I have used the copper IUD all together for around 15 years (not the same one) and have been extremely happy with it. The first time I had one inserted, a very long time ago, I had heavy periods for about 6 months, but that settled down and it was fine after that.
I've had my current IUD for about 3 years and I thought everything was fine with it. At the beginning of this year, I started spotting and that carried on for several months. Went to the GP and took norethisterone to stop it. That worked, but since then my periods have still been all over the place - very heavy, lasting ages, two periods in a month etc. I'm 40 and I've never spotted once or had an abnormal period before this year. I've had an ultrasound which was normal and blood tests which were all normal. My GP told me, back in May, I should change to the Mirena and I was not really interested in doing that because I couldn't see why this would suddenly happen, but another GP at a new practice told me recently that actually it was possible for the copper IUD to start causing problems like this after being fine for a long time.
I was just wondering whether anyone else has had anything like this happen?
Last week I was so sick of the incessant bleeding, I'd happily have pulled the thing out with tweezers myself but I'm feeling less murderous now and today made an appointment, reluctantly, to have it switched for a Mirena to see if that makes it better.