Non hormonal coil experiences?

[Eggoispreggo]

Hello all, just looking for some advice and experiences of people having had a coil, I'm looking to get the copper one to avoid any hormones as I'm breastfeeding at the moment, and don't fancy hormonal contraception again in general really.

Fitting?
Affects on periods?
Effectiveness?
Any horrible side effects?

Thanks so much!!!

As pp - it caused terrible BV with me that resolved the very same week I had it removed.
I’d never have it again.

Ive had mine for about 4 months and had it fitted about 3 months after I had my baby.

Fitting - no more painful then having a speculum inserted. I had my screaming baby in the pushchair next to me though so was doing my best to soothe so maybe the distraction helped.

Periods - are now definitely more heavy and sometimes now have to double up with tampons and towels at night but nothing unmanageable. I wouldn't go swimming on my heaviest couple of days though

Effectiveness - no pregnancy so far

Side effects - some pretty painful cramps for a few days before and sometimes at random intervals throughout the month.

I've had it fitted twice. First time no issues apart from it went missing (must have come put alongside tampon during heavy period), had an internal examination, ultrasound, X-ray - definitely gone! Didn't put me off I've had another one since. Periods heavier but 4 day cycle, various brands of the pill never suited me. I appreciate the lack of hormones. 1st fitting very easy, 2nd one GP struggled and I had to take the afternoon off work (appointment booked for 2hrs before shift). One of my friend's also had one that migrated. Honest account good/bad with all forms of contraceptive and it's still my form of choice.

Thanks again all, I knew this would be a great sounding board to get some honest opinions and experiences!
Have booked to get it fitted tomorrow so hopefully all will go smoothly, and worst case if I get some of the worse side effects mentioned by PP I will just have it taken out I guess 👍

Hope it goes well for you. Many women have a good experience with it. I didn't though! I now think there should be a bit more research done on copper toxicity etc. My periods went super heavy to the point where I was flooding and it made me anaemic . From the day I had it put in I experienced quite a lot of brain fuzz and dizziness. I had never fainted in my life but they year I had the copper coil I fainted 3 times. Obviously I had an extreme reaction, however what annoyed me was gp not taking me seriously when I believed it was coil. When I had it taken out my lower stomach area shrank over the next few days as it had obvs been irritating my whole lower body!! All other symptoms I had had disappeared immediately. So I would say give it 6 Months and if it is going well great, but don't let the doc dissuade you if you do want it out!

I did have heavier periods with it in. I had 3 different ones in my years before children, one of them half fell out and needed to be removed. That happened during first period after insertion. After my 2 children I had another one put in but got pregnant with it still in situ.

I've had two, first one was great; insertion hurt but was only 10 seconds of pain, and then heavier periods for about 4 months then back to normal. Unfortunately with my second one the strings have got lost so I've had to go for an ultrasound and removal will be tricky and possibly painful, but honestly they are a great option and I am so glad to be off hormones.

Does anyone use a mooncup with a copper coil?

No - @blacklambandgreyfalcon it’s not recommended to use menstrual cups with either type of coil and there’s a risk of the suction displacing them!

I had no idea I shouldn’t be using a mooncup with a copper coil!

I'm not getting on with mirena I don't think, thinking about swapping to this but heavier periods put me off. Why does it have to be so complicated!!

I've a mooncup and coil to no ill effects. Just break the seal when emptying.

That's my worry. I'd like to try the cc but I'd never go back to other forms of sanpro and I know that the mooncup isn't generally recommended with the cc.

Had one fitted shortly after DC2 was born. DC3 was born 15 months after DC2 practically clutching the damn thing. DC3 is currently waiting for A level results.

You can use a mooncup/ tampon safely with an IUD or IUS but not for the first period after its fitted. This is the most likely time it could be pulled out (although this is very unusual!) so you need to just let it settle for the first month. After that, you can use whatever you feel most comfortable with.

Had a copper coil fitted at family planning clinic in June. I had to have one counselling/advice appointment before the fitting. Due to a misunderstanding I didn't realise that if you weren't on any hormonal contraception it couldn't be fitted during a certain part of your cycle unless you had completely abstained from sex (not just with barrier contraception). So I had to come back after next period for the fitting. It was pretty much painless, I told the Dr at the time I've had many many smears that were worse (I had 6 monthly smears for a while and they are now annual due to previous CIN3). She used some sort of local anaesthetic I think.
As per a PP for some reason the nurses tried hard to push me towards a mirena. Not sure what the agenda was there. Although I have used the pill for 20+ years (with break for Dc) I had had major side effects with progesterone only pill and did not want it, yet they kept on at me. So far I have found periods to be just the same flow as before but my cycle is much longer. (6weeks!) If anything I have less period pain than on pill and no headaches.

“I didn't realise that if you weren't on any hormonal contraception it couldn't be fitted during a certain part of your cycle unless you had completely abstained from sex”

My GP didn’t mention anything about what stage of my cycle I was in - just asked me to confirm that I wasn’t pregnant

I used a menstrual cup with copper coil for years with no ill effects - had no idea there might be a problem

WRT effectiveness OP, I had no pregnancy whilst coil in situ and was fortunate enough to conceive within 5 weeks of its removal

@HerSymphonyAndSong if this is not the norm elsewhere, it may be an issue that is only applicable to Northern Ireland because of the antiquated abortion laws here.

Not RTFT.
My specialist nurse practitioner mentor delivered hers along with her third son. A patient of mine miscarried and delivered her coil at the same time. I know many people have no trouble but those two incidences mean I would never have one for contraception. I did have a Mirena once. For endometriosis. It lasted 3 hours before having to have it removed due to my uterus trying to expel it.

1st one fitting was minor discomfort, periods heavier, no major side effects.
2nd one fitting made me feel ill,nausea, had to lie down. Again periods heavier ( flooding at work difficult to get adequate protection/ absorption), period pain worse then approx 9 months later severe abdominal pain and swelling. They suspected ovarian cyst but scan didn’t confirm this. At this point I asked for copper coil to be removed, pain and swelling went.

I can only talk about fitting as I have Merina - I'm glad to see what @lennyisnuts wrote, because I found it excruciating. I had to get my GP to agree to let me have my third done under general anaesthetic (I can't use most other types of female contraception, I am allergic to progesterone) - I fainted during the first one, even though I was lying down and even though she hadn't actually done it; then I asked for help for the 2nd one and they talked me round, I thought I was going to die; so the third time I put my foot down though I had to pay for a private consultant first to get the confirmation it was possible.

I did have to make sure I was between periods when all of them were fitted. And I seem to recall pregnancy tests for the 1st and 2nd, but not 3rd, maybe they decided if they found a pregnancy, as I was under GA, I'd never know and they'd just deal with it, or maybe they thought I was too old! (I was 48) Or maybe due to the coil I had in then the risk was so low as to not be an issue, though pretty sure I had one the second time.

The first time I also had a number of STI checks, but I don't think I did the 2nd and definitely didn't the 3rd. Maybe the NHS has cut that out for cost reasons?

Fitting on weds was fine, had some cramping and spotting afterwards and think I'm a bit bloated, so feels like a period really.
Am a bit gutted to read about the no mooncup recommendation!! I bloody love my mooncup so didn't realise that the two might not be compatible.
Never mind! Thanks all for the replies x

I received a text from him last night saying he had been arguing with his ex as she wrote out a contract. Said sorry for being an idiot he's tired and stressed but no reassurance really. Hasn't made an effort to sort it either

I had to have mine removed. I had constant pelvic pain that stopped as soon as it was out and my periods were horrendous. Incredibly heavy with debilitating pain and I ended up anaemic because of the blood loss. Since it's been out I have no pain and the bleeding is a fraction of what it was.
Husband is getting a vasectomy in a few weeks I'm done with anything in my body!