Anyone removed their own coil?

[OutOfBounds]

This article suggests it's possible to remove your own IUD

www.webmd.com/sex/birth-control/features/iud-remove

I've been trying for a very very long time to get it removed and replaced.

I'm also wondering if I'm menopausal/peri and lack of periods with the coil (been in for 8+ years - mirena) are possibly masking symptoms?

I paid a private clinic to have mine taken out. Couldn't persuade anyone within the NHS to do it. It was a long time ago so can't remember how much it cost.

My practice nurse took mine out when I went in for my smear, just because I mentioned I'd been planning on getting it out. Worth asking?

I also couldn't get mine taken out. It's been in five years and I wanted it removed this summer but I couldn't get an appointment at either the GP of at a family planning clinic. I got really upset at the idea of having something inside of me that I couldn't get out.

After a day of being on the phone to my doctor's surgery I was granted a GP appointment and the GP said that if I wasn't relying on it for contraception then it was completely fine to have it in place for ten years and not five. She said that she thought it wasn't a good idea for me to have it removed at the moment as I probably wouldn't get an appointment to get another one put in if I needed to.

Yes. Twice. Once copper coil to conceive DD2 as the appointment wait was really long and I was impatient. Second time because I was talked into Mirena and it really did not agree with me. However my wires were longish and I've never had any issue with smears or coil fitting. And I wouldn't recommend it as I'm sure there are dangers as others have advised. But yes, it it's quite doable. Hardest part is getting a grip on the wires but once you do it's just a firm steady pull and it's designed to slide out.

Yes the copper coil. I have a feeling it wasn't in right in the first place though.

I know someone who did. Her GP wouldn’t do it even though she was having problems so she did it herself.

If I were you I’d ring your GP and tell them you’re going to remove it yourself if they don’t and see what they say then.

I'm pretty shocked at GPs who won't do it😱 Why? If my GP had said they wouldn't do it I would have hit the roof! How can they make you have something that is causing I'll health or bad mental health from the hormones and if it your body is not reacting to it well!

I've done it, I didn't really feel it come out but there is no rushing the job.

I took mine out after 6 months because I couldn't cope with the side effects anymore but the clinic that put it in were adamant that I should give it a few more months to settle. It slid out without any problems but I wouldn't recommend other people did it - I was desperate by that point though!

It is absolutely disgusting that women are being so badly failed by medical professionals.

Part of the reason I would never consider anything I couldn’t remove myself as contraception.

This is why I’d never have one. It’s scary how they find time to put it in, but refuse to take it out.

I offered/half joked to take a colleagues coil out once. She couldn’t sit down she was in so much pain.

My friends husband removed hers - they wanted to TTC and the appointment at the GUm & GP were 5 months away. He used long nosed pliers.

@stalkersaga

My practice nurse took mine out when I went in for my smear, just because I mentioned I'd been planning on getting it out. Worth asking?

Most practice nurses aren't qualified to do this, it requires extra training (you have to be trained to fit them). I can do smears, but I wouldn't take out a coil! Same reason most GPs won't take them out, only one of our GPs is trained to fit and remove coils and not every surgery has a GP who does this.

I did by mistake. I collapsed in shock!!

Most practice nurses aren't qualified to do this, it requires extra training (you have to be trained to fit them). I can do smears, but I wouldn't take out a coil!

Thanks for the info @RagzReturnsRebooted. Shame! I admit I was mildly surprised if very happy. Guess I was just lucky!

@tiktokniknok

I'm pretty shocked at GPs who won't do it😱 Why? If my GP had said they wouldn't do it I would have hit the roof! How can they make you have something that is causing I'll health or bad mental health from the hormones and if it your body is not reacting to it well!

Because it's a specialist job to remove them? Would you be shocked if the GP refused to do any other invasive specialist procedure they aren't trained to do?

Mine removed themselves.

Both did!!

Only lasted 3 months each time.

I'm quite jealous of those who have had them firmly stick in place and no periods.

I bled the whole time with mine and severe bleeding and clots are what made them come out.

Ok bit weird but worth trying a sexual health clinic in quite a rough area if you are near-ish one. My nearest serves an area with a lot of sex workers and it stayed fully open throughout the pandemic. They stopped doing walk-ins I think but appt for coil removal was no prob. I assume the service was prioritised in some way because of the demographic.

But honestly I would prob try taking it out myself too. I've had two and both were removed v easily in the clinic with no pain at all so I probably would give it a go if really desperate.

I was having awful side effects with my copper coil, I went to the GP asking to but was told I would need to rebook with the who wasn’t available for a few weeks. When I got home I thought I would see if the strings were easy to find, gave a gentle tug and it slipped out.

As is often the case, there are many different experiences here.
My own is that the nurse nearly had to peel me off the ceiling when she removed my Mirena. (It had been causing me terrible bowel pain - enough so that if I was walking I had to stop until the pain passed. Interestingly the nurse commented that it wasn't uncommon, especially in women who had IBS type symptoms in the past.)

Yes, twice. No problem at all. As long as you can get a grip on the strings, you are only doing what the doctor or nurse would do. It’s not the same as inserting it. I actually think if more women knew they could do it themselves more women might be interested in getting one in the first place.

Mine kind of half fell out so a gentle firm tug finished the job, no pain at all which was handy as I wanted it removed. No pain was weird as I’ve had to have investigations recently and had a lot of pain with my strange cervix.

I really wouldn’t consider doing this myself!! I would say keep looking forward an appointment even if you have to travel xo

@whatwhatwhatwhy A GP has been the person to put mine in both times... two different GPS at my surgery so forgive me for assuming it what something they did!

It's an additional skill. Most are not trained.