Skyla and Weight Gain: What Users Say (Page 5)

• Sab...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 20, 2018

For Birth Control "This IUD, sadly, didn't work out for me. I had it taken out 2 days ago. The only reason I give it a 2/10 is because it did prevent pregnancy, which was nice not to have to worry about. However, it wreaked havoc on my body in almost every other aspect. I got terrible acne, random sharp pains in my abdomen, periods that lasted up to 2 weeks, severe mood swings, gained weight, and had absolutely no sex drive. Look, don't get me wrong, I think IUDs are a birth control option worth exploring, but if you are at all sensitive to hormones in birth control like I am, I'd steer far away from this and look into the copper IUD."

• Jul...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 31, 2017

For Birth Control "Ladies - take all of these reviews with a grain of salt, including mine. Every woman is different and will react to different forms of birth control differently, as well. There is no magical form of birth control, every single one has its own pros and cons. I’ve tried four different kinds, and my experience with each was very different. With that said, I made the decision to switch from the pill to an IUD (Skyla) five months ago, and I’m very happy I did. Getting the IUD inserted was not fun, but I have noticed a big change in my moods (less mood swings), and my period is extremely light/short at this point. Sex is awesome, and my boyfriend can’t feel anything. No weight gain or bloating (in fact, I’ve lost some weight), and it’s so nice not worrying."

• Tin...
• November 7, 2017

For Birth Control "I was on the pill for 10 years and wasn't happy with weight gain and PMS symptoms, also tired of taking a pill every day. About 40 minutes before my Skyla insertion yesterday, I took 500 mg Naproxen, 200 mg Ibuprofen, and a muscle relaxer. I was on day 3 of my period - I was not given cervix-softening meds. It hurt, but I've also gotten a few colposcopies (cervix biopsy) before, so I would compare it to that, but a little more 'pinchy' and crampy. The key was taking big deep breaths. Focusing on deep breathing definitely helps! I popped right up after it was over and was able to drive myself home. Cramping the rest of the afternoon felt just like heavy period cramps - heating pad helped, I slept great, and now I'm at work with dull, bearable cramps. So far, so good!"

• kat...
• October 11, 2017

For Birth Control "So, I have had the Skyla for a year and a few weeks. I have an appointment today, 10/11/2017, for an annual check-up, and I am getting it removed. The cramps are horrible, and on top of that, I get a UTI all the time due to the Skyla. About the only thing good that has come out of this birth control is the fact that I go every three months and do not have a period. I gained weight with this and also got diagnosed with anxiety and depression. My doctor is not sure if it's because of this or my surgery, but I am more than thinking it has to do with this birth control. So I shall see. Also, my sex drive has gone down a lot compared to where it was."

• Tif...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 21, 2017

For Birth Control "I got my Skyla IUD inserted in January 2017. It’s October 2017 now. I liked it for 7 months until now. I will have to say the insertion was absolutely horrible, that was about 10/10 pain. It is the closest to ever feeling like giving birth. I’ve never felt anything more painful in my life. After insertion, I was bleeding for around 2 months straight. It officially calmed down, and I had light periods like usual per month. Now, at 7 months in, I have periods now that last for two weeks long on and off and painful cramps. Every time after I have sex, I run to the bathroom, and I wipe tons of blood. I was 150 pounds when it was inserted, now I’m 177 pounds. I am freaking out from weight gain, it has been convenient, no maintenance, and I’m not pregnant."

• han...
• March 5, 2018

For Birth Control "I am on my last year of the 3-year-long Skyla. First, like many women were told, the pain of insertion should just be a pinch. It was one of the worst pains I have ever felt, leaving me in pain for the rest of the day and cramping for the rest of the month. The side effects I have had include weight gain, loss of sex drive, and more emotional distress. After about 3-4 months of being on Skyla, I gained more than 20 lbs and gradually started to notice all these changes. The only good thing I can say is after the first couple of months of random spotting, I have not had a period at all. Here recently, I have noticed spotting again, I assume because it is nearing the end. My doctor also told me that my partner would not feel a difference during sex, which is not true. The wire string is pretty obvious, which is something I wish I knew. Overall, it is not terrible, but for me, it was too many changes."

• Hav...
• March 19, 2018

For Birth Control "I just got Skyla inserted today, and I was so nervous about the pain after reading reviews! Yes... it’s gonna hurt. It was definitely not as bad as I worked it up to be. It’s just like a period cramp but goes away quicker. I previously had the Depo and decided to switch due to weight gain and mood swings, so I’m hoping this is an improvement!"

• Lil...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 12, 2017

For Birth Control "Insertion was painful, damn, I will never forget it, lol. For the next 3-4 months, each time I had my period, my cramps were extremely painful. I also gained 15 lbs in the first 3 months. Months 5-8 have been better, less painful cramps and my periods were getting lighter. This is my 9th month being on Skyla. I love it, it's very effective as a birth control. The bf has finished in me multiple times and I'm still baby free. However, I'm hating the weight gain. I started working out, watched what I ate, and still gained another 5 lbs. I am planning on getting it removed due to the weight gain, or else I would keep it for the full 3 years. In 9 months, I've gained 20 lbs."

• Bir...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 4, 2018

For Birth Control "After having my daughter, I've tried two other birth control methods before trying the IUD Skyla. Did the shot, it was terrible, tried the pill, it made it worse. I kept losing weight with both until I got on the Skyla. People tell me that it hurts when they put it in. I felt a quick pinch, and I was done, I made a joke out of it (at least it was not as bad as pushing a baby out of me), and they all laughed. The first six months I was bleeding non-stop, it was terrible, but then it went away. I never got cramps or anything. I did gain 20 pounds, but that's about it, other than them not finding my string when I got it checked out. I had to get an ultrasound, and they found it. But everyone is different, and I’m sorry to hear women go through that. I know because nothing else worked for me, if this didn't work, then I had to do the implant. I hope this is helpful to somebody that needed it."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 10, 2016

For Birth Control "I've had Skyla for seven months, and so far, I am not pleased at all. The insertion was so painful that I could barely walk the next three days. I bled every single day for four months straight. I still cramp horribly. I've never had acne before, and now my face breaks out all the time. My diet hasn't changed, but I've gained so much weight on it. If I wasn't terrified by the thought of bleeding for another four months and the pain of having it removed, I would gladly ask to have it taken out."

• mim...
• September 25, 2015

For Birth Control "Ok, so I have two kids and decided to get the Skyla. I had it for only 4 months and got it removed this week. I didn't experience any pain at all. But the thing that I didn't like was that I gained 15 lbs, started getting acne, which I've never had a problem with. Every time I would get intimate with my husband, he could feel it. When I had it removed, the doctor told me that it was really low and that's why he could feel it. Everybody is different, so you never know how you will react to it. Oh, and another thing, before I was on Skyla, I would never experience cramps when I was on my period, and with this thing, they were horrible."

• suz...
• June 23, 2016

For Birth Control "I have had my IUD for almost a year now, and the only positive thing about it is that I have not gotten pregnant. I've gained so much weight and just can't seem to get rid of it. My sex drive is completely gone. I bleed more days a month than I don't. I'm really very unhappy with it. I plan on calling my doctor on Monday to schedule an appointment to remove it."

• Bar...
• September 30, 2016

For Birth Control "I had Skyla inserted a few months ago. All I have to say is don't believe what other people say. Everyone is different and has different reactions to stuff and different bodies. I was also afraid to get Skyla because of what people had said about it, but I definitely didn't want to go on birth control pills, knowing I was going to easily forget to take them, knowing me, lol. I did have a few cramps, and I have not had any spotting. I went to my last appointment, everything was all good. I'm also a breastfeeding mom, and it did not reduce my milk supply at all, which is one of the reasons I also didn't want to get Skyla because I was afraid to lose my milk supply, but I didn't. I was also afraid to gain weight. I have not gained any weight at all. It worked."

• Liz...
• March 31, 2017

For Birth Control "I'm 38 years old with no children. Just had Skyla inserted 3/24/17. I've been taking the pill for about 20 years and just grew tired of it, so I opted for the IUD. I have a pretty decent pain tolerance but took 2 Advil (and half a Xanax for nerves) beforehand as suggested. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the worst pain), I would say this was about a 6, but it was not unbearable and only lasted about 30 seconds. I was able to drive myself home afterwards. So far, I've had light spotting and some mild cramps, both of which were expected. So far, so good, but time will tell as far as mood swings, weight gain, etc. It's worth not having to remember to take a pill every day. Everyone's experience is different, don't let the horror stories deter you!"

• Anonymous
• March 1, 2021

For Birth Control "A few days after getting it inserted, I experienced the worst sharp pains on my side. The pains only lasted for a couple of days. I've experienced mood swings, depression, low sex drive, and acne. My biggest side effect has been excessive weight gain. I have gained 17 lbs, and every week I seem to gain more. I actively go to the gym and watch what I eat. I even started taking supplements to assist with losing weight, and nothing works. I recently went to get an InBody test done that checks your BMI and all other measurements, and I learned that the amount of fat around my organs is twice what it's supposed to be. While consulting with the nutritionist, he told me it is because of a hormone imbalance. Women produce testosterone, and my levels are down because of bad hormones, which is why I'm having trouble with losing weight. All this time I've been struggling, my body has been getting worse. Quick to say I'm getting my Skyla out tomorrow in hopes that I can get my body healthy again."

• Mom...
• July 7, 2015

For Birth Control "I got the Skyla IUD inserted in March 2015. No pain whatsoever, just felt like period cramps, nothing to cry about. But then again, I've had 3 vaginal deliveries, so guess I can't feel pain. So far with Skyla, my hair is falling out, mood swings, weight gain. I've been reading around on Skyla because I'm getting scared reading everything about Mirena. Everyone's body is different. So far it's worked for me."

• JJ7...
• October 30, 2016

For Birth Control "I've had the Skyla for six months now. I didn't find the insertion to be that bad, there was definitely pain, but it's so brief it's manageable. I was given a prescription for misoprostol to take the night before, and I had it inserted during my period. I had cramps and bleeding for several hours after, and then it was fine. For the first couple of months, I don't really remember how my periods were, but starting in July, I started getting them about every two weeks, with bad cramping the first couple of days, and they're pretty heavy. They tend to last 6 or 7 days. At my six-week checkup, they did an ultrasound to make sure it was placed right and saw that I had developed a cyst, but my doctor wasn't worried about it. I also gained weight."

• All...
• June 9, 2016

For Birth Control "I've had Skyla for over a year now. The insertion was fairly painful, some very intense cramping that lasted about 3 days. In the first month, I gained 15 pounds (after remaining the same weight for over ten years now), which I have since lost. I no longer get my period but will have random spotting that has basically ruined all of my panties. Also, random extremely intense cramps that I never experienced while on oral birth control. My acne is worse now than it ever was in high school, but then again, I was on oral contraceptives that whole time. Lately, I have noticed cramping and pressure during intercourse, which is worse during certain positions and has basically made me not want to have sex anymore."

• Ver...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 10, 2016

For Birth Control "I had my Skyla inserted a month ago. The insertion process was a little painful, but having had a child before, wasn't unbearable. There was cramping for a few days, and I had been due for my cycle the week after. Instead of starting my cycle, I cramped for 4-5 days and then started. It was light in volume, but lasted for almost 10 days. It was odd to say the least, but not as bad as I had been told it would be. I have really enjoyed the lighter hormone load: I had previously used the pill, which made me gain a bit of weight and also lowered my libido to non-existent (I guess the birth control was two-fold in that respect). This, so far, has been much better."

• Jen...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 25, 2019

For Birth Control "I’ve had Skyla for 3 years now. I’m getting it out this week. Insertion was extremely painful. For a couple of years, Skyla served me well. It’s very effective at preventing pregnancy. However, my acne is horrific now, and I feel that I’ve gained quite a bit of weight being on this IUD. I’m thinking about going back on the pill, my acne is so bad. I’ve had some pelvic pain, my periods lately have gone from super light to worse, and I’ve experienced a couple of yeast infections since being on the IUD. I don’t think I’d get this again."

• Nin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 22, 2017

For Birth Control "I posted on 05/22/2017. This is an update. It's been almost 3 months since I had Skyla inserted. I stopped spotting after about 5-6 weeks. PMS symptoms are still more intense than before the IUD. My periods on Skyla are lighter than my 'usual' ones, but they have become longer and last 8-10 days now. Cramps are sharper and less predictable. I never had to diet, remained at the same weight/size for the past 10+ years and returned to my pre-pregnancy shape within weeks. However, on Skyla I'm constantly hungry (as if I'm pregnant, but I'm not) and have gained 4 pounds already. Skyla is a keeper for me unless I cannot control my appetite or other symptoms become intolerable."

• BC...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 5, 2016

For Birth Control "I have tried the pill and Depo. I didn't mind the pill, except I had to take it every day, and it made my boobs grow, which I hated. I HATED Depo because it made me depressed and fat. Just got Skyla inserted yesterday. I like the idea of an IUD because I get to keep it for 3 years. The insertion process was not bad at all, honest to God. I didn't even know my gyno put it in. However, 10 minutes later, I fainted in the waiting room, which I am told is a normal reaction. They had to keep me until I regained color and was coherent. The cramps yesterday were AWFUL. Today I feel great, minimal cramps, and I am able to move around just fine. Can't wait to continue Skyla for the next three years!"

• Ell...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 15, 2018

For Birth Control "I’ve been really happy with my Skyla IUD! I’ve tried the shot and the pill and hated the side effects from both (weight gain, mood swings, acne, cramps). I got my Skyla inserted in the middle of October this year. The initial insertion was definitely painful, but once it was in, I didn’t have any pain, just a little soreness. Immediately after I left my appointment, I went grocery shopping and then went to work since the pain was so mild. The first month, I was definitely moodier than normal and had spotting, but everything seems to have balanced out now that it’s mid-December. I’m not moody anymore, only cramping one day out of the whole month, and I’ve actually lost weight since getting my IUD. I think it really depends on your doctor who does the insertion how painful it will be, do your research on your provider and find someone you trust :)"

• Its...
• April 1, 2018

For Birth Control "I got Skyla about 3 months after I had my daughter. Insertion was really easy, no pain at all, and was really quick. Overall, it did what it was supposed to do. My periods stopped completely at about 3 months in. The negatives for me are that I gained about 30-40 lbs in a matter of months. Before long, I was going to the gym about 5 days a week and ate really good... didn’t lose but 5 lbs, and I was strict about my regime for about 4 months with no change. I also feel it gave me depression, but it was slow going, however, it took me a long time to figure out that I was even depressed and to pinpoint why. I see a doc regularly for anxiety medicine... so I know my body pretty well, and this was the reason for it. I will be trying the Paraguard next as it has no hormones. I feel I’m very sensitive to hormone issues because I’ve dealt with hormonal cystic acne for many years and still do today, but it’s not nearly as bad as it was before I had my daughter. Hope this helps!"

• iam...
• April 18, 2016

For Birth Control "Insertion was a breeze. I was SO nervous about it after reading about it online, especially because I was not on my period during it. I psyched myself out for no reason. I cramped that day, but took a nap and woke up totally fine. I had no side effects aside from light cramping for about 6 days. Then the spotting began. I spotted/bled lightly for an entire month after that! I had the feeling that it would never end. That ended about 4 days ago (hopefully this isn't a false alarm), so now I'm waiting for a period to come to know what that's like. No other bodily side effects. Maybe hair loss? Not enough to tell, though. No weight gain (as of yet!), no migraines. Would recommend! Just be wary of the adjustment period."