came across this post.  I'm starting my first Whole30 on May 1st and have a Mirena IUD.  I haven't had a period in 2 years so I don't typically have pads or tampons on hand.  Good to know I will need to add those to my Whole30 shopping list.

[Kari514]

This is super interesting. I was actually wondering about this. I'm on Day 5 of my 1st whole 30 and on Day 4 I suddenly got my first period in 6 months! I have a Skyla IUD with very light, infrequent periods. I wondered if the change in eating was the reason... But chalked it up to coincidence since it had only been 3 full days. Now I'm not so sure! 

[elenif]

I'll need to keep an eye out for this and maybe buy some tampons to have just in case. I've had my IUD for 4 years and haven't had a period that entire time, so I don't keep any supplies on hand! So interesting to hear about how the body changes when you clean up your diet.