Mirena coil removal gone wrong

[swancourt]

Hi ladies.

DH and I are about to TTC DC3 (last baby for sure :) ). A year ago I had the mirena fitted. It was quite painful on fitting, and then that night and for two more days the pain was really quite bad on my left side (for about twenty minutes one day I actually couldn't get up). Then it was fine, but every month or so I'd get another cramp on that side. Nothing worth taking paracetamol for, but I could feel it.

Today I went to have the coil removed and the nurse pulled and pulled and it really hurt, and then the string came out but not the coil. She went and got a doctor, who came and rummaged about for a while but said she couldn't get at it. They think it has turned on its side and got lodged somewhere, and that it's going to be super-painful removing it because it's in the wrong place at the wrong angle.

Now I have to go to a family planning clinic for them to have a go. First I have to go to the clinic and get seen by a nurse, who will then make an appointment for me to have it removed, and then when they can't do it (they'll only have the same methods available to them) I'll get referred back to the GP who only then will be able to make me an appointment with a gynaecologist.

I'm now worrying about two things: 1. The pain. How many times am I going to have to get rummaged about with? It hurts! And 2. Could this lead to any fertility issues?

Has anybody else been in this boat?

[swancourt]

PS - my GP and nurse are really fantastic, and they said they were furious that the system has recently been changed so that they are no longer able to refer me straight to a gynaecologist, but have to make me go through all this family planning clinic faff. Feeling quite cross about that and wondered if others had had this experience too.

[Fugghetaboutit]

Sounds like it got embedded in your womb quite early. Did you have the position checked when it was in?

[Leviticus]

Not quite the same but my copper coil perforated my uterus when it was (clumsily) inserted and I had to have it surgically removed.

Because it left a tiny scar on my uterus I was not allowed to go to a midwife led unit to give birth to DS2 but I had no issues conceiving, carrying or delivering him.

[swancourt]

Thank you leviticus that is reassuring. I'll be sad if I can't go to the lovely MLU to give birth this time, but as long as there are no issues for me or any baby I might have then it doesn't matter at all.

I didn't have the position checked. I wish I had now :(

[swancourt]

leviticus - how long did the whole process take? I think it's going to be weeks for me ... going to a walk-in family planning clinic this evening, but I've been googling and it looks like it might take weeks for them to give me an appointment, and then three months to get a laparoscopy through a gynaecologist. FFS.

[Leviticus]

I opted to wait a few months as it wasn't causing me any bother and I was BF and didn't want to leave PFB while I went in. I imagine waiting times vary from place to place though.

[Leviticus]

The procedure and recovery were pretty good and you can barely see the scars except the one in the navel. It's a daunting prospect to have any operation, especially under general but it was ok.

[swancourt]

Thanks leviticus. Really want to ttc so this is a bit of a setback. But it's really good to hear a story like this.

The walk-in clinic couldn't see me as there were too many people already there by the time I was able to get away. Trying another one tonight. GRR!

[Writerwannabe83]

When I went back for my '6 week check' after a Mirena insertion my strings couldn't be seen. I went for an ultrasound and it showed the Mirena was still in place so would still work as a contraception but would cause difficulties when I wanted it removed.

Three years later I went to my GP about having it removed (for TTC purposes) and when she had a visual look she confirmed the strings still weren't outside my cervix so she had an internal rummage with no success.

I was referred to another GP in the practice who specialises in Coil insertion and she carried out a very uncomfortable procedure to try and locate my strings but after five minutes of searching she admitted defeat.

She referred me to a Family Planning unit where they hold "Removing Difficult Coil" clinics. I turned up for my appointment and it was a gynaecologist who saw me. First off he scanned me to locate the coil and then had my lie on a theatre bed with my legs in stirrups and shone a very bright light between my legs. A nurse appeared in scrubs with her trolley of instruments and she held the ultrasound Doppler over my abdomen whilst the Gynae Guy performed the procedure. I won't lie, it was quite painful.

However, once it was over the pain was over too and I didn't have to take any paracetamol or anything like that.

It wasn't the nicest thing to go through but it didn't out me off as I had another Mirena put in two months ago. Thankfully my strings were visible this time when I went back for my check

[swancourt]

Thanks writerwannabe. I went to the difficult coil clinic last night, as a matter of fact! They did the stirrups-forceps-shiny light business, and the doctor felt he was probably gripping it but couldn't get it out. He said I'd probably have to have an ultrasound and have it removed under a general anaesthetic.

I just called my GP and she's referring me for an ultrasound and to a gynaecologist. But she confirmed it will be 6-8 weeks for an appointment for either of these things. Trying not to feel massively annoyed!

[expatinscotland]

Poor thing! Ouch.

[Writerwannabe83]

It's frustrating isn't it when you are desperate to TTC. I think I had to wait about seven weeks until I had my appointment too. The good news is that I got my BFP within 6 weeks so it was all worth it

[swancourt]

Ah good news writerwannabe :)