"i&#039;m 37 with no children and have had mine for 5 years.  i was having really bad abdominal cramps/diarrhea while taking oral contraceptives which went away when i stopped taking it, wanting an effective contraceptive i figured i would try mirena. the insertion was rather painful - i got all hot and watery mouthed, thought i was going to throw up, the cramping and spotting lasted about a week. my periods got lighter each month until they stopped completely - so wonderful. i am due for replacement this month, i started spotting about 4 months ago which seems to time with a monthly cycle, i am assuming this is as the medication is wearing off."