I got my Mirena 2 months after having my baby. They dialated me manually because my cervix had already closed up and then I immediately got a "period". It last for two weeks and then stopped for a week and now I've had it for another week...is this normal?

Irregular bleeding and spotting is a common side effect of the Mirena. It should be listed on the print-out your doctor gave you about the health risks and side effects.

Well, yes it is and I knew that but I certainly didn't expect so much.

Well, if you think about it - there is a device in your uterus that is designed to cause inflammation to the uterine lining (to prevent implantation). It's understandable for your uterus to be rather cranky about a foreign object in there doing all of that, hence all the bleeding. After you adjust to all the new hormones in your system, there should be less of the lining to irritate and the bleeding should become *lighter* - but you may still have sporadic bouts of spotting. That's pretty common. The reason for it is because the lining is frequently shedding (in order to stay thin so pregnancy cannot survive in it). Ordinarily, a dense plug of mucus seals off the cervix during the infertile parts of your cycle - but because the strings from the IUD are hanging through the cervix, this plug cannot form completely. Without a completely formed mucus plug to seal off the cervix, bleeding escapes more often than it would during a natural cycle.

If only I had animation software, I'd make a cartoon about it. The human body is fascinating thing.