This is a reposting of a blog essay I wrote back in March of 2013 on my old Florence Yoga Blog. I'm including it here because of a recent request by Angela Jamison of Ashtanga Yoga Ann Arbor to share my story once more. Since I have written this post, I have shared my story with many students and many teachers of the Ashtanga practice, warning them of the risks inherent in these devices for all women - but especially those who practice Ashtanga. The risk of a severe physical and mental toll on women who use Mirena - and I suspect, other IUD forms of birth control as well - far outweighs the benefits. My recommendation: steer clear of IUDs, no matter what your age.
I've loved the practice ever since my first led Half Primary class 16 years ago. I've struggled with it, loved it and at times, hated it, too - but I have stuck with the practice with little variation because I believe it's brilliant and it works for most humans - if you put the time and effort into it, that is. At one time, though, I literally was unable to do the practice, for about a year, because it hurt way too much. In 2004, I was looking for an alternative form of birth control, and an IUD called the Mirena was suggested to me by my well-meaning ObGyn. Placed inside the uterus, good for five years, the Mirena is a very small plastic device shaped like a "T" and it's impregnated with a low dose of hormones, so that you don't get pregnant. "Brilliant", I thought, "hook me up!" So, the device was inserted into my body, and all seemed well. Sex with no muss, no fuss, and no worries! I went to one of Nancy Gilgoff's adjustment clinics the following Summer, where she was teaching us Uddhiyana and Nauli Kriya. After demonstrating the how-to for us, she said, ominously, "If you have an IUD in, do NOT do Nauli Kriya. I'm not even certain you should do Uddhiyana Kriya, either." My ears perked up, and I raised my hand and said, "I have an IUD in." Both Nancy and Christine Hoar said, almost simultaneously, "You should have it removed." My reaction was skepticism, "Yeah, well, sisters, I really, really am done having kids. So, the IUD is staying in." And, so it did. In year two of the IUD, I stopped getting my periods, but also started noticing an increase in water weight. (Let's be frank: I was really bloated, all over.) I was practicing daily, rigorously, but not a bit of weight was coming off. Practice made me feel so depleted, I would compensate by eating too much. There also was a little bit of back pain now accompanying the lovely bloat, too. Nothing severe, but it was there. In year three, I started noticing that I could barely move when I woke up in the morning. My back was becoming increasingly stiff, and practice was starting to become difficult. I was noticeably heavier. I had been practicing all of Primary and all of Second before the IUD, but at that point, even Sun Salutes were becoming difficult. And, I had to practice later in the day, vs. the mornings, because my back was just too stiff and painful early in the morning. After an afternoon practice, my back would feel better, and I would think, "Oh, Good, practice fixed it." But, then, I would wake up the next morning, wracked with pain and feeling like I was 80 years old. (I was 40 at the time.) I went to a doctor, who could find nothing wrong, other than "muscle spasms." I attributed the worsening of the initial, tolerable back pain to lifting heavy furniture. The pain got so bad, I finally decided that it was the Ashtanga practice that was hurting me, so I stopped doing it completely, and thought I'd try some other form of Hatha yoga. For almost a year, I tried other styles. Yin Yoga. Good, but not great. Iyengar. Dull, with too much talking about "how" and not enough doing. Kripalu. Better, but, still not great. Svaroopa. No movement at all, really, and so, no pain, but then the pain would return. I even tried Anusara, which was not a fit. None of these practices addressed my physical needs, and certainly, none of them addressed my mental and emotional ones, either. I was getting weaker and weaker, too. Chronic pain, if you have ever experienced it, is extremely debilitating. You just don't want to move at all. After this fruitless search, I decided that the Ashtanga system was the most sane and wise, and the only one that addressed improving strength along with flexibility, and, even if what I was doing wasn't the traditional, "pure" practice, it worked better than all the other forms I had tried. So, I did an extremely modified Ashtanga practice on my own (really, a series modeled on the Ashtanga sequences - but, no Sun Salutes, no vinyasas, a modified Primary with no forward bending beyond 80 degrees. Some of the first part of Second series, too, nothing beyond camel, `although the twists of Second series and Parighasana were very therapeutic, so I added those at the end of my practice. Shoulderstand sequence, once I hauled myself up into it, felt good and restorative, too. And, I turned to Vipassana meditation, which really helped manage the pain. I started to really read and study the Sutras, and I focused on the other limbs of Ashtanga practice. With these tools, which were nothing like what I had once enjoyed in my "traditional" asana practice, but were actually deeper in many ways, I learned I could manage the pain. My desire to continue on the spiritual path I'd started years earlier was aided by the gentle movements of the highly modified practice, along with the more intense meditation that Vipassana provided. I did this for a year or so. It worked. Then, I went to a really great bodyworker, who, in just a few sessions, alleviated a great deal of the pain in my low back, allowing the spasming muscles there to relax and release. I very slowly started to do more Suryanamaskar in my practice, lengthening out the sequence of Primary series if it felt good. As soon as I felt my back starting to weaken or go into spasm, I would stop, do a gentle closing, and facilitate the slow but steady return to my former strength and flexibility. This really worked well. Pain management was easier, and while I still had a lot of pain in the mornings, I could do the practice. Then, I had the IUD removed, in December of 2009. Within a week of the device removal, the pain in my back was completely gone. Within a month of removal, my body shed over 20lbs of water weight. Within six months, I was doing all of Primary and most of Second once more. People who hadn't seen me in a few months didn't recognize me. I felt young again. It was a miracle! No, it was the removal of the Mirena. I googled "Mirena back pain" after I had it removed, and was stunned by the sheer number of women who's experiences were similar to mine. Subsequently, I've had female students who have complained of back pain in their practice, and it's always one of the first things I ask: "Do you have an IUD inserted?" Upon removal of the IUD, their back pain and bloating went away, too. Food for thought, IUD users! I know, they are convenient, I know, they are an easy and thought-free means of contraception. But, ease and convenience are definitely not worth the pain. Take it from me.
10 Comments
Dear Friend:
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Sally
6/3/2016 08:35:59 am
I appreciate you sharing your experience. You are generally referring to IUDs but your experience specifically is with the Mirena, which uses hormones. The copper IUD has no hormones. Were you able to distinguish whether it was the hormones causing the problem or actually having an IUD? I am curious because I use a copper IUD and after getting through the first six months have been very happy with it. Prior to that I used the ever-popular birth control pill during which time I experienced the symptoms you described like bloating and weight gain to such a degree that I didn't even feel like myself. It was so horrible I just threw it away one day. Again, thanks for sharing your experience, I just think it's important to distinguish between actually have an IUD and the hormones as the cause of the problem.
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Michelle
6/6/2016 06:40:19 am
Sally, yes, I have had several women who use a copper IUD defend them as you have done here when I have told my story. I never said in the article that Copper IUDs were my issue, and I can understand your being happy with and relieved that you have a birth control device that helps you and is convenient. We all want that, so I am glad you found something that works for you and am not suggesting you remove it. That is, unless you feel unhealthy - then perhaps, you should look into its side effects and consider the possibility....
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Kim
8/8/2017 03:03:06 pm
Thank you for publishing. I literally just had mine removed today and even though I know it's the right thing, I was feeling down about it. It has been the easiest solution to my not ever wanting to have children, but the back pain! It started about 10 months ago (having had Mirena for 2 years) and came at the same time as a bad Bacterial Vaginosis infection, which is why I suspected my Mirena. I never had a moment of injuring myself, it came on very slowly. I’ve done so many tests on my back with no issues found, and rounds of antibiotics for the BV, but it remains. I could barely practice today because my back was so tight, and I’ve experienced everything you’ve experienced in my practice with my back pain. I decided I needed have the IUD removed just to eliminate it as a possibility. Feeling bummed I googled Ashtanga and IUD and this came up, it was a comfort. I’m hopeful my pain will decrease, but wanted to share in case anyone else was reading.
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9/11/2017 04:10:57 am
I would like to Thank you very much for providing nice information. This is very helpful and educational blog post.
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Emily
11/1/2017 05:51:44 pm
Thanks for this. I had the bar inserted in my arm and had the same symptoms you described as well as low iron, folate, & b12 and fainting spells. I tried the copper, but the pain in my hips and back got worse. And my body was expelling the coil at the time of removal. Now, I have the Mirena. And I’m nervous! Since getting the bar implant out, I’ve lost most of the water weight and I’ve gone a week without a bleed! After reading this, I’m interested in getting rid of the Mirena too. I respect my body too much to put it through this again - and I’m tired of it!
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Maggie
1/12/2018 01:19:42 pm
Thank you for sharing your experience. I am also really curious what kind of contraception you (or others) might recommend for those of us practicing ashtanga. I would like to have kids someday and I am not married, so surgical intervention is off the table for now.
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Michelle
1/12/2018 02:05:10 pm
Sorry I didn't respond to Emily's comment sooner - it got lost in the craziness of November 2017. Meanwhile, in answer to the contraceptive method I use now:
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Angel
1/9/2020 11:26:13 am
ugh, for one I didn't even know Ann Arbor offered Ashtanga yoga lol! Super excited and going to explore some classes soon.
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michelle
1/10/2020 09:56:34 am
Thanks for your deep sharing here, Angel! So cool, that catch from Autobiography of a Yogi. Yes, my general feeling is that "foreign" objects should not stay inside our bodies. The ahamkara "I sense" is affected by them. If they are not integrated or digested, but stay "separate" from our energy vibration, sustaining their own pranic integrity, they will cause an autoimmune response. It just makes sense! May you find healing! <3
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