I think my coil strings have come off!

[mollysmummy1970]

I got my second mirena in 7 weeks ago after having my DS, had a check-up on Monday and all was fine. Just been to the toilet and my strings were there, and now I'm panicking cos I don't know what's happened. And I can't do anything cos it's the weekend!

Anybody had any experience of this?

[goodasitgets]

There as in v low down or....?

[mollysmummy1970]

Like totally off, and in a lump of blood (sorry for the tmi).

[goodasitgets]

It's ok. Did you fish them out? Just wondering if the coil is there or just the strings?

[mollysmummy1970]

Yeah I did, it was just the strings.

[goodasitgets]

I know it's hard but try not to worry. I would google family planning clinics, there may be one with a sat am service that you could ring. If the strings have come off they can still get the coil out but you might need referring

[mollysmummy1970]

This is what I'm scared of.....

Thanks for ur help, it's says the helpline is only mon-fri, but I'll try anyway incase there's an emergency number I can phone.

[goodasitgets]

Try searching family planning clinics then check their opening hours rather than the helpline - if thy have a sat surgery you could ring them directly
If you get any sharp abdo pains or tip of shoulder pains or anything you're worried about then ring 111

[MiniJellyBeans]

Hi Mollysmummy

Goodasitgets gives excellent advice above.

Just another thought which may be relevant - when the Mirena is fitted, the threads are initially long (long enough to trail out of the vagina) then the doctor/nurse trims them with scissors to leave 2-3cm of thread protruding from the cervix. The spare (cut-off) sections are then usually discarded, but it's not impossible that bits of them can be accidentally left inside the vagina! (Although if your coil check included a speculum examination I would imagine any fragments of thread would be spotted at the time.) Is it two separate threads you've seen? Approximately how long are they? Feel free to PM me if you would like more info (I am a family planning doctor).

[mollysmummy1970]

Thanks for your reply. Yeah it was an examination with a speculum I had on Monday. Although I was bleeding at the time so could it have been missed? And from what I could make out it looked like just one thread that came out, I didn't prod about too much with it but wish I had now.

If they have come off, what tends to happen? Do u have to get it out? Or can they just leave it in?

[MiniJellyBeans]

If just one thread has come off the device, there will be one remaining so no need to do anything - the remaining thread can still be self-checked and be used to remove it when you want it out. A repeat speculum examination would be able to confirm whether a) there's only one thread now protruding from the cervix or b) two threads are still visible, in which case the bit you saw probably was a fragment left behind by accident at the time of fitting.

If you're examined and no threads are visible, then usually an ultrasound scan will be arranged to check whether the Mirena is still correctly sited within the womb. If so, there's no need to remove it until you want it out, but when that time comes, in the absence of any threads to grasp, it may require a special instrument to reach into the womb to retrieve it. This can often be done in a family planning clinic, perhaps with local anaesthetic. If no staff are trained to do it, you may be referred to gynae.

All the best x