Women still getting pregnant while using Mirena IUD

Spring Hill, Florida - Pregnancy can be a very difficult time for a mother, especially if it isn't planned.

No one knows this better than Vanessa Marrero, a Spring Hill mother of three, who decided her pregnancy days were over, or so she thought.

"I was done," Vanessa told us. "I wanted to focus on my other children and give them attention."

Vanessa decided to try Mirena, a popular IUD used by 12 million women, according to the company. Made by Bayer, the makers of the product promise that Mirena will prevent pregnancy for five years.

Vanessa told us, "It's 99.9 percent, that's as close to 100 as I can get without tying my tubes."

For two and a half years, Vanessa enjoyed life with her children and fiancé in Spring Hill, devoting all of her time to them.

Then, one day things changed drastically. "I started getting tired and nauseous and gaining weight."

Vanessa went to the doctor where she received shocking news.

She was already three months pregnant. Not only did she have a baby growing inside of her, but the Mirena IUD was embedded in her uterine wall.

She actually saw the IUD on the ultrasound.

We asked her what she thought when she heard the news, "I cried, honestly I cried. I don't really know what's going to happen."

The problems didn't stop there.

She was told that the IUD could not be taken out because it could harm the baby. But, leaving it in would create serious health risks. She could develop extreme infection or have pre-term labor. If the doctor decided to take out the IUD, she could miscarry her little girl.

Vanessa logged on to our Moms Like Me website, where she connected with other mothers who were having the same problem. She says she felt comfort in knowing other moms were there to offer help. To view the site, click here.

"I want to see what new info is out there, see if someone has same situation as me," Vanessa said.

What she found out is that other mothers were getting pregnant while they were on Mirena. Vanessa wanted to know how this was happening.

Why were women having problems with a birth control device that was touted as such a success?

Vanessa's gynecologist, Dr. Natalie Liebensperger, says she's put in hundreds of Mirena IUD's without any problem. In fact, she highly recommends the product.

If you have questions for Dr. Liebensperger, click here.

"The failure rate is very low from Mirena IUD. It's a great form of birth control," Dr. Liebensperger said.

But, she does offer a warning.

"Nothing is 100 percent. Birth control pills fail. Sterilization can fail. With any IUD, you can have a failure rate with it. Nothing is 100 percent," the doctor told us.

We went to the company with our concerns. The makers of Mirena told us that the chances of getting pregnant are two in a thousand.

It is rare, but it does happen, they say. Each month, experts say, the women should be able to feel the string from the IUD. If the patient begins to develop any symptoms of pregnancy, she should go to her gynocologist immediately.

Vanessa says she feels like a lottery winner with those odds.

"I tried to prevent this and now I'm pregnant. I wasn't prepared at all. I gave away all my baby stuff. I have nothing," Vanessa said.

Right now, she is taking hormone shots to prevent going into labor early. But, the feeling of betrayal is still there.

Vanessa wiped away tears and told us, "They told me that the baby will be just fine. that everything will be okay. They never tell me everything with you will be okay. They just don't know."

But, in the end, she is looking forward to a healthy baby girl and hoping for the best.

"It's turned into a new beginning really. Whenever a new baby comes into the world, your life completely changes."

For more information on Mirena, click here.