Thinking of removing my IUD but terrified of the crash.

Hi, everyone! I've been on Mirena since May 2025 to help stop heavy bleeding that started in December 2024 and wouldn't stop. I tried NuvaRing before but it made the bleeding and pain much worse. My symptoms, PCOS, and suspected endometriosis made my gyno recommended the IUD.

So far, my experience has been okay-ish. It's helped the bleeding slow down from heavy bledding, but I still get regular periods and breakthrough bleeding pretty much daily. I think I have at most 3 days each month where I'm not bleeding in some way, shape, or form.

I feel like the IUD only slowed down whatever started the daily, heavy bleeding. It's contributing to my anemia and chronic fatigue. I also experience worse pelvic pain at random times, during/after sex, and ovulation. This pain feels different and worse than what I used to feel pre-IUD, so I suspect it may be the IUD itself.

After being on it for nine months, I thought I'd see better results by now, but I feel like it's only masking the problem. I have my annual gyno appointment coming up, so I'm thinking of taking it out and, if the daily bleeding comes back, pursue other non-hormonal treatment options.

My only hesitation is I've read so many accounts of the crash causing crazy mood swings, depressive thoughts, and general exacerbation of any pre-existing mental health issues. I have PTSD and ADHD, so my emotional dysregulation is already pretty bad. I'm extremely worried about the crash from taking it out making my symptoms even worse than they are now.

Give it to me straight: how did you survive the crash? What worked, what didn't? And would the crash be so bad for me considering I haven't been on the IUD for a full year yet?

Thanks for reading 💜