Does coil insertion hurt?

[Supersimkin2]

Sitting with petrified friend - having Mirena put in at 3. Does it hurt that much?

YABU = no, it's fine and not painful really
YANBU = brace yourself for pain

I had mine fitted a month ago. I took 5mg of Valiium and 2 Co-codamol.

I’m not going to lie, it took my breath away with how painful the cramping was. It was when she inserted the thing to measure the depth of my womb. HOWEVER it took literally seconds.

I had bad cramping and bloating for a couple of days, and spotting. But not it’s been in a month I absolutely love it and would have another in a heartbeat.

Mine was very painful but I'd had a procedure previously so I think there was some scar tissue involved.

I’m on my 4th and it hurts like a bastard going in but it’s completely worth it

Has she had kids? I hadn’t, and it was agony. I ended up having it done under general anaesthetic at a later date.

I've had 2 failed attempts and a third was eventually successful. All were very painful. I don't think it's possible to say it is or isn't painful, it varies hugely and it's impossible to tell in advance which way it's likely to go.

It felt a bit like my cervix had been tasered... but only for a few seconds!

@Supersimkin2 - Can you get a serious dose of orange fuzzy cuddles afterwards? Fuzzy cuddles makes everything better 😻.

Seriously though I've had a coil removed, a biopsy, a smear and a new coil in at one appointment. Whole lot took less than 10mins. Co-codamol before, ibuprofen after. I don't know about Valium because 2mg knocks me out for 18hrs!

It was excruciating, albeit short-lived. My blood pressure dropped so low I lost consciousness from a vasovagal syncope, which was such an embarrassing thing to happen when my OB had his hand up my vagina.

Worth it though, for the no periods. But I'm not looking forwards to having it replaced in a few years.

Had it put in under a general

It was awful and awful coming out

@YesItsMeIDontCare the animal is prepared, little apron and cap on. Clean sheets and megapack of Dreamies by the bed to ensure cooperation.

On me now, rumbly purring. Has had too many treats already.

Mine was far more painful than I was expecting! I'd read all the advice, I'd taken the paracetamol before hand, I even took my boyfriend in with me for a hand to hold.

But when it came down to it, I breathed through the unexpected pain only for the nurse to pause mid-insertion, look up and say "I'm just going to check in with boyfriend now because this is the point at which the men tend to start finding it a bit difficult". I will admit that she was quite sharply told to just keep going.

I was then even more unfortunate because just as I thought it was over she said "ooops, that just slipped out" and I had to go through it all again!

However, 2 years later it's still sitting well, has caused no issues so I'd definitely say it was worth it!

Mine was very painful but I recovered quickly. I wish someone had told me it can sometimes really hurt. In my mind, "discomfort" is an itch you can't scratch, or a bra cutting into you, or a shoe pinching your toe after a long day. If by discomfort you understand it can mean pain, then you are prepared.

Good luck, hope it goes well x

I've had three.

1 - pre-babies, hurt but mainly in a shocking way as I'd never experienced that kind of uterine cramp. It was also painful every month for my period, but it was copper not mirena.
2 - post c-section, did not hurt at all and didn't even notice it go in
3 - post vaginal birth with episiotomy - insertion didn't hurt but I freaked out about having a speculum in my poor vag and had multiple appointments to be able to go through with it, and I'm usually far from fainthearted about these things

Having them out has never hurt.

I think it's a bit like smear tests, for some people they're awful and some they're not, just the luck of the draw. But it's still much, much less painful and uncomfortable than having a baby!

Good luck!

I’ve been to have a coil fitted three times over the years. First time was very straightforward, didn’t hurt being put in, just mild cramps after. No problem.

Second time, the doctor couldn’t get the coil in. She had the “measuring stick thingie” in ok, but couldn’t get the coil in. Not going to lie, it was very, very uncomfortable to have it poked around my uterus for 10-15 minutes trying to get the position right (and ultimately couldn’t ). Put me off for a few years and I used alternative methods.

Went again to have one fitted two years ago. The doctor said something along the lines of “oh, I can see what the problem was” and in it went. He didn’t really elaborate but it was, again, pretty painless with mild cramps after.

It’s so convenient compared to other methods (for me at least) that it’s totally worth it. I’m sure it’ll be fine

It varies from woman to woman. Some women find it painless, some women find it agonising.
The first one i had fitted, i found it a little uncomfortable but nothing major.
The second one i had fitted had to be done with an epidural because i found it agonising.
The third one i had fitted was painful, but bearable with taking ibuprofen beforehand.
The fourth one was back to being fitted with an epidural.
I don't know if the pain was the result of my cervix changing with age or if it was the person fitting it not being as skilled or what.
Generally, if you find it too painful to continue they will stop the procedure and book you in at a later date to have it fitted under either a general or a local anaesthetic.
Everyone has a different pain threshold.

Mine hurt like hell (no kids) but only for a few seconds then very crampy and uncomfortable all afternoon. It's over quickly and well worth a couple of seconds of pain. I've heard removal can be painful but I didn't feel it! Everyone's different but even if it's painful it's very quick.

I've had two. First was probably the worst pain of my life (I haven't given birth!) but I had no cramping or spotting after, second I barely felt going in but had quite a bit of cramping and spotting.

Not sure why it was so different, but the doctor I had the second time had performed thousands of them so it could have been that.

Forgot to add - definitely worth it both times

Yes it does - but not as much as 20 years of periods which I have avoided by having had a series of Mirena coils fitted. It is the best thing EVER

It was painful but not horrendous. Mine was quite bad because it took her several attempts due to a dodgy speculum and a cervix that didn't want to cooperate. I think if you've had a virginal birth it might be easier.

Horrendous. My cervix has little interest in opening for anything. Had it put in with a local anaesthetic. Aforementioned cervix has long since sucked up the string (ultrasound indicates it’s still there) - so will likely need a general for removal.

I'd say valium+ paracetamol is a good combination. For me it was a moment of sharp intense shocking pain - I mean really really sharp. Afterwards was fine for a bit but then I also had a tremendous band of pain across my entire abdomen. It was so bad I actually went back as I was sure something had gone wrong but apparently this can happen - it's not always cramping, which this definitely wasn't. So yes, be prepared to not be quite up to speed for a day or so. Since then it's been brilliant though. Completely transformed my life as previously my periods were so heavy that I was severely anaemic and I had dreadful mood swings in the run up to them which are now gone. I honestly feel like a different person. Hope it goes as well for your friend.

I've had 1. Didn't feel painful. Only slightly uncomfortable.

I'm on my fourth and last. The doctor told me insertion gets more uncomfortable the more you have and this was certainly true for me. The uterus doesn't like the interference apparently. This one has helped me through the menopause with no need for additional hormones, in fact I had to have a blood test to see if the menopause had in fact occurred! Cannot recommend them enough, especially the savings from not having to buy sanpro!!

My first one was an awful experience - I was totally unprepared and elements of it were S bad as childbirth.
However my second one was much better - I took super strong painkillers that I managed to get my hands on and barely felt a thing!