Coil removal without the torture

[LostInTheLaw]

I had a coil fitted yesterday. Holy sweet baby Jesus, that was amongst the worst pain I’ve ever felt. Even with an injection into my cervix. I fainted, sweated through my clothes and nearly threw up.

its not settling at all and the consultant who fitted it reckons it’s where it should be. It’s triggered a whole load of anxiety around the botched delivery of my stillborn son. So, in what must seem like the world’s quickest decision, I want it out.

But I want as much anaesthesia as you can get without having to go under general. I’m in Norfolk but can anyone recommend somewhere I can get it removed with anaesthesia- I’ve found one place in London that will do it with gas and air so I might book there but anyone, any recommendations? Within about 3 hour drive from Norwich would be good but given last night’s extreme pain and panic attack it needs to go.

As a PP said, please don’t be.

Without wishing to disparage the experiences of the OP and others who have had traumatic painful insertions, due to the nature of the OP this thread probably isn’t an accurate snapshot of all coil insertions across the whole population. Many women find it bearable and uncomplicated. I was lucky enough not to have had any issues - copper coil age 21 (no kids), 2 x mirena and 2 x Jaydess. Painful but bearable, after the kids came along could barely feel it at all.

Try not to panic, if it’s horrendous they can stop the insertion at any point and make sure you take ibuprofen beforehand.

Fucking hell this sounds horrific! I'm supposed to be getting a copper coil fitted for the first time in 2 hours. I was told it's really easy and similar to a smear when that's clearly NOT the case. I'm so sorry for what you're going through, but also grateful for the warning. I've been so ill with anaemia caused by excessive flooding, the last thing I need is MORE pain. Why are we told it doesn't hurt when very clearly it does???

Because for the vast majority of women it isn’t an issue.
there are other equally effective forms of contraception, and for the minority who have no other option but to have an IUD fitted and also experience extreme pain to the procedure, they should be offered anaesthesia.

I had two fitted before I had children. I barely felt it, even though the second one didn't settle and I had to have it out after a few weeks.

Same with the one that I had after giving birth.

Women's bodies are different, generalising from any one experience to the next (let alone to policy) is what's wrong.

Women should be given a range of options, with information about them, so they can make their own choices. Which is what most decent doctors try to do.

I can empathise completely OP, I am on my 3rd Mirena and thankfully my final, it has been agony every time I have had a new one, the pain is just so bad.

I can deal with pain, I live with a chronic illness and have had two babies natural labours,no pain relief etc. I would honestly rather give birth than have another Mirena inserted.

But I have had three because my periods were horrendous, heavy flooding etc and I don’t have periods on the Mirena, once it’s settled down, you don’t have to think about contraception for 5 years, so it has its benefits. I have had friends that have found insertion a breeze, but for me it is incredibly painful.

I assume the fainting feeling is a side product of what they do /voniting, rather than it being so painful to cause it.

Ie a natural consequence of your cervix being briefly touched. My second one I had the fainting and was uncomfortable but wasn't the intense 1second pain of first one. (Fainting was probably more due to it being a very hot day and I was asked to do a sample at last second and had great trouble producing one and had to down lots of water and wait ages to get one, I felt faint after so had to sit for a while with legs up and had a cup of sugary tea)

I've had 2 coils and 2 vaginal deliveries. The insertion was a bit uncomfortable with period pain cramps for a few days afterwards. The removal of both was v quick and easy but again a bit crampy for a few days. The idea of local anaesthetic in the cervix ( didn't have that for either insertion) sounds worse though.

I really appreciate everyone’s comments. It’s interesting to see how varied the experiences are and I’m, genuinely, pleased for women who have a coil fitting with no particular issue.

I’m travelling down to London to get it removed tomorrow with gas and air plus cervix numbing gel. The pain has gone from needing naproxen and cocodamol last night to just ibuprofen and paracetamol today but critically (and like a PP) it’s triggered some really awful memories and it needs to come out. I’m panicky, tearful and on edge about an experience I thought therapy had resolved. Lesson learned, coils are definitely not for my body or any good for my mind.

I’ll update the thread once it’s been removed. I’m sincerely hoping it’s a cough, gone and few hours of minor cramps only.

Oh and I meant to say, as well as my son (delivered vaginally at 22 weeks in theatre with forceps which caused significant bleeding and mental health problems) I’ve also had one emergency section (although DD was half way down the birth canal and I was fully dilated) and one elective section with DS2. So I have - sort of - had two vaginal births but the consultant fitting the coil said my cervix was very tightly shut. I think it saw her coming 😉

Good luck tomorrow OP.

You gave it a try and it's not for you, so hopefully you will feel much better once it's out.

This. It makes me SO ANGRY.

I had a Mirena and both insertion and removal were painless, in spite of the fact that I had to go to hospital for removal as the GP nurse couldn’t feel the strings (I could!).

I’d had DC vaginally and at the time I believe coils were only being offered to women with children.

I've just contacted my private gynae for a quote on insertion under GA. If it's not too extortionate, I'm going to cancel with my GP and get knocked out for it 🙈

@IHateLegDay you can ask for conscious sedation instead which basically knocks you but you can be up
and about immediately unlike GA.

Hope it goes well for you.

I wish G&A and the numbing gel were offered as standard. It really is outrageous how it is justified to save money by expecting women to endure so many gynaecological procedures without adequate pain relief, just because some can cope.

Agree 💯

mine was horrendous going in, and painless coming out, took about 10 seconds

Bloody hell that’s awful.
Why are women subjected to this and told it’s nothing. Gas and air shouod be the absolute minimum for this. Sedation should be routinely offered.
But no. They recommend it because it’s cheap. They tell women it’s nothing and patronise because they are saving money at women’s expense.
Thats literally what it boils down to.

I could not agree more.

I don’t see vasectomies being done and men being told to take an ibuprofen or two just an hour before the procedure and it should be fine. The idea is laughable but we’re talking not dissimilar processes really.

There no way I would recommend this now. Plus it’s £300 gone on excess on BUPA plus tomorrow’s fee for removal which we can’t really afford. I was just trying to make the perimenopause a bit more manageable.

I've just been offered this for peri symptoms but refused after hearing experiences like this! I don't trust anything I can't stop using myself if there is a lockdown or horrific symptoms.

I'm so sorry that you lost your son and that you have had to endure such physical and psychological pain.

I wish it was standard practice for anaesthetic to be offered.

Mine was painless being inserted but I wonder if it's because while giving birth I was in active labour for 2 days, stretching out my cervix to an insane degree over a long period of time.

Good luck for your removal OP. I had a Mirena coil fitted as part of HRT and the pain was awful, and I went into shock afterwards. I've delivered two babies vaginally and would never have another coil fitted even if you begged me! The removal however was completely pain free. As other have said, the nurse inserted a speculum, asked me to cough and pulled out the coil without me realising she had done it.

It does seem that some women experience less pain than others, but I must be one of the unlucky ones. I've also had a hysteroscopy which I was told might give me some mild cramping. It was agony and made me scream with pain. I've since heard that some women are offered sedation for the procedure.

I hope the removal goes well.
I’ve had two copper coils. I didn’t even notice the first one going in. The nurse was busy talking to me about random stuff when she said she was all done and I hadn’t even flinched!
As pp have said, getting it out again was easy, a cough and that was it.
The second one was a bit more painful but totally manageable. I was offered anaesthetic but didn’t take it.

In my experience,coil removal is nothing like as bad as having one put in.

How did it go @Fallenangelofthenorth ? How are you?

How much pain you get depends on things like the position of your uterus and where you are in your cycle (how closed cervix is). It can be a lot more painful for some people. I agree with the others taking it out is easy in comparison a momentary sharp pain so hopefully should be fine for you with numbing gel.