Talk:IntraUterine System

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[edit] Addition of comments about weight gain

The following content was added by User:Mactivist in this diff. I have moved it here because there are no references provided and I found the statements to be unencyclopedic in tone. I am not confirming or denying the truth of the statements, only that in their current form their inclusion is unencyclopedic. References are necessary. Joie de Vivre 17:30, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Comment: In regards to the amount of weight gain referenced in #The removed content about weight gain, "2 to 4 stone" translates to "28 to 56 pounds" and "approximately 12 to 24 kilograms". Joie de Vivre 17:37, 5 June 2007 (UTC)
Comment: please accept my apologies - I do not know how to make is encyclopaedic and I am a new user to wiki. I tend to write plainly so that people reading it who are likely to be affected will understand it. I do not know what 50 lbs looks like, or 24 kilograms - I am in the UK where people tend to measure their weight in stones.
The problem with references is that there is no research article available to back up the claim. Most articles found are referencing the manufacturers comments.
I can link to forums where there are pages and pages of users who can back up the claim - that is all. I wish to add the claim because it needs to be somewhere with a high profile so that women considering the use of this method can see potential problems for themselves, whereas at the moment, the only thing they are likely to find is the manufacturer's and health advisors claim that there is no weight gain with this method.Mactivist 17:48, 5 June 2007 (UTC)
You have nothing to apologize about; it's fine to be new. Wikipedia even has a policy about that, WP:BITE refers to "don't bite the newbies". So if anyone gives you flack just remember that they should know better!
In regards to the content, you are absolutely right in pointing out that there is a lack of research available. However, I think we agree that a lack of research demonstrating a side effect does not necessarily mean that the side effect does not exist! There may very well be deliberate negligence on the part of the manufacturer in reporting a common side effect, especially something as off-putting as 30-50 pounds of weight gain.
The best thing you can do is look for the most credible or reliable source that talks about this happening. Would you post links here and let us know what you find? Maybe there will be something credible enough to mention it in the article. Thanks! Joie de Vivre 17:52, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The removed content about weight gain

Weight gain

Note: In regards to the average range of weight gain, "2 to 4 stone" is equal to "28 to 56 pounds" and "approximately 12 to 24 kilograms".

Although there appears to be no published research evidence that Mirena coil causes weight gain, a brief search on Google will confirm that there are many many women out there who suffered enormous weight gain after insertion of a Mirena coil and are suffering from depression and anxiety as a result. Many of these reports, mostly found in women's and health forums, state that the woman was normal weight, even after the birth of a child, and then put on large amounts of weight, maybe three or four stone in the months after initially using the coil. The weight gain appears to occur in some users in spite of them being of previously normal weight, taking regular exercise and eating the usual amount of food. Most women reporting this phenomenon report similar effects - - much of the weight is put on around the waist - the weight gain is usually somewhere between 2 and 4 stones - the weight gain is often accompanied by greasy hair and acne - No amount of exercising or dieting seems to help these women to lose the weight they have gained, and many have had the coil removed in the hope that they will return to their former condition. - on speaking to their doctors, they are told that the weight gain risk which is stated in the user information is a 'theoretical risk' only and that is not the reason why they have put on the weight.

If anyone has any research which confirms that some women suffer from this serious side effect, perhaps they could link it.

[edit] Literature Omissions About Verifiable Side Effects

I had the most drastic weight loss surgery available in 2004 (the DS) and had been maintaining a nearly 200-lb weight loss for over a year. In Nov 2006, I got the Mirena primarily for birth control, secondly to lighten my debilitating periods, and finally because the manufacturer (Bayer/Berlax) claimed no significant weight gain.

I still couldn't believe that my 10-or-so pound weight gain was the Mirena's fault even though I have become a fastidiously healthy woman who is ridiculously careful about what I eat. And because of this, it is usually pretty easy to lose any weight gained--even if there was no plausible reason how/why I had gained it in the first place (in other words, as long as I apply the same principles regularly, I virtually cannot not gain weight).

In April 2007 I discovered a 1"x3" mass in my right breast that appeared nearly overnight. Still, I couldn't believe it was the Mirena. When a second fibroadenoma seemed to have appeared less than 2 weeks after the benign fibroadenoma was removed, then I wondered if there was a correlation. I Googled for info (searched mirena+fibroadenoma). None of this surfaced prior to insertion or I am likely never to have gotten it.

Upon removal of the Mirena, I felt an immediate difference. So many things I had been attributing to my autoimmune disease (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, not hypothyroid) and fibromyalgia, all seem to be traceable to the Mirena (loss of desire, back pain, depression, fatigue, sight problems, weight gain, problems concentrating, etc). It took approximately six weeks for my hormones to regain some balance, including return of period and weight loss.

It appears that very thin or average weight women gain weight and/or cannot lose weight post-Mirena. It may have something to do with the lack of fat to absorb the additional hormones. From what I've researched, heavier women fare much better--as I did when on the pill and at a much higher weight.

<a href="http://www.aippg.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24435&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0">Click here for just one example of Mirena users who have experienced small to horrific weight gains post-insertion. Many of these women had never had a weight problem before. It is over 40 pages of posts spanning more than two years.</a>

<a href="http://www.mirena.ca/en/pdfs/MirenaEn.pdf">Click here for data regarding fibroadenoma of the breast as a side effect of the Mirena.</a>

[edit] Weight gain parameter in infobox

I would like to treat this parameter the same on all the hormonal contraception articles. Please read my opinion and discuss this issue at Talk:Combined oral contraceptive pill#Weight parameter in infobox. LyrlTalk C 21:31, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Risks parameter in infobox

A user has recently added fibroadenoma, a side effect experienced by about 1% of Mirena users, to the infobox at the top of the page. Other side effects experienced by approximately 1% of Mirena users include upper respiratory tract infection, sinusitis, candidiasis, bronchitis, urinary tract infection, rhinitis, back pain, musculoskeletal pain, depression, breast pain, genital discharge, vaginal infection, and acne. Including this entire list in an infobox is impractical.

The previous listing included ovarian cysts (which some studies have found in more than 10% of users, so a very common side effect), pelvic inflammatory disease (possibly leading to infertility, a serious side effect), and uterine perforation (possibly leading to serious infection, may require surgery, also serious). Unlike these three effects, I don't see anything about fibroadenoma to distinguish it from the dozens of other effects Mirena can have. Since we're not including an exhaustive list of side effects in the infobox, I don't think fibroadenoma belongs there, either. LyrlTalk C 00:42, 21 August 2007 (UTC)