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General health

contraception....the coil???

37 replies

mandajane2004 · 09/03/2005 12:38

I went to my doctor yesterday for the pill...she said i might not be able to have the normal pill due to high blood pressure....i was on the mini pill before.She suggested I have the coil fitted.I dont know anyone who has had this done.Can anyone give me any positive feedback on this..I have 6 weeks before I go back to see her and really dont know what i should do!

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StopStuffing · 25/01/2013 13:29

Oh blimey just seen that this thread was started in 2005! Sorry.

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StopStuffing · 25/01/2013 13:28

I have the old fashioned copper coil, so no hormones just a metal widget.

As a contraceptive it has worked brilliantly for me, and I love the fact that we don't even need to think about it. Because it doesn't have any of the hormones, I still have a normal cycle. My periods, whilst still heavy, are much more regular and predictable and significantly less painful which is a massive bonus. But there have been some drawbacks:

Like IamMummy, having it fitted was horrific. And this with an experienced nurse both times (once after ds1, but had it removed for a variety of reasons, then again after ds2- I thought it might have been different second time round but no). For me, it really was just like being in labour- the actually fitting bit was fine, lasted 10 mins max and was no more painful than a smear. But the next 12 hours were obviously my womb trying to get rid of the damn thing and it was exactly like being in labour. Established , mind-off-somewhere-else-with-the-pain labour. Then it must have settled into an "acceptable" place and all was fine.

Also, the threads that hang out up there (can just about feel them) are apparently irritating my cervix and I have a very large patch of "erosion" there which does cause occasional bleeding (not spotting) after sex. Two smears have concluded that all is well and that there is nothing sinister about it but I am having a think about whether or not I want it still in there - having it removed last time was absolutely no problem though so at least that isn't a worry.

I would say that my sister also had this same type of coil and had none of the negative experiences- so guess its just a case of trying it out.

Good luck.

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IamMummyhearmeROAR · 23/01/2013 23:25

I've had mine for just over a year. Was shockingly bad getting it inserted and I'm no wuss. However I'm putting this down to the fact there were only appointments with GPs who were training to insert them at my clinic so there was 15 minutes of rummaging,poking and shining big lights up me before they declared job done. Bled for a month initially and no probs since.

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sallypearce55 · 23/01/2013 23:18

with vaginismus you can do nothing other then cringe and be miserable. for me that was my life until it all changed and i could go to family planning and smear appts and have a good bedroom relationship :) Its called a Vagi-Wave and after 3 weeks the problem vanished as if it was never there, I cannot stress how good this bit of kit is, would not want to be without mine, it is more precious than my expensive handbag, yes its that good. so go get your life back and get one.x

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Toothache · 15/03/2005 12:56

Looneymum - Just stayed the same. Although I'm not really doing that much to lose any. I am cutting down on portion sizes, but that doesn't seem to be making a difference!! Might as well up the portion sizes again.

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Looneymum · 15/03/2005 12:50

Well, I've just had poor old Mirena removed. I think it just didn't suit me. Mood swings, inability to lose weight, screaming like banshi at DD1 (aged 3). Had to invest in book called "When mum turned into a monster" to try to explain my craziness to her! I have to say, my "real" period started straight away and I feel so much better. Have also lost a couple of pounds but will have to wait and see if that is just a coincidence! How's your weight loss coming along Toothache?

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kama · 14/03/2005 17:41

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Toothache · 14/03/2005 15:18

Kama - they are more like wires! Like fishing line.
I must point out that although the GP left the wires longer... they are still internal.

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Toothache · 14/03/2005 15:17

The cords on my mirena coil are quite long. The GP left them longer as if they are too short the man can sometimes be jagged by them!! LOL! I liked the sound of that.

The vagina is self cleaning and produces fluid all the time. Any semen is simply washed out as normal. The cords eventually kind stick to the sides!!!

I had my coil fitted in January. My cycle is just settling into a routine, but I've had no period pains and more importantly... NO PMT!!

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kama · 14/03/2005 15:16

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ponygirl · 14/03/2005 14:57

Kama, I'd really never thought of that! Will take hmc's word for it though.

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handlemecarefully · 14/03/2005 14:54

The strings are quite high up (not hanging down like a tampax string - they are internally high up)....and no, there isn't a problem with errr...ummmm...semen

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kama · 14/03/2005 14:53

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handlemecarefully · 14/03/2005 14:23

I find the coil brilliantly. No side effects for me and its a contraception that I am not required to think about.

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triceratops · 14/03/2005 14:05

I had the mirena coil for two years. It was good on the not getting pregnant front (got pregnant six weeks after I took it out) and made my periods a lot lighter and less painful. The side effects for me were a lot of thrush infections which I never had before or since and a decrease in libido. I took paracetemol and ibuprofen and half a bottle of wine over lunch just before I got it fitted which helped enormously

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Gem13 · 14/03/2005 13:50

I too am the result despite a coil!

The doctors said it must have fallen out during childbirth but they found it when I was 16!!!

My poor mother had years of scary smear test results. And it's quite grim to think of it being there for that long.

This was 30 odd years ago so I trust things are better now!

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dropinthe · 14/03/2005 13:43

Gwenick-exactly the same for me re point no 3!!
I dont suffer from said condition but absolutley hate smears since giving birth to my first ds when was induced over three days(I was 17 days overdue!!)and had to indure one internal after another,each one getting worse and worse until screaming in agony so am scared shitless of anything like that.I think the coil would be best for me but soooooooooooo scared of the pain during and after!!
Sorry,mandajane-I dont mean to scare you-if you dont mind smears etc go for it!!!

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wysiwyg · 14/03/2005 13:24

I have used a non-hormone coil (not a Mirena) since having DD, which I had removed when TTC. Now have been fitted again with a coil having had DS. I really hated being on the pill (mood swings, bloating etc plus felt I didn't want to put unnecessary hormones into my body as was a heavy smoker). For the same reasons I avoided the Mirena (didn't want the hormones bit). For some reason (please remind me! ) I didn't like the idea of not having a period at all.
I have to say that my periods are considerably heavier with this coil, however my experience in the past was that after 9 months to a year they settled back down to how they always were. Then you have 5 years contraception without having to really worry about it. So for me it's worth putting up with the heavier flow for a few months.
This time I did consider the Mirena but did read some horror stories about mood swings/ weight gain etc. so was put off it.

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ponygirl · 12/03/2005 22:01

I'm another mirena fan. I had one fitted after I had dd for about a year, then had it removed when we started trying for ds2 and had another one fitted after he was born. The fitting and removal are slightly uncomfortable and there is definitely a settling in stage with them which involved some period-like pain and bleeding. I must say, I had mine fitted and removed at my local cottage hospital and they were lovely - they recommended a little rest after it was inserted and provided a bice cup of tea! Cost was never mentioned to me, though I have a friend with a mirena whose gp tried to talk her out of it. The only down side for me is that I can't feel the threads so can't check for myself that it's still there. I have to go and see my gp every now and then and get her to check! I know a couple of people on here have fallen pg because theirs fell out and they didn't notice . The plus side for me, and it's a big one, is NO PERIODS! Hurrah!

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Gwenick · 12/03/2005 21:54

kama - have to be honest and say I don't know - reason 3 puts me compltely off finding out for sure

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kama · 12/03/2005 21:53

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Gwenick · 12/03/2005 21:40

Have to confess I've never wanted the coil fitted 3 reasons.

  1. My mum fell pg with me 6 weeks after having the coil fitted - ok that was a long time ago and they probably 'worked' differently then - but still.....

  2. I had a very close friend who had one fitted and she suffered from really painful periods and nasty mood swings - I'm already on AD's and prone to mood swings as it is without 'causing' more.

  3. I suffer from Vaginismus and the thought of having a coil fitted scares the cr*p out of me
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maddysmammy · 12/03/2005 21:32

I've just had my coil removed exactly a year after I had it put in. It was fairly horrendus having it fitted and I have suffered from really bad cramp pains ever since. At certain time of the months my boobs were so sore that if I turned over in bed the pain would wake me up. My periods were heavier and longer than they had ever been pre coil. The only good thing about it was it didn't hurt having it removed! I had a smear test done at the same time and that was more uncomfortable. Although I'm sure that it works for some people it wasn't right for me.

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ZoeB · 11/03/2005 09:53

Abit painful to fitt but over and done with fairly quickly bleed for about two weeks and stomach ache so take pain killers before you go in so they kick in !! but have no problems and you just forget it for 5 years

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miranda2 · 11/03/2005 09:45

hmm, i was thinking of starting a similar thread as have just realised I'll need contraception after birth of second child next month!! Don't want to go back on the pill as I've heard its implicated in pnd which i had last time, and anyway after ds1's birth last time I've got rubbish at remembering to take it, so the minipill would be useless and hte other is incompatible with breastfeeding. Also have found condoms really uncomfortable since ds1's birth. Was just beginning to think the coil might be the answer - i think you've all persuaded me!

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