To think if I want a mirena coil removed, it should be removed?

[Momentumista]

I had the face 'well...no I don't think we'd want to be removing it yet' routine when make appt to ask. Was told 'Come back in 6 months when it's settled'... etc etc

This is not a 'how was the coil for you' thread as I know some people love it and swear by it, but really I know my own body by now and I know how I feel and I was

(a) crazy;
(b) gaining weight while eating the same;
(c) spotty as hell (really nasty acne);
(d) depressed;
(e) migraines;
(f) just feeling really heavy and uncomfortable.

And yet while presenting all of these symptoms I get told they will settle and migraines are not dangerous.

I pulled the bloody thing out myself and am already feeling better (1 week on) and skin is clearing, and lo and behold the jeans I could not get anywhere near done up are now done up.

I am really disappointed not to have been listened to though. WIBU to take matters into my own hands?

YANBU OP.

I saw a gyne privately for perimenopause symptoms, was interested in bio identical hormones and wanted some information and blood tests. She was a lovely doctor but was evangelical about the mirena coil and booked me in despite my protests, saying have the appointment and you can always cancel if you change your mind. It spooked me how much she wanted me to have this even tho I'd been clear. I'm fifty, there was no need for such an invasive solution.

I cancelled of course.

Women are still treated as second class citizens when it comes to health care. Reminds me of being stitched up after having ds, the doctor asked my dh if he would like her to add an extra stitch for his sake [shocked]

There's a few threads I'm on at the moment where similar issues are being referenced. It IS Absolutely unacceptable the way women are being treated with regard to their health.

FP clinic refused to remove mine 'without putting another contraceptive in place first'. Couldn't stand the fuggyness and loss of labido so I paid £80 to a private GP to remove it.

I really think some complaints need to be made this. Nothing will change otherwise.

Another problem with gp's though (and particularly prevalent where I live) is if you complain about a gp officially you can find it very difficult to then HAVE a gp - original go claims the relationship is now untenable and word gets about, especially in villages/small towns.

It clearly states in the NICE guidelines that all women seeking contraception should be offered a choice. It is fantastic that everyone on this thread has been offered a LARC as they are far more effective contraceptives but I would advise everyone to know the pros and cons before making the decision as to which to choose.

Perhaps there are some GPs and nurses who "push" LARC but it's not for financial incentive at all. It is because they probably see the consequences of an unintended pregnancy when using the pill. Abortions are increasing in the UK, and the figures for repeat abortions are scary. But I agree, they shouldn't push, just offer a choice and let the woman make an informed decision. Too many women in the UK are not offered a choice and just given the pill that has a 1 in 10 failure rate. That is not right either.

Women should be counselled on the side effects when offered LARC and be given opportunity to return if their side effects become troublesome. They should be then offered ways of managing the side effects but if these don't work of course the LARC should be removed. In most cases the side effects will settle down. This is what MInty was talking about when she mentioned the 6 months. She did not say she refused to take the LARC out.

Graphista that is a crap state of affairs. I can see why you would be reluctant to complain.

Gratuitous I don't think anyone is saying the coil should not be offered. It clearly works very well for some women, and the more choices we have the better. The problem is the refusal of some HCPs to respect women'a bodily autonomy. To actually refuse to remove a device on the request of the patient is unethical, and possibly abusive.

I don't recall anybody having a go at Minty personally. If anything, people were just desperate to find out from an actual GP wtaf might be going on here.

Btw, I don't agree with you that the device should be removed if attempts to reduce side effects fail. It should be removed if the patient requests it at any time. It's great to offer ways to manage side effects, but women should not be forced to try them if they prefer the device to be removed anyway. Important distinction.

Minty first said about a 'nominal' fee, then denied about incentives (despite other posters and a ton on the internet that says otherwise), then claimed not to know how much the nominal fee was (if minty didn't know how much it was how did they know it was nominal/not worth doing).

Contradictions all over the place, then when I and others queried they flounced off!

Notice too that condoms aren't being pushed despite sti's also being on the rise.

Yes, Graphista, I wondered about condoms, too.

...they push preventative antivirals instead...

The thing is, condoms just have such a high failure rate (in actual as opposed to ideal use - again, it's just a fact that nearly all contraceptive failure is user error, and that's one reason why the NHS so heavily favours methods that require very little user input). I think it's surprising that condoms aren't better (particularly in terms of improving user experience with them), but given that they're commercial products there are presumably plenty of incentives to develop better ones if it could be done.

'Notice too that condoms aren't being pushed despite sti's also being on the rise.'

This. And AB resistance in STIs is also rising. I was a teenager in the 80s when AIDS were all about and sex with condoms was rigorously pushed. Now it seems to have taken a back burner. Scary when you think how hard some strains of gonorrhea are to treat and syphilis is on the rise.

I had a GUM clinic try and force a mirena on me. I have a bicornuate uterus, attempted 2 different IUDs before I found out about my mullerian anomoly, the fitting of both was extremely painful and both were rejected within 8 weeks.

I went in to ask about the nuvaring and they spend 30 minutes trying to insist I have an ultrasound to measure the length of my uterus and have the mirena fitted guided by ultrasound. I refused, reiterating that I had already rejected 2 smaller devices and that these devices are not as effective with a mullerian anomalies. They then suggested squashing 2 mirenas in there I said no thank you, I would like the prescription for nuvaring now, and made sure it was printed.

'Most gynaecologists will refuse to do any surgical procedure (sterilisation, TCRE, hysterectomy, laser diathermy) until a Mirena coil has been tried, and many of the coils I fit are on the recommendation of a gynaecologist. '

I just want to reassure people that 'most gynaecologists' does not mean all gynaecologists.

I had a hysterectomy for awful periods in June age 31 (and childless), and I did not at any point try the mirena due to my reaction to hormones.

Sorry I missed some posts.

Many therapies are incentivised - this can vary according to CCG (local commissioners). For example, in my area it is Mirena and flu nasal spray. I would add that my own GP practice were fab with me - I said no coil, it was never raised again. But there is a reason behind the push. Perhaps in Minty's practice the fee is nominal; in others it can be worthwhile.

Minty's attitude is a disgrace. 'I would be reluctant to remove it.' NOT YOUR DECISION TO MAKE

My cousin had the implant. She gained a great deal of weight and became depressed. Her surgery repeatedly refused to remove it and instead prescribed her anti depressants. In the end she- a woman in her 20s- had to take her mother to an appointment to back her up in insisting that they agree to remove it (her mum haa been an nhs hcp for about 30 years so is quite able to argue with other hcps in a way that get results). I was appalled. They would not do this to men.

Im absolutely gobsmacked that any GP thinks that giving a coil SIX MONTHS to settle is ok! Wtf? Really? SIX MONTHS?

To be fair to Minty she did say, unless they were absolutely desperate she would encourage them to give it six months to settle. If patients make it clear they're desperate, it shouldn't be an issue but I get the sense from this thread that's not happening. Maybe it's because, faced with an HCP downplaying our symptoms, we're not being vociferous enough or there is a definite attempt to shore up the numbers on coils, who knows?

All I know is, I was as clear as could be that I would not consider the coil at the age of 50 for a few troubling perimenopause symptoms and even then I was not being listened to. As I say, this was a private gyne appointment so the NHS incentives were not there but I dare say the invoice to BUPA was not inconsiderable.

I need to get mine taken out, it has been in for 7 years. I lost the threads a couple of years ago and dread the fuss and pain of finding it to remove it. I am sure all the hormones have gone from it now, so not sure if it easier to just leave it in.

I keep meaning to make an appointment with the Gp, but hate going there so much.

Can I just say that at no point was I ever warned of the side effects. Depression isn't or at least wasn't listed as a side effect. It's not even listed in that telegraph article. That was the most extreme side effect for me. It greatly ruined my life.
No hcp believes it was the cause.
Infuriating!

This is really troubling. Tomorrow I plan to call our local clinic to book an appointment to have my (copper) coil removed. I've persevered with it for 6 months. I spend 3 weeks of every month with thrush and the 4th week having cramps of labour intensity and bleeding so heavily I feel ill. It's definitely working as a contraceptive but not in the way I intended Enough is enough, I've tried but this isn't working.
I really hope I'm not in for a fight.

Six months with depression is an awful long time. It is well-known to cause it, anecdotally at least. No doubt the manufacturer's (own) trial data shows no such thing though, and the offending HCPs are swallowing that, rather than listen to the patient in front of them.

This has happened with other meds. My DH was dismissed when he told our GP he was suffering from side effects from the AD Seroxat. He was told the drug couldn't possibly be causing his problems. Now, years down the line, there are class actions against the manufacturer for the side effects suffered by DH, and they are now known to be caused by the drug, and are listed officially on the patient information leaflet. The Mirena may well be similar. Or it could just be a small sub-set of patients have problems. But drs should be listening to them regardless.

Arctic I hope you don't get the run-around, but maybe, if you do, fixing the HCP with a steely gaze and asking point blank if they are refusing to remove it, may concentrate their mind. If you remove your consent to the treatment I can't see how they can refuse.