Migraines, hair loss by handfuls, weight gain but also fatigue, libido at half mast and even depression ... Since the beginning of May, the testimonials concerning the side effects attributed to the Mirena hormonal IUD accumulate . Evidenced by the daily messages posted by hundreds of women on the Facebook page of the association "SVH - Victims of Hormone Mirena Mirena", but also the comments collected on the Facebook page of MC after each article on the subject .

Faced with the fear of what many now call a "time bomb", more and more women are considering removing the much-maligned IUD.

Many are those who did not wait for the conclusions of the ANSM, under investigation , to act.

Testimonials from after Mirena

On social networks, post-Mirena stories follow those of the painful and daily ills attributed to contraception.

Thus, Céline tells: "1 month old stack without Mirena (withdrawal the day after my 40 years) and I normally breathe finally (spasmophilia and big attacks of anxiety over) ALL the symptoms (about 20) leave one after the other that In spite of a job at the factory and offbeat schedules, I am much less tired ... "

15 years of this poison in me and now I learn to better listen to my body.

For his part, Sha Dows (pseudonym), writes: "Two months and 12 days ago I had this IUD removed for 10 years, after the excitement of the first days of finally feeling free of this poison, I find myself with this feeling of almost regretting so much I feel bad.After a better being of a few days, I suffer the evils in concentrated mode.The headaches, hypoglycemic attacks, fatigue, pain in the legs, etc. to which are added new symptoms, dizziness, nausea, low morale, blurred vision, empty head and loss of memory, I do not know what to think anymore. "

Amélie, she wonders about her new contraception: "I went to remove Mirena today The midwife told me to receive at least 4/5 call a day for the withdrawal of Mirena. has prescribed a pill called Claréal, what do you think of this pill? "

A withdrawal perceived as a questioning of contraception by professionals

According to Professor Arnaud Fauconnier, Head of the Gynecology-Obstetrics Department at the Inter-communal Hospital Center of Poissy-Saint-Germain-en-Laye, this reaction to the Mirena IUD fits precisely in a context of great questioning of contraception.

"It is necessary to take a step back," he says immediately.

By questioning the Mirena, somewhere, we question the freedom to use contraception. That shocks me.

Even call for calm on the side of the National College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians French, represented by its president, Dr. Israel Nisand: "This withdrawal in mass is absolutely not justified, especially if the women do not have side effects. We are not in a situation of health scandal, "he says." To try to provoke one is to hurt women. "I do not say that the deleterious effects of drugs should not be properly analyzed. I think that for Mirena we are no longer in the rational but in the emotional.

And to add: "When you forget the benefits of a drug to talk only about the risks and the problems, we terrorize women unnecessarily."

A device with proven efficacy in several pathologies

As a reminder, the Mirena IUD releases a progestin, levonorgestrel, in small amounts in the uterine lining and the uterus, which notably makes it possible to significantly reduce excessive flows and menstrual pain .

"This advantage in terms of regulation of menstruation is that it is also prescribed in almost 1/3 of the cases to treat the pathologies of the woman like a hyperplasia of the mucous membrane or a uterine adenomyosis (uterine endometriosis) for example. This avoids a lot of hysterectomy (removal of the entire uterus or part of it), "says Pr Fauconnier.

What to explain, in part without doubt, the reluctance of some gynecologists to remove it hastily.

"Like any hormonal prescription, there are hormonal effects on the body, but nonspecific side effects such as acne or weight gain for example are known and mentioned on the package leaflet.It seems difficult to formally incriminate the Mirena IUD for these side effects because other factors come into play, "says the health professional.

Urgency: restoring patient-doctor trust

Faced with the suspicions and concerns of the main stakeholders, the medical profession today recalls the importance of dialogue, as emphasized by Professor Fauconnier:

Contraception is an agreement between a patient and her gynecologist.

"She has to talk to her doctor about the indications and contraindications, but it's never her choice, she just needs to advise her," says Dr. Nisand, who recalls that "the patient should not having to insist "to stop or change contraception." In the case of Mirena: "At the moment she asks to remove it, the doctor has only one thing to do: to run."

Beware of misinformation!

Beyond the precipitous withdrawal of the Mirena, doctors and gynecologists have also confided in us their fear about the dubious interpretations related hormonal contraception and their possible drifts.

"As a result of media reports, many of my patients who had planned to put on a hormonal IUD no longer wanted Mirena," says Dr. Deborah Smadja, general practitioner specializing in medical gynecology and obstetrics. "They told me that they had read that new side effects had been reported when it is wrong: they have been known for a very long time. The problem is more the lack of information of gynecologists who have to talk with patients. "

As for the exchange of tips to "detoxify" her body after Mirena's withdrawal, which currently flourishes on social networks, Dr. Nisand warns: "We are in the most total fantasy!" The amount of progestin released by Mirena represents one-third of the most micro-dosed progestin-only pills and is eliminated in three days. "

Ditto for women who want to remove their own IUD, as evidenced by recent Google research on the subject: this idea is forgotten as soon as extremely risky!

Conclusions of health authorities expected in October

To date, the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) has told us to continue conducting investigations at the national level, on all reports of adverse reactions reported with the Mirena IUD.

A discussion at the European level is currently underway.

A meeting of the PRAC (Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee), a committee whose mission is to assess the risks associated with the use of medicines and the measures for monitoring and managing these risks, was also held at least once a month. June 2017. This gathering notably mentioned the new undesirable effects reported by patients and not recorded in the information documents available to health professionals as well as in the leaflet intended for the public.

"The elements of answers brought by Bayer have raised new questions", concedes the ANSM.

Queries to which the laboratory must provide answers within two months. These will then be analyzed and discussed again by the PRAC in October 2017, before being submitted to the representatives of the national agencies.

The ANSM, anxious to handle this case, also continues to collaborate with Marie-Pierre Le Boiteux, president of the association "SVH - Victims of Stérilet Mirena", to improve, initially, the information patients during the installation of the device.