copper iud weight gain

This forum is a God send for me.

I had my cooper iud put in 8 years ago. Since that time I have been diagnosed as having chronic fatigue, adreanal burnout, thyroid disorder and estrogen dominance!!!!!!!!!! I NEVER ever related it to my IUD, but looking back my symptoms started within 4 months of getting this damn thing. I have also gained 40 pounds and have DONE everything to lose it with NO sucesss...And I mean EVERYTHING...even a raw food vegan diet for a year! I didn't lose an once.

I am getting this damn thing removed ASAP.

Thank God for this forum!

good luck to you, kathy. Depending on how hypo you are (if you don't need any thyroid meds), try a good hypo diet first to help keep from suppressing thyroid function. That way, if it is really the copper affecting your thyroid, your tests will show improvement (hopefully) and you'll feel a lot better. Maybe your thyroid can recover if it's being affected by the copper and not a natural genetic problem for you.

Stay away from high iron foods like broccoli, spinach, and cauliflower as these suppress thyroid function.

Here's a good article about the proper diet for hypothyroid. I've also heard that L-Tyrosene is also good as a supplement because it mimics the effect of dopamine which is a thyroid precurser that's usually low in hypothyroid patients.

Here's a really good article on diet and supplements for helping hypothyroid condition:

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/hypothyroi...

All the women in my family have hypothyroid, so I'm pretty sure at some point I will be too. I got tested when I had my IUD because the symptoms were so similar, but my tests came back OK (borderline).

Hopefully in your case, your thyroid's just reacting to the copper in your system and it will go back to normal in time. Take care!

^^sorry about the repeats in there--didn't edit properly!:P

Thank you so much for your advice. I really appreciate your time and efforts in posting that. I will keep ya ladies posted on how I feel after removal. My doctor wanted to start me on some meds, but I think I would like to give it some time before I jump in...a month or two. Thanks again!

I am so glad I found this forum as I have gained 7 kgs & coulnd't work out why

I had a copper IUD put in 6 months ago & have gone up a dress size. I am 35 & have been the same size for the past 15 years; I have a spare tire of fat around my middle that doesn't go away no matter how much I workout, just like I can't get my weight down thru diet.

i am going to make an appointment to get my IUD taken out this week & hopefully I will be able to fit back into my clothes soon

Thanks everyone

Lara wrote:

I am so glad I found this forum as I have gained 7 kgs & coulnd't work out why
I had a copper IUD put in 6 months ago & have gone up a dress size. I am 35 & have been the same size for the past 15 years; I have a spare tire of fat around my middle that doesn't go away no matter how much I workout, just like I can't get my weight down thru diet.
i am going to make an appointment to get my IUD taken out this week & hopefully I will be able to fit back into my clothes soon
Thanks everyone

lara, before removal, get a thyroid test done to see if yours has been affected like mine!

I've definitely packed on pounds- 20 to be exact in one year. When I consuted my doctor, he advised that IUD pregnancy prevention was local and shouldn't be associated. I now weigh more than when I was nine months pregnant and I too have become uncomfortable with my body image. Although the pregnancy scares are no more, other health risks are associated with weight gain. Aftter reading this, considering the weighht gain, long periods (2/3 of month as well)and other health concerns that have become an issue, I will be discontinuing my IUD use as soon as the next available appointment. Of all the BC i've tried, this is this first to do this.
Good Luck Ladies!

I'm 33 years old - have had the copper IUD in me for a year and a half...I decided to go "non-hormonal" because I was on birth control for years and realized my migraines were the cause of it. I stopped taking birth control and never had a migraine since!
Never had any kids and I was told the "insertion" might be a little uncomfortable...It was the WORST! If I had to do it over, I would have had them numb my cervix or something just to be safe.

I want to have my copper IUD removed because I am having too much back pain and leg pain (mainly right behind my knees)...I also don't care for the heavy periods mainly because I don't feel motivated to work out and probably eat way too much around that time.
Everyone is different...so I say it's worth a shot...hey, you can always change your mind.

But I will have them numb me before the removal!

To all the ladys who's dr thought they were crazy - YES! Mine too, This Jerk even BET ME $1,000 that it wouldnt work, he actually said i bet you a $1,000 ( And he's a DR ). Here i am praying that this is it and i will find my old self and not once but 2 times my doctor guarnteed my Iud could not do such a thing and that i must have deep seeded issues (I have a great life, I Just been stuck In side my self Since the IUD) Then he did not believe my husband of 16yrs got fixed the prior week - he actually argued how could i know that, he may just be telling me this ( I WAS THERE ) we have 3 children, 16 years in our relationship - hello!. I was really upset at his unprofessional manner and Bull shit attitude ( he was not just explaining the pros and cons ) so I asked him to keep his comments to him self as i would like to look at it mind over matter if need be and i would do anything to feel better. I really wanted to cry, it felt like the devil was trying to doom me in to feeling this way forever. Anyhow it is out needless to say, i didnt want this unprofessional dr doing it but i am uninsured and would of had to pay just for breathing in the office.

It has been out - i am great and along with the anxiety, etc.... I am going to go sign a complaint with the dr. office and request my $1,000 bucks that this idiot bet me!

Good Luck Lady's - If your Dr Is a man, how could he possibly know what we women go through when it comes to birth control.

Hello everyone,
I have had the Paragard in over a year now and I have had the same problems as most others seem to have, weight gain, horrible periods that lasted 2 weeks in the beginning and 10-12 days normally, bladder problems (i always feel like i have to go (all tests for bladder infection came up negative), loss of libido, and a puffed out tummy. I had mine removed yesterday so i'm hoping some of these problems will go away, so far no change but I'll keep you updated.

All this really sucks , basically it seems every form of contraception makes you gain weight or has some affects on our bodys. So it only rele leaves us with condoms. Men prefer not to use condoms yet prefer us not to gain weight , there is literally no winning is there. Ive picked the IUD as i thought it would be the only thing that wouldn't make you gain weight yet low and behold my stomach is constantly swollen and i've gained weight. I completly shot myself in the foot as i was loosing weight and felt i had more libio because i felt better about my body so i had it put in but now the weight gain has came back im back to square one.

I got my paragaurd removed tuesday. So far, no huge results yet. In fact, I seem to be on some type of emotional rollercoaster since removal. We will see how I feel in a few weeks. I'm going to retest my thyroid levels in about a month. Good luck ladies in the pursuit of birth control!

It's been since August that I had my IUD of 10 years removed. I would love to say that I am down a ton of weight, but that is just not the case - however; things are GREAT!

I have a regular period!!! OMG instead of bleeding for 7 days with really heavy clotting, cramping and bleeding --- I have a 3 day peroid that is very mild, cramps for about a half hour the first day and very light period. My PMS is virtually gone, I have no hungry day, tired day, bitchy day, sad day - I used to have all of those a week before my period. Instead of bleeding every 19 days, I bleed every 28ish days!!!! HOLY shit!!!

I have always had a high sex drive even with the IUD, but the last couple months, sex has just been "better" I can't explain it, it just feels better -

My body has changed in the aspect that my stomach doesn't feel or look so bloated, my skin is not mushy or puffy, my face has become less round - my clothes don't seem to be as tight around my midsection either.

My energy level is way better - and my mood seems like it's more constant, I have a pretty cherry outlook on life, whereas when I had the IUD I sometimes felt like I was having panic attacks, didn't like to be alone, go the the grocery store, sometimes going outside was even a chore - and I am *not that girl* lol!

To everyone that has been told by your doctor that the copper IUD *can't* do this to you, tell them to STFU - mind their own business, jot down the notes in your history - take the damn thing out, and find a new doctor!!!

Good luck!!!

ive had my iud for about 2 months now. and i go through a pack of panty liner in less than 2weeks due to vaginal drainage.which ive never had before. i went to my doctor to get a check up to see if anything abnormal was going on with my inside. my pap smear came back normal.which is excellent.my doctor said some women normally have discharge.at first i thought the drainage was due to my body fighting off this foreign object. but to me this is not normal or cool at all. i was just wondering if anyone else had this problem.

I had mine removed last week and that was one of the major reasons I had it removed, that stoped immediatley.

cnote wrote:

ive had my iud for about 2 months now. and i go through a pack of panty liner in less than 2weeks due to vaginal drainage.which ive never had before. i went to my doctor to get a check up to see if anything abnormal was going on with my inside. my pap smear came back normal.which is excellent.my doctor said some women normally have discharge.at first i thought the drainage was due to my body fighting off this foreign object. but to me this is not normal or cool at all. i was just wondering if anyone else had this problem.

So far I have only speculated on my weight gaining and its relation to the copper iud.
Fact:
I put on 21 kg during the pregnancy
In 3M after giving birth i lost 15kg w/o any diet
I put my copper iud in december last year (I didn´t want to take any hormons because of previous negative experiences).
Since Dec 2008 not only that I haven´t lost any weight anymore but I started putting on, put 6-7 kg on, even though i moved more and paid attention to what I ate. On protein diet I was able to lose 1.5kg in a week but basically with less then 1000Cal, which is quite tough, especially as I am used to eating sweets. Now I have the feeling tat any carb I eat also stays with me.
I also have 2x /month my period: one the real one(7days), one @ ovulation (5 days -moderate) and some time also some spotting.
I have never had weight issues before and now I am very upset. After reading here yesterday I decide to have my IUD removed. I will tell the results.
I put weight on also on the stomach area and also an allaround layer. I used to have visible abdominal muscles...now it is history.
I read somewhere in an article (not in English though) that the copper influences the metabolism of glucides, thus it can make sense why carbs make me fat.
Good luck to all of you out there trying to lose weight or stop the damn bleeding. 24th of Nov i will have my IUD out and hopefully i will be able to lose my weight too and get rid of the other negative effects

Johanna wrote:

So far I have only speculated on my weight gaining and its relation to the copper iud.
Fact:
I put on 21 kg during the pregnancy
In 3M after giving birth i lost 15kg w/o any diet
I put my copper iud in december last year (I didn´t want to take any hormons because of previous negative experiences).
Since Dec 2008 not only that I haven´t lost any weight anymore but I started putting on, put 6-7 kg on, even though i moved more and paid attention to what I ate. On protein diet I was able to lose 1.5kg in a week but basically with less then 1000Cal, which is quite tough, especially as I am used to eating sweets. Now I have the feeling tat any carb I eat also stays with me.
I also have 2x /month my period: one the real one(7days), one @ ovulation (5 days -moderate) and some time also some spotting.
I have never had weight issues before and now I am very upset. After reading here yesterday I decide to have my IUD removed. I will tell the results.
I put weight on also on the stomach area and also an allaround layer. I used to have visible abdominal muscles...now it is history.
I read somewhere in an article (not in English though) that the copper influences the metabolism of glucides, thus it can make sense why carbs make me fat.
Good luck to all of you out there trying to lose weight or stop the damn bleeding. 24th of Nov i will have my IUD out and hopefully i will be able to lose my weight too and get rid of the other negative effects

Good luck and keep us posted. I had mine removed last tuesday and already have seen a small difference in my stomach area-so has my best friend...it protrudes a little less. I'm currently in search of legal advice. I'm so angry with what paragaurd has put so many woman thru.

Keep posting, kathy. I'm interested to hear about how you're doing in a few months. I've not lost all the middle I put on (but most of it) even after more than a year, but most of me is back to "normal" and I'm very happy with the way I look and feel now. I used to look like a potato with sticks for legs, or like a stuffed sausage, but that's all gone--I actually have a waist now. Emotionally, I'm 100% better.

I'm afraid that you may not get much relief on the legal issue. Though I was on Mirena, which IMO would have more standing to be sued (with severe hormonal reactions their Dr's and Bayer told them wouldn't happen), the women who have tried to sue Bayer (Mirena's maker) have been told that no lawyer will take the case. The reason given is that it's very difficult if not impossible to prove causality between the IUD and these side effects, and that while the side effects can be severe (in some cases ending in very serious health problems), since it doesn't cause death, there is no real "risk" to women.

Serious risks like uterine perforation and miscarriage from IUD's are known and are listed in the manufacturer's literature, so no luck there, either.

I don't necessarily agree with them, but I also can see the rationale behind the lawyers' position--and unless you can prove gross negligence on the part of the Dr, there really is no legal remedy. But just knowing what the problem was makes me feel much better and empowered, and I'll never go back on artificial BC again.

We will see...I'm sure it isn't easy. I've actually had medical tests done such as copper levels and tsh levels before I had mine removed. I'm going back to the doctor in a few weeks to see if my results have improved...which I think they will. It may not be much, but it's a start. Something needs to be done. At least a warning label is only fair. I'm encouraging every woman to do the same...document your changes. If there is a big group of us with similiar symptoms, someone will hear us out eventually. The most irritating thing is that the copper iud is marketed as non-hormonal when in fact I've had several severe hormonal effects, more so then any other birth control I've attempted.

Kathy I am interested to heAr about your copper levels. I have the perscription but never got tested. Have had hypo thyroid ever since iud!