Re: what happens after 5 years?

I've had my Mirena for just over 5 yrs. I got it to control my heavy bleeding not for birth control. My husband had a vasectomy after our second child. I've been very satisfied with it and have had little to no periods after the first few months. I was planning on having it removed and replaced until my dr said my current insurance won't cover it. We had a different plan five years ago. The cost for me to have it removed and replaced would be about $700. My dr said she would remove it free of charge since my insurance won't pay for it, but I would have to pay for a new one. She suggested I leave it in until after my vacation at the end of July since we don't know what will happen when I have it taken out. I was also wondering what happens if you DON'T have it removed after five years. Is there a risk of infection or anything worse? I've been researching how to file a dispute with my insurance company to try and get a new one paid for, but after reading this forum I'm having second thoughts. My dr always said my weight gain and lack of sex drive weren't side effects of the IUD, but like many of you nothing seems to work...diets, exercise, even herbal supplements that are supposed to increase libido. I'm really confused now about what to do. As someone said, only the people with bad experiences read and post on these forums. I found that out when I was reading posts about laser eye surgery too! I went with my gut and had it done and it's the best thing ever!! I was almost convinced not to do it after reading the horror stories some people wrote about.

I don't know what I'm really asking here...I guess I just wanted to share my situation and see if anyone is in the same boat as me!!