Coil strings hanging out 😳

[Greenfrog2427]

Hi all,

I had a copper coil fitted 5 months ago during a planned c section and have had no issues until recently when I kept feeling like I was being poked by the wires. A bit annoying but not painful so I just ignored it thinking it was normal? I’ve always been able to quite easily feel the strings.

Ive just discovered today that the strings are now hanging outside me! I can see them quite clearly. I am on day 2 of my period so my cervix is lower but surely I shouldn’t be able to actually see the strings?

Ive never had a coil before and was given absolutely no follow up info or advice on it or what is normal.

Im in no pain at all and unsure what to do!

Aren’t they supposed to stick out?

Mine are very high inside. In fact so high its lost and I need a procedure to remove it.

I couldn't resist tugging if the strings were that low. The thought is making me wince but I know I couldn't not!

Maybe go to your local sexual health clinic and get them to assess.

Are they? I didn’t realise they were supposed to be hanging outside of my body😳 They certainly haven’t been for the last 5 months😅

Get it checked, @Greenfrog2427. The strings shouldn’t be hanging out like that! It might mean your coil has shifted. And if it is just that your cervix is lower you might need to get the strings trimmed.

Nooo. Outside your cervix, yes, outside your vagina, absolutely not. It’s moved and needs taking out and replacing. See your dr ASAP. And don’t rely on it for contraception in the meantime.

The coil might have slipped down. Get it checked.

Thanks everyone. Today the strings are hanging about 10cm outside of my
body. Because I am not in pain my local sexual health clinic doesn’t seem that bothered and I can’t get seen until next week! I’m tempted to just try and pull the coil out myself? Is this a bad idea?🧐

Sounds like its halfway out already!

Desperate to just give it a pull but also scared I might make the situation worse!

Oh bless you!

Call your GP, lots of nurses can remove coils

they absolutely should NOT be visibly out of the vagina (like a tampon)

the device has shifted… any pain or spotting??? You could even call get an out of hours 111. Gently tugging should collapse the arms and it will come out but you should have someone help! Infection risk body rejection etc

Don’t pull them. It’s not necessarily falling out, when you have them put in during a caesarean it’s slightly different to having one normally. When you’ve just had a baby your womb is obviously much bigger than usual, and as it shrinks back down it’s not unusual for the strings to shift around and start poking out, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s falling out or that it isn’t in the right place, especially if you’re not having any pain. I wouldn’t rely on it for contraception but don’t pull on it. Just wait until the sexual health team can see you and see what’s going on.

Even though there’s about 10cm of string actually hanging out of me?😳

You need to get this checked out - they are mean to come outside the cervix but not hang outside your body! As PP says, it could mean your coil has moved inside you to a position it shouldn’t be in.

This exact thing happened to me - I went to GP who referred my to gynae that day to have them snipped and a scan to make sure it was in place (it was)! Strings were about half way down my thigh - oh so glamorous being a woman!

If you reach in 😑can you feel the coil at all? If I could I’d go to minor injuries and ask them to take it out?

Yes. The strings on the coil are very long to start with. When you have one put in through the cervix/vagina it’ll be inserted to the top of the uterus, and then the strings are trimmed to the right length so they are coming through the cervix, but not hanging too low. Yours will have most likely been put in through the cut in your uterus, so a very different situation, and it’s not unusual to leave the strings long, especially if they haven’t been able to pass the strings through the cervix from the inside. If the threads are still long they could easily be poking that far out, but that doesn’t mean the coil isn’t in the right place.

Obviously there’s a chance it’s moved/is falling out and no one here can tell you for sure, but there’s definitely a chance it’s in exactly the right place, but the strings have fallen through the cervix as your womb has shrunk back down, and that’s why you can feel them now when you couldn’t before. Honestly try to leave it alone and wait for your appointment. If the strings are bothering you you could trim them yourself so they aren’t hanging quite as low (I’d only snip the ends you can see hanging out of the vagina) but don’t pull on them.

Ah okay - thank you that does make sense!

Hopefully you’re not waiting too long and they can see you and work out exactly what’s going on!