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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Mirena coil fitting experiences - a poll on the painfulness!

61 replies

AnxiousAnnabel · 17/09/2023 15:13

Due to have mine fitted this week (for heavy periods)

Had a non hormonal coil fitted years ago, which was a bit uncomfortable, but bearable, however, having read a lot of the posts on here, there seem to be a lot of bad experiences.

Please be really honest, if you've had one put in!

YABU - it was fine
YANBU - it was an absolute mofo

OP posts:
fearfuloffluff · 17/09/2023 16:44

Pre kids had one and it was very painful but only for about two seconds.

Post kids, barely noticed it going in.

MonkeyPuddle · 17/09/2023 16:47

I am very good at making my body relax, I meditate regularly and think that being able to relax myself absolutely helped the insertion.

BeeCucumber · 17/09/2023 16:49

I had cervical shock and I couldn't be roused. I was carted off to hospitaI. I recovered enough in the ambulance but I was still admitted overnight as a precaution. I didn't try again.

JoshLymanIsHotterThanSam · 17/09/2023 16:51

Had 3 x copper coils-all were bearable.
1x mirena made me pass out it hurt like a mofo! Had it taken out 3 months later and switched back to copper….much better.

bonzaitree · 17/09/2023 17:05

I was so shaky after mine was fitted that I couldn’t walk home and no joke the doctor made me lie down on a trolley for 1/2 hour then walked me home herself.

the coil then got lost and I had to have an mri to try and find it. It was lodged in the wall of my uterus with a polyp that had grown around it. I then had to have it removed which mean having my cervix clamped open and the thing scooped out. Couldn’t walk after that. Multiple trips to the hospital plus time off work.

Yeah… don’t get a coil.

fairyfluf · 17/09/2023 17:07

My previous one- absolutely fine. This last one- painful and then my blood pressure plummeted and I couldn't leave the surgery for over an hour as the doctor was worried I'd need an ambulance

KajsaKavat · 17/09/2023 17:09

My first mirena was just fine, I never understood why they hyped the pain part so much. No need for painkillers and just carried on as normal after.
the removal 6 years later was more painful but only there and then and then inserting the new one was fine.

I recently removed this myself and there was ZERO pain.

so my conclusion is that any pain is due to tight muscles because of worry.

CinemaCrazy · 17/09/2023 17:10

I’ve had three with a general.

fairyfluf · 17/09/2023 17:12

KajsaKavat · 17/09/2023 17:09

My first mirena was just fine, I never understood why they hyped the pain part so much. No need for painkillers and just carried on as normal after.
the removal 6 years later was more painful but only there and then and then inserting the new one was fine.

I recently removed this myself and there was ZERO pain.

so my conclusion is that any pain is due to tight muscles because of worry.

It completely depends on if they poke you with their measuring stick, if you generally find speculums painful, all sorts of stuff. Aboutely not to do with worrying. I wasn't worried at all due to my previous painless experience. And then my physiological reaction (aparantly there's some nerve it can trigger) nearly caused me to have to go to hospital.

DrinkFeckArseBrick · 17/09/2023 17:13

Im a massive wimp and had to have every type of pain relief for childbirth and can't cope with the dentist whatsoever, and it was fine. A bit like a smear

Allthegoodusernamesareused · 17/09/2023 17:15

I've had two, both done in hospital, with local anaesthetic. Still a bit uncomfortable, but (until recently) worth it for no periods. Sadly I'm now bleeding more or less constantly, but that's probably for another thread!

imhavinghoops · 17/09/2023 17:15

I had a trainee nurse and GP shadowing do mine. Spray of local anaesthetic and I’d taken some pain relief before but it was still quite painful, really dull pressure throughout. I’ve never been pregnant though so may be less painful if you have. Stayed on the bed a bit after as I felt a bit woozy when I first sat up. Was fine after about 10 mins to walk home with no further pain that day.

Toooldtoworry · 17/09/2023 17:17

I've had one. It hurt more than I anticipated. It has done nothing for me (put in because I have fibroid and bleeding very heavily) and yet the GP will not consider other options.

WhereAreWeNow · 17/09/2023 17:19

It did hurt but it was worth it.

Sussurations · 17/09/2023 17:21

I wasn’t worried and tend to take medical things in my stride but it was extremely painful, I have always suffered with bad period pain but the coil insertion was off the scale painful for me, worse than toothache or broken bone I would say. Possibly made worse because I wasn’t expecting it to be like that! I could barely walk afterwards. The pain did start dying down fairly soon and went away within about 12 hrs.

LizzieWallace · 17/09/2023 17:24

I've had 2.
One before pregnancy, then I had it out, fell pregnant and got another one in last year.
The first one (pre child), kind of sore, but very crampy that night. Nothing major though.
The second one-basically like a smear test, apart from a few seconds of cramping as it went in.

I don't know if I've just been lucky, but I'm glad to say I've had mine done in 2 different surgeries (in 2 different countries actually!), both absolutely fine and I didn't need any pain relief.

ODFOx · 17/09/2023 17:25

I've had three fitted. Each time I had cramps bad enough to put me to bed/ curled up on the sofa afterwards and taking all the otc pain relief I could muster but was absolutely fine from the next morning.
I'm too old now but I have absolutely no regrets about the mirena years.

Roselilly36 · 17/09/2023 17:30

I am on my third and final mirena, this one will take me through the menopause, insertion has been agony every single time, I would rather give birth tbh. My womb does slope quite a bit so perhaps that’s why. Friends have been fine. Good luck OP, it’s worth it once it’s done,

gogomoto · 17/09/2023 17:35

Yabu, wasn't painful at all but is a little uncomfortable, more awkward I suppose, but I do have a high pain threshold.

peppermintcrisp · 17/09/2023 17:37

I was very anxious and had it inserted by my GP. She did take a while to get it in and a nurse was also present.

They were lovely and helped me to breathe throughout. It wasn't painful, slightly uncomfortable. Unfortunately I had imagined it to be like a fishing hook, so had got myself worked up!

HouseIsOnFire · 17/09/2023 17:38

Depends if you've had kids or not, I have not and the first was incredibly painful, the second made me black out with pain and I spent the following 36 hours throwing up out of pain from cramps.

I have endo and have had pancreaitis, the coil insertion pain is worse than both.

The coil wrecked my life for many years both through physical symptoms and destroying my mental health to the point I was suicidal.

I would never recommend it, but if you do decide to get one, please Please PLEASE keep a record of your mood and bleeding before and after having it fitted abd be vigilent about the impact it is having on you.

Radiat · 17/09/2023 17:40

I felt fine beforehand, but it got a bit complicated. The GP struggled to place it, lots of rummaging around, then it fell out When (I think) she removed the speculum. So I needed to have another put in during that same appointment. The second one going in hurt pretty badly, I can’t lie.

HRTQueen · 17/09/2023 17:40

I had hysteroscopy (camera in the womb) first and I had an injection in my cervix it was a sudden sharp pain but bearable after I had the Mirena coil fitted. I’m not sure if you will have the injection too but it was uncomfortable but the thought of it made it worse

after three months it had settled down i was bleeding very heavily but now it’s far more manageable

Catusrusty · 17/09/2023 17:43

Mine have all been utterly horrifically painful. This will be my last one as I can't and won't go through it again. Each one has been progressively worse, which my GP tells me is normal as each one has been further from the birth of my one child.

I nearly passed out last time and my entire body shook and broke out in an immediate sweat. The GP wouldn't let me stand up for 15 minutes afterwards as I was badly affected by the pain.

That was with a topical anesthetic and painkillers before.

AllHopeandRainbows · 17/09/2023 17:44

Took paracetamol 30 mins before.
Just a bit crampy/uncomfortable whilst having it fitted and a few hours after. No worse than mild period pains x