Booked for Marina coil - panicking!

[crazyfroglady]

Hello!

I had my first baby 4 months ago and started on the mini pill about 1 month later, I have been bleeding every 2 weeks for approx 10 days at a time and I am sick of it! I also find with a new baby it is hard to remember to take and wearing pads all the time is irritating my episiotomy scar.

I spoke to my dr (she's lovely) and she suggested coil as normally lightens periods significantly or they stop - I am really nervous about getting it fitted and anything going wrong.

My main concerns are:

1 in 500 chance of it going through my uterus into my abdomen

Weight gain

Depression/anxiety - I had this really badly on microgynon and hope the lower dose of hormone in the coil will help.

The physical fitting and if the strings go up into my uterus.

Can any body offer any advise or share any positive experiences of having the marina coil?

Thanks

My experience with it was mostly positive. Insertion was very painful but apparently I have a very short sensitive uterus that cramps if you even look at it funny. Maybe some painkillers an hour before your appointment would be a good idea. I felt pretty tender for a couple of days after. It's good that you like your doctor, so you're most likely to feel physically comfortable when you're with her

From then on, it was 3 years of no trouble at all. Bleeding was rare and very light. The strings were easy to check. After about 3 years, I started getting recurring bacterial vaginosis and decided to have it removed, and went back on the pill. Removal was easy, I practically sneezed it out!

Hope it goes well for you

I've had one on and off ever since the birth of DS who's almost a teenager - never had any problems unlike with the pill. I have had more than one and wouldn't think twice before having it again!! Good luck!

It is brilliant. Don’t panic.

I had one pre children - insertion wasn’t fun but not terrible. Take some painkillers beforehand definitely, but I’ve had worse smear tests.
After insertion I had some cramping - like bad period cramps - for the rest of the day and cramping on and off for a week or two. After that it settled down, periods became a. It irregular for a couple of months, but lighter and hen eventually settled down to incredibly light, almost zero.
I actually can’t take microgynon at all due to medical issues but had no issues with mirena. The dose of hormone is very small.

I’d say give it a few months to settle in - if you don’t get along with it removal is a million times easier than insertion, mw basically took a while to get hold of the strings so there was a bit of a rummage, but taking it out took a second and was painless.

I’ll be having another when my next child is born and hopefully that’ll see me through to menopause.

I didn't find the insertion any worse than having a smear.
Microgynon also exacerbated depression symptoms for me, I've been fine with the Mirena.
I reckon I weigh 7pounds more.
I'm on my second Mirena, so 6 years in and I've had no problems.

Thanks guys, I know all contraception comes with risks (can they hurry up with the male contraceptive pill already!!) just a lot more invasive than your usual one pill a day but if it works out I know it will make life so much easier.

If it helps (although, obviously, everybody reacts differently to hormone dosages), I was told that the Mirena would be a good option for me as Microgynon and the implant both dramatically increased my depression and anxiety levels. Apparently as the hormones are localised it causes fewer side effects? I have no idea if that's real science but it certainly seems to have no effect on me, which is great.

Insertion wasn't the most fun way to spend 10 minutes but have a couple of nurofen or something beforehand and you should be fine. I took the afternoon off work and spent it with a hot water bottle (bad cramps after, but totally bearable).

I’ve had one for about two years now and think it was worth it. Getting it put in was relatively painful but not bad. I had quite bad cramping for probably a month afterwards on and off but my cramps have never been bad so it probably wasn’t as bad as I thought really.

My strings have gone on a wander But I went for an ultrasound and they said it’s fine we’re it is and not to worry (they also said I had lovely ovaries preens). Not sure what’s going to happen when I get it taken out, guess they’re just going to have to fish a bit.

For me the risks have been worth it as I don’t have periods and I don’t have to remember to take a pill which I was bad at.

I have gained weight but I think that’s more down to stress eating but it makes me feel better to blame something out of my control . I also think it’s helped level out hormone spikes as I feel quite level all the time whereas before I was up and down quite a lot which I hadn’t realised. It was worth a shot for me.

I'm on my second one and love it. Yes insertion is uncomfortable, it felt like someone rummaging around in my cervix and there was some cramping for a while afterwards. Tell them that this is the first time and you're anxious and they should be sympathetic.

No weight gain for me and my periods stopped completely, that was fantastic because I have endometriosis and a cycle that lasted 24 days at most with heavy painful periods.

Go for it but do give it at least 6 months to settle down. The first six months I had tender breasts and irregular spotting and then everything just went away. I feel normal with the Mirena, no more horrible discomfort for 3 out if every 4 weeks.

It really is a much lower dose of hormones, you shouldn't have any of the side effects you experienced on the pill, I certainly didn't. And insertion should be ok as you've had a baby, it's only actually the bit where they open up your cervix that hurts and it's nowhere near as wide as a head! Takes about 10 seconds.

I'm on my third, it's brilliant.

The Marina coil didn't work for me at all, I'd had problems with a fibroid for years, heavy bleeding and cramps, it took D&C surgery to resolve my problems. (No bleeding in 4 years since then.)

But it's worth a try, it might well work for you. It didn't cause any problems for me, it just didn't help.

You could opt for the copper lol as it doesnt involve hormones .. I had one fitted about 2 weeks ago .. initially some slight pain during insertion .. a bit like a contraction as the uterus tries to expel it. Some bleeding for a couple of days and period cramps.. bad cramping for a couple of hours.

*coil not lol

Hello, a couple of peeps have mentioned that there are less hormones in the coil than the pill. Is this true? Science? The hormones have been putting me off getting the coil.

The pill was terrible for my depression but I've had no such problems with the Merina coil. I had to have another procedure when it was fitted (lining of my womb was too thick or something - can't remember now but it was causing me to have horrendously heavy periods 3 weeks out of four) so it was done under GA. It's going to need changing in the next couple of years and I'm a bit nervous!

I’m on my second one and they work well for me , what I would say is that I had my second one out in in November and bled lightly from about the middle of December until the end of Jan and am still getting irregular spotting although a panty liner suffices . With weight gain it’s like any medication that has weight gain as a side effect you only actually gain weight if you keep eating .

That should say I had my second one put in in November .

Red2017 OP wants the coil for her periods, the copper coil wouldn't really help with them.

I posted almost this exact same thread about 2 weeks ago a few hours before my appointment to have it fitted. It wasn’t as painful as I was expecting (just a few minor cramps) and I had some bleeding that night. I’ve had a few on and off cramps ever since and a bit of very light spotting but so far so good! I’m hoping it will continue like this for me!

I've had a coil for about 11 years now - love 'em. Now on my second one. Don't stress.

Thanks everyone, definitely making me feel a lot less worried about it.

I'm just trying to tell myself it can't be any worse than the vaginal examinations and pessaries during my labour induction and they were bearable (just very uncomfortable).

haypanky

Yes - mirena has lower levels and is localised.

Mirena releases 25mcg of levonorgestrel a day.
Cerazette contains 75mcg of desogestrel
Microgynon 30 contains: Levonorgestrel 0.15mg/Ethinylestradiol 0.03mg

Levels in mirena are lower and released locally - far less gets into the bloodstream. If you don’t want hormones at all you could consider the copper coil

To be perfectly honest my experience wasn't great, I had the coil fitted and had significant weight gain, my anxiety was very much heightened, my partner was very aware in a change in me and was worried. It was also really painful all the time, sometimes if a bent a certain way it would almost feel like it was stabbing me somewhere in there. I was also quite paranoid about the strings and looked for them regularly I personally wouldn't ever get one again, I had it removed and an implant fitted and my mood returned to normal as well as my weight.

Best thing I ever did op