Will Mirena help?

[Amethistle]

Hello!  

I have been dealing with pain from ovarian cysts for almost 2 years now.  We have 2 adorable girls and I had to have a C-section with each one because of a fibroid tumor.  My last C-section was in 2007.  After learning that my pain was from an ovarian cyst I was fine with simply "managing" it with ibuprofen.  In the meantime, my periods have gotten horrible...extremely heavy and painful for almost a year and ovulation is dreadful.  The manageable part about ovulation was the fact that the worst pain was over in a few hours.  However, the past few months have not been so kind.  

Last month, the pain was pretty bad for about 12 hours.  When I say "pretty bad," I mean I am not able to do much more than lie in bed and there are times when I literally cannot move.  This month has been even worse.  I thought I ovulated last week...I felt some pain for a few hours (not as bad as usual) and it was about that time.  Then yesterday I got this overwhelming sharp pain that made it nearly impossible for me to move for a couple of hours. Even after I could move around I was still in pain that was moderate (with occasional severe pains) even after taking a lot of ibuprofen.  This pain is still going on today!  I am able to move around, but I am very uncomfortable and it's difficult to urinate.  In addition to the usual pain that is always right below my navel, I am having a lot of pain in my upper abdomen as well, although it's more of a dull, achy pain.  I have also been light-headed very tired for the past week.  

My ob/gyn wants to put me on Mirena and she says that will help with the ovarian cysts.  While I do not disagree with her, it has been difficult to get to her office as soon as I start my period (which is when she says I need to come to insert the IUD).  My periods are horrible for one, and the past couple of months they have started on a weekend.  Plus, I am wondering if an ovarian cyst could be causing all this?  I have a family history of endometriosis and I am wondering if that is what is causing so much pain (and difficulty urinating).  In this case, will Mirena help?  Is it normal to just endure this and "manage" it with a lot of ibuprofen?  I can deal with knowing it's only going to be for a few hours, but 2 days (hopefully that will be all) is a bit tough to manage this kind of pain (in addition to the joy of having to manage painful periods)!  

Thanks for your input!

[Amethistle]

Thank you for your response, Marie.  I also have a hard time believing that an IUD is the answer, especially when they could possibly add more problems.  Taking a lot of ibuprofen is also kind of questionable in my view, especially when the problem itself seems to be getting worse.  

I am hoping to get an appointment this week...I think an ultrasound is definitely in order.  I was up until 4 this morning because of the annoying pain and this is day three of what used to be an incident that only lasted a few hours.  

Thanks again for your help!  

[MarieMichele]

Sorry, I don't have any knowledge about IUD's helping with ovarian cysts.  I've read they can make your periods lighter.  The only treatment that I know for cysts besides removal is the hormones found in birth control pills. IUD's can lead to pelvic infections, and even more pain.

A lot of Ibuprofen over time can also be harmful so I don't consider it a great option just dealing with the pain.

Has your doctor done an ultrasound recently?  It is hard to say what is causing so many problems...cysts? endometriosis? fibroids? a combo of all of these things?  I find it hard to believe an IUD will "fix" this, but I'm not an expert either.