Advice needed

[patcast]

Hi I am a 36 year old mother of 2 with severe heart problems. I can't take the pill due to the heart condition and I can't get pregnant again as my last pregnancy was life threatening for both me and the baby.

I'm on the mirena coil but I want to take it out as I think it is causing me severe mood swings, acne, low libido and headaches.

I don't want my DH to have a vasectomy as I want him to be able to have children with a different partner when/if I die/get divorced.

I went to the gp this morning to talk this through and she said that female sterilization is not available anymore under the NHS. Can anyone confirm this?

She said that the only option really would be the copper coil. However, due to the heart condition and due to severe migraines (which the mirena does not help) I need to do regular MRI scans. Does anyone know if there is a problem with the metal in the coil and the MRI?

I also mentioned to her that I have very heavy periods which sometimes landed me in A&E due to the bleeding and she said she could help me manage my heavy periods. Any clue to this?

Many thanks in advance to all.

NHS info page in the coil and MRI scans They assess it in a case by case basis.

If your periods are landing you in A&E, then perhaps you should seek a gynae referral to establish if there is an underlying cause and if it can be treated.

Female sterilisation is available on NHS, but may fall foul of local funding decisions. I was wondering if a gynae referral might also be the way to see if a case can be made for you, especially as you say a further pregnancy could be life-threatening. One thing to be aware of is that the clips they use routinely are metal, so with your likely need for MRI scans you might want to ask about other ways of sealing the tubes.

Thank you Scaevola.

I have now booked a family planning appointment and I will talk this through with the doctor. My last pregnancy was a 9 in the risk scale which only has 10 levels (10 being the highest). I spent half of it in hospital in constant monitoring and my baby was born underweight. The doctor told me I was lucky we were both alive and strongly advised me against any further pregnancies. That is why I am so scarred of getting pregnant again.

Many thanks.