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Kyleena and Pain: What Users Say (Page 5)

Reviews for Kyleena

Commonly mentioned side effects
  • Luc...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • April 10, 2019

For Birth Control "Insertion and the following hour or so after, I experienced the worst pain I’ve ever felt. Mind you, I have six tattoos and have been pierced in different places. The doctor said it hurts less if you’ve had kids before (if you’re wondering). Most uncomfortable side effects, but probably worth it. Heavy, heavy bleeding the first couple of weeks and has died down, but from time to time I still get excruciating cramps. The doctor prescribed me a high dose of ibuprofen, which 100% helps. Would NOT get again or go through the insertion process ever again, in fact, I’m scared to get it removed if it’s going to feel the same way."

4 / 10
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  • Anonymous
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • April 17, 2019

For Birth Control "I had Kyleena inserted January 2018. The insert was very, very painful. I spotted for about 6 months after the insertion. Then in June 2018, I had an ectopic pregnancy, which I had to have emergency surgery for in the middle of the night. With Kyleena, I’ve experienced a ton of weight gain, little to no sex drive, and severe depression, and I always have some type of abdominal pain or discomfort. Needless to say, I will be getting this removed ASAP."

1 / 10
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  • NNI...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • November 6, 2019

For Birth Control "Kyleena has been extremely helpful to me. Insertion was very painful, but it went away soon after. I took birth control for a year beforehand and found it to be a hassle to take a pill every day. After the insertion, I experienced extreme temperature fluctuations, nausea, and fatigue, but it went away after the first day. I bled for a week after. Be prepared to not be very active after insertion."

8 / 10
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Frequently asked questions

  • Anonymous
  • July 19, 2019

For Birth Control "I had my Kyleena inserted on July 9, 2019. My doctor had recommended it because I was diagnosed with PCOS, and she wants to be sure I have at least one period a month-my 'usual' cycle was from 9 to 90 days-and she knew that I can't take the pill because I had awful side effects, so she said Kyleena. Insertion went fine and was pretty mildly uncomfortable, but I had no cramping after until about 3 days later. I have had now nonstop cramping, and it gets so intense that I have many times thought about going to the hospital. I have been nursing a bottle of Aleve twice a day for the last week. Nothing helps. Pain meds only help a little, and moving, sitting, laying down, heating pads, cooling pads, mint tea, nothing works. I have an appointment coming up to go over this because I can't live like this. I can barely breathe when some cramps come on, and they are so regular that I count it a blessing if I don't cramp every 3 minutes."

5 / 10
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  • mil...
  • September 1, 2019

For Birth Control "I had Kyleena for ~ 9 months. It prevented pregnancy for the entire time I had it in place. I developed facial and bodily hormonal acne and was put on spironolactone, which cleared things up. I also experienced pelvic/abdominal pain, which I wrote off until I went to my gyno, who diagnosed me with a 4-inch complex ovarian cyst. After about 2 months, the cyst resolved on its own, but the pain was still present, so I opted to have it removed, which I think was a good decision. It has been out for ~ 2 weeks, and my mood is better, sex drive up, pelvic pain gone. I stopped the spironolactone, and my skin has been fine. I also want to note that while inserted, I occasionally experienced foul odor and vaginal discharge that hasn't been an issue since removal either. I also gained ~5 lbs since insertion, but can't for sure attribute this to the IUD as I was going through a lot of life changes during this time as well. Everyone is different, but Kyleena wasn't worth it for me."

5 / 10
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  • Kam...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • May 15, 2019

For Birth Control "I am 20 years old, 5'2" and weigh about 115 pounds. I got the Kyleena inserted almost a month ago. It was a super fast process. The pain is quite intense, but only lasted less than a minute. I had cramps for only a few minutes after the procedure. Make sure you eat before, otherwise you may feel faint. The only symptoms I've had since insertion are heightened emotions and spotting. My sister also got the Kyleena about a year ago because she has endometriosis, and it has REALLY helped her. I highly recommend the Kyleena IUD-just make sure you have a great doctor to put it in."

10 / 10
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  • Wen...
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • May 31, 2019

For Birth Control "I chose Kyleena because I thought it would be least likely to impact my mental health. I have major depressive disorder, dysthymia, and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). It is hard to be sure, but I am almost positive that Kyleena hasn’t affected my mental health. If anything, I think it has made my mood around my period better. However, there has been some physical pain. Insertion is very painful but quick. Make sure you have a hand to squeeze. I’m a year in now. I get stabbing pains in my cervix a week before my period. But I have a high pain tolerance and have chronic pain for other reasons, so I am used to it. I use a stress ball to help me when it’s painful and use a heating pad. Also, I have some pain after sex sometimes. If this all sounds like too much pain, then an IUD might not be for you. But because I got what I wanted out of this IUD, I am happy. Oh, also, I used to have a pretty normal flow, now I just have red/brown discharge for 2-3 days."

8 / 10
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More FAQ

  • Apr...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • October 3, 2019

For Birth Control "Horrible. Never explained to me what this IUD actually does. It does not prevent fertilization - it just keeps the fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus. Ultimately caused pain - physically and emotionally. Would NEVER recommend."

2 / 10
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  • Ash...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • June 16, 2019

For Birth Control "I was prepared. I took Advil 45 min before, and my mom took me. I ate a good breakfast. It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt. BUT it lasts literally 2 sec, about 3 times total. They measure your cervix first, and that hurt worse than insertion. It was FAST. Right after, I was fine, and the cramping subsided to minimal (I was already cramping because I was on my period). Then I felt like I was going to pass out. My mom said I was the color of snow, and I ended up on the bathroom floor in the worst pain of my life (period cramps). I suffer from very bad period cramps. This pain was that, times 1000. I was so weak and light-headed I couldn’t even speak. Within the next 10 minutes, I was totally fine. It’s called vasovagal syncope, don’t let it scare you! Just be prepared and let the 20 min pass. I got it yesterday and laid low after. Today I’m fine aside from mild period cramps that come and go. Sounds terrible, but I’d do it again for years of protection. Will post another update later."

9 / 10
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  • Kel...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • March 30, 2019

For Birth Control "Insertion experience (will update over time). I took 2 extra-strength Motrin 30 min before my insertion. Was not prescribed any other medication, and my IUD was not inserted while I was on my period (I guess this varies by clinic). I have never been pregnant. I was expecting pain but just stayed completely relaxed and was pleasantly surprised that I hardly felt anything at all! Nothing more than the equivalent of a brief gas pain in my uterus and discomfort due to the speculum being in my vagina. I did notice that I was bleeding immediately after the procedure (due to period, not due to laceration), but my bleeding stopped completely after 3-4 hours. I had mild cramps for about 4 hours as well. Since then, it has been 4 days and I have not had any cramps or spotting/bleeding. I realize that it is too early to show any real effects, but I wanted to leave a positive review on here because I think that usually people with negative experiences are more inclined to comment."

10 / 10
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  • Dan...
  • December 26, 2019

For Birth Control "The insertion of Kyleena for me personally was the most painful thing I have ever experienced. I cried in the office and could not move my entire body for a while and calmed myself to prevent a panic attack. After about a half hour, I was slowly able to move to get dressed and leave the doctor's office. The cramps were horrendous after that. The pain didn't subside till after a month. Now every month my cramps still get pretty gnarly. If you're acne-prone, this may not be the IUD for you. I had no idea how much this was going to affect my skin. It's been four months since my IUD insertion, and my acne has calmed down, but I do miss the days when acne wasn't such a big concern except for the one blemish I would get during PMS. I have gained around 35 pounds over four months. I don't want to say that it's all related to the IUD hormones, but I definitely believe it is a factor. For good measure, I'm going to be more strict with my diet to see if I see any positive results."

7 / 10
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  • Loa...
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • February 1, 2022

For Birth Control "I used to fully support any birth control until I had Kyleena inserted in 2019. Pain was horrible for a few hours, my period was on for about 3 months, so I would take birth control pills just to make it stop. The doctor told me to wait 6 months. Anyway, I kept it only because they kept saying to wait. I had periods 2x a month for 10 days with horrible cramps when before it only lasted 3 days max and no cramps. After 1 year, it finally stopped, but I developed anxiety, which I never had before, and mood swings were so bad I literally started to dislike myself. I kept getting yeast infections even when I wasn’t having sex, that was enough for me, so I finally got it removed in September 2021, and my body is back to normal. I don’t even get sad like I used to and no more deadly cramps. Lol, thinking of going back to the patch, had no problems. I wouldn’t recommend this one."

2 / 10
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  • Mia...
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • March 7, 2019

"I got the Kyleena because I was tired of taking birth control daily for my PCOS. I got it put in mid-October; the insertion was extremely painful, but the pain only lasted a short time (completely gone after an hour). I bled daily until January, which sucked, but I was told my period would be irregular for up to 6 months. Now it is March, and I haven’t bled in 2 months. I also had some terrible acne pop up from mid-December to mid-February, but it is finally clearing up. No mood swings or any change like that. Overall, now that the acne and bleeding are gone, I am very happy with the Kyleena!"

9 / 10
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  • Jan...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • July 24, 2019

For Birth Control "Just had the procedure done today. Switched from Nuvaring to Kyleena. The procedure itself was painful, but very tolerable since I suffer from very bad endometriosis. My doctor guided me through it and was very informative that due to my migraines, Kyleena (along with non-estrogen meds) is beyond helpful. Still have some minor cramping here and there, but the worst is gone. Definitely recommend."

9 / 10
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  • Fel...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • February 21, 2022

For Birth Control "I had it inserted early December 2021. I basically had to sing because while I was on two pain medications, it wasn't enough and felt like I was getting stabbed down there during the insertion and nearly passed out. For the next 5 weeks, I was bleeding heavily and cramping, my hips and back were hurting all the time, including a comfortable sleeping position, so I go to sleep in pain. My libido just disappeared, and I went into a heavy severe depression with horrible mood swings and suicidal thoughts for no reason. My gyno dismissed this as 'It's just the hormones, this just takes time,' and he canceled my last appointment to see if there's anything wrong with the IUD. I just wanted to stop my heavy periods and PMDD. I didn't know it was going to be like this."

1 / 10
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  • Amb...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • February 5, 2017

For Birth Control "I agree it was painful, and I too have experienced unpredictable spotting for the past 3 weeks. I have also experienced a lot of cramping and some mood swings. Thank goodness for a patient boyfriend! I plan to tough it out for the 3-month timeline the brochure discusses, though. I'll update this later on."

5 / 10
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  • Anonymous
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • July 29, 2019

For Birth Control "I had the Kyleena IUD inserted on July 18th. The process itself was extremely painful, short but excruciating cramping during insertion. Immediately after insertion, I felt nauseous, cold sweats, and cramping. I had to stay in the doctor's office for 30 extra minutes before I felt okay to get up. The next few days were fine, just mild cramping that I was able to take ibuprofen for. Since July 22nd, I have had a mild fever, abdominal and pelvic pain, dizzy spells, constipation, shortness of breath, migraine, painful urination, and dark spotting. I have no appetite and have to force myself to eat once a day. My OBGYN sent me to urgent care to ensure my IUD was in place, and it was, and they also ruled out infection. Since the IUD is in place, my OBGYN told me they could not help me. Everybody reacts differently, but I will be getting this device removed because it is not worth the mysterious complications that doctors don't seem to have an answer for."

2 / 10
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  • Anonymous
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • July 29, 2019

For Birth Control "I had the Kyleena IUD inserted on July 18th. The process itself was extremely painful, short but excruciating cramping during insertion. Immediately after insertion, I felt nauseous, cold sweats, and cramping. I had to stay in the doctor's office for 30 extra minutes before I felt okay to get up. The next few days were fine, just mild cramping that I was able to take ibuprofen for. Since July 22nd, I have had a mild fever, abdominal and pelvic pain, dizzy spells, constipation, shortness of breath, migraine, painful urination, and dark spotting. I have no appetite and have to force myself to eat once a day. My OBGYN sent me to urgent care to ensure my IUD was in place, and it was, and they also ruled out infection. Since the IUD is in place, my OBGYN told me they could not help me. Everybody reacts differently, but I will be getting this device removed because it is not worth the mysterious complications that doctors don't seem to have an answer for."

2 / 10
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  • Anonymous
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • December 14, 2019

"One of my old gynecologists inserted Kyleena after a laparoscopy to remove endometriosis because I'm sensitive to progesterone (Kyleena is low dose compared to Mirena). Let me say this: this IUD was the WORST. I never had a yeast infection or BV in my entire life. During the six months I had Kyleena, I had 4 yeast infections and BV twice. I couldn't take a bath or even use a blanket without getting infections. I also had spotting/bleeding EVERY DAY. When my new gynecologist tried to take Kyleena out, a process that should have taken a few seconds, he couldn't find the strings. Why? The strings had moved up into my uterus. It took OVER AN HOUR to remove it. It was the most painful experience of my entire life. I don't even know how well it treated endometriosis. All I know is Kyleena was one of the worst things I ever put into my body. Most miserable experience of my life."

1 / 10
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  • Kan...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • July 30, 2019

For Birth Control "Do not read the horror stories about insertion online! I was expecting to pass out, throw up, etc., after reading different stories, but my experience wasn’t bad at all! I took 800 mg of ibuprofen (as instructed by my gynecologist) 20 minutes before my insertion in the morning. However, the pain wasn’t much worse than a really bad cramp that I’ve experienced before. Keep in mind, I’m young and have never had kids. It was uncomfortable but only lasted for maybe 10 seconds, and I was able to breathe through it. Afterwards, I could walk and go up the stairs fine with just a little soreness. I’ve had no adverse effects yet and was able to go back to work shortly after the insertion. I had moderate period cramps throughout the day, but again, nothing crazy. Remember everyone’s body and experience is different! Don’t scare yourself away from something based on others’ experiences."

9 / 10
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  • Ano...
  • October 21, 2019

For Birth Control "I’ve been on the Kyleena for just over a month now. I am 19 and have been on the pill since I was 16, and the hormones kind of messed me up, made me really depressed. So I decided to go for the coil. The insertion was the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my entire life. I nearly passed out and vomited straight after. My mom had to stay home from work because I was in so much pain. I’ve never had a baby or anything, but the pains I’ve experienced must be like going into labor. After about a week and a half, the pain completely stopped and my bleeding stopped (I was on my period when it was fitted). Ever since then, it’s been amazing. No pain. No bleeding. Sex drive is up, don’t really feel depressed. However, I’ve just had my first period on it, and the pains are back. Exactly how it was after insertion. I’m hoping that because it’s my first period on it, that’s the reason why I’m in so much pain again. When I’m not bleeding, it’s been amazing for me."

5 / 10
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  • Blo...
  • August 13, 2018

For Birth Control "I got Kyleena 2 weeks ago, and it’s been pretty miserable so far. Insertion was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced. The cramps from insertion lasted a couple of days. I’ve been very bloated and have painful cramps that come in waves. I’m also experiencing some constipation and loss of appetite. Some back pain, vaginal discomfort, and discharge with spotting on and off as well. I’m fatigued and can’t do a lot of exercise. If these symptoms don’t clear up, I will consider removal. I’ll write another review in a month or so for an update. Wish me luck :( ...UPDATE: My pain got worse the day after writing this. Severe contraction-like cramps. I went to emergency and had them remove it. Turns out the IUD was causing an infection. This may work for some women, but obviously my body wanted the thing out. I’m feeling better after removal. Too bad. I really wanted it to work for me."

1 / 10
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  • Aan...
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • August 4, 2021

For Birth Control "I honestly have had the worst experience with Kyleena. The insertion was absolutely terrible for me; I would rate the pain as a 10/10. Immediately after insertion, I had to use the bathroom and throw up at the same time. The pain persisted the whole day, and I had difficulty doing anything. My period cramps became worse than they were before and now last the entirety of my period (I already had very painful cramps during my period, but they typically only lasted 1-2 days). I want to get it removed, but I am so scared that the removal will have a similar pain level as the insertion."

1 / 10
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  • slo...
  • September 15, 2018

For Birth Control "I had my insertion less than a month ago. I'm 21, have never given birth. The insertion process was painful but brief. By the time your brain registers, 'Hey! This really hurts!' it's already over and done with, oftentimes. The rest of the day I was in a lot of pain. The pain was basically completely gone after day 3. So far, I have consistent spotting typical for the first few months, with occasional cramping. I have been getting pimples on my body in weird places, but not on my face. Not sure if this is related. One month in, and I'm extremely happy. It has definitely improved sex between me and my partner, as we have chosen to skip condoms in favor of the IUD and pull-out method. Don't let the stuff you read on the internet about IUDs scare you. Keep in mind people are more likely to share their experiences online if those experiences are negative or traumatic. In reality, the IUD reports high overall satisfaction."

10 / 10
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  • ath...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • July 8, 2018

For Birth Control "I am a 19-year-old, non-mother, in a long-term relationship. I received this birth control on June 29, 2018. The procedure, though efficient, was very painful. It lasted for about 5 minutes, but it was enough to take my breath away from the cramps... The following night, I had the worst pain I’ve ever experienced. I was not warned about this, so it took me by surprise. I figured I would be cramping, BUT nothing like this. If I knew what contractions felt like, then that would be how I’d describe the pain. It was immobilizing and came in waves of extreme pain, and then my uterus would relax. I have above-average pain tolerance, plus I have a heavy flow/painful periods typically, so I know what painful cramps are like. It is July 8th, and I am still experiencing intolerable cramps. I take a lot of Tylenol back to back, and that is what it took to take the edge off the pain. Side note: be careful when having intercourse. I gave it a try, and the string stabbed/cut my boyfriend."

5 / 10
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