thank you all for these postings. I have had a mirena for 5 years and it has been horrible. I suppose I was a bit stupid to carry on with it but a lot of what I was feeling i only now realise was the IUD from reading all these posts. terrible cramps like labour, thinning hair, overweight. I searched for this site because somehow I knew the iud was at the root of the problem finally I began having severe aches in my hip and back. So today after reading your posts I was brave enough to remove it myself. It was easy and I feel so great emotionally and I am looking forward to the next few months of begin without it. Nothing can be as bad as how it felt to have it there.