Suspected pregnancy with copper coil in place

[Rachkara]

Hi,

Although I am still a week away from my period, I am experiencing pregnancy symptoms and have been solidly for a week. I have taken a few tests but they are showing negative, I think it’s too early to get a positive reading (this was the case when pregnant with my son, I couldn’t ge a positive result until my period was late). I still have a copper coil in place so I’m worried about the affect this will have, I know the risk of miscarriage is increased but don’t know if this increases as time goes on? I spoke to my gp to request a blood test to confirm if I am pregnant but she has said I need to wait until I get a positive pregnancy test before they will take any action. She doubts I can be pregnant as I have the coil but having experienced it before I’m convinced. I’m wondering if I should just call my local Early Pregnancy Unit? Has anyone experienced pregnancy with the copper coil that can offer any advice?

I think you’re really jumping the gun here. You’re still a week away from your period but have been experiencing pregnancy symptoms for a week already. This seems unlikely. I would definitely wait as your gp has recommend. EPU unite won’t see you if you aren’t even late with your period. Deep breaths.

EPU won't even see you unless you are pregnant and have issues- if there is a chance of pregnancy I would be getting the coil out and checking once period is late or bleeding starts.
Best to contact where you got coil inserted and speaking to them.

Thanks for your replies. It was the gp that fitted the coil that said I had to wait till my period was due before she would see me. I’ve rechecked my dates and realised I miscalculated, my period is actually due today (I hadn’t really been paying that much attention to dates beforehand as we weren’t trying to conceive). I’ll test again in the morning and hopefully get a positive so someone will see me. Having been pregnant before I’m absolutely convinced I am! I’m still nauseous, experiencing cramping, pulling, fluttery sensations in my tummy, my waist has thickened (can’t do up some of my jeans), and just generally exhausted! I’m just so anxious about the coil still being in place!

hiya

Well if you are pregnant you are going to have to be seen very quickly to get it removed as any info ive been given about the coil (point blank refused it) is the increase chance of etopic if concieved while you have it in.

do a test and let us know.

Those things wouldn’t be happening if you’re only due on today.

It takes 7+ days for that Eggie to get bedded in and start producing HCG to show up on a test so I doubt you'd be getting strong symptoms already :) The coil is pretty failsafe although I know it does happen!

I'd say relax, give it a week, take a test and see where you are. Easier said than done though I know.

My brother was a copper coil pregnancy so it can happen!

However, i think you'd have to be further on to have such prominent symptoms although I could be wrong.

Was your last period normal? I misjudged my last pregnancy as what I thought was a period was most likely implantation bleeding, in hindsight it was shorter and lighter than usual.

Did you have these symptoms this early before ? Can you buy a more sensitive test ?

I would have previously agreed with the posters who have said you don't get symptoms this early but since I've been pregnant this time (3rd pregnancy), I beg to differ. I started getting morning sickness, aversions to smells, sore breasts, extreme exhaustion and heartburn from 2.5 weeks pregnant (yes really). It's how I knew that I was - despite using condoms and not knowingly having had any failures. Tested at 10dpo and I was indeed pregnant. I'm now 7.5 weeks. DH thought I was off my rocker at the time but I just "knew".

So yes I think contraception can fail and yes I think you can get symptoms incredibly early and I'm seriously praying it's not twins.

Take another test in the morning; pink dye is best. If you are pregnant then get onto your GP straight away to get the coil removed.

@MaverickSnoopy I had similar at 4 weeks but in all honesty OP would only be 3 weeks preggers. I am going with science here that anything before that will be psychosomatic (which if you do get a positive test only enforces that those feelings were real) and she is very unlikely to show up on a pregnancy test at 7Dpo (although again...I did have my BFP at 7DPO....). I had waaay too many months of being sure I was preggers to find I wasn't. The HCG hormones just aren't strong enough to give 'symptoms' (sadly fact) but that pesky progesterone is. She is a bitch and mimics HCG.

The best thing to do is to wait and see for a few days then do a test nearer her period. But I agree again using a FRER would be best.

I would usually agree but based on what I've been through I can't help but wonder if sometimes the symptoms are there. Bear in mind I wasn't trying to conceive and didn't know I'd had contraception failure. Pregnancy wasn't even on my radar and I certainly wasn't thinking about it. I just woke up one morning with awfully sore breasts and heartburn. I didn't think anything of it. The same day I walked past someone smoking and I threw up. I just put it down to a tummy upset. But then I wasn't sick again - I was just nauseous. It wasn't until the next day when I started getting more symptoms that I thought "hang on" (I was sick everytime someone smoked in my first two pregnancies too). I don't get symptoms pertaining to my period either so I knew it wasn't that. What I would say is that I had only had sex once between my last period and just after ovulation, so in hindsight I know when it happened; 5 days before I ovulated, which was 10 days before I started getting symptoms. So perhaps that's got something to do with it.

Anyway I digress, in the OPs case she said her period was due today so it wouldn't be entirely unreasonable for her to take a test tomorrow if she's late.

I would usually agree but based on what I've been through I can't help but wonder if sometimes the symptoms are there. Bear in mind I wasn't trying to conceive and didn't know I'd had contraception failure. Pregnancy wasn't even on my radar and I certainly wasn't thinking about it. I just woke up one morning with awfully sore breasts and heartburn. I didn't think anything of it. The same day I walked past someone smoking and I threw up. I just put it down to a tummy upset. But then I wasn't sick again - I was just nauseous. It wasn't until the next day when I started getting more symptoms that I thought "hang on" (I was sick everytime someone smoked in my first two pregnancies too). I don't get symptoms pertaining to my period either so I knew it wasn't that. What I would say is that I had only had sex once between my last period and just after ovulation, so in hindsight I know when it happened; 5 days before I ovulated, which was 10 days before I started getting symptoms. So perhaps that's got something to do with it.

Anyway I digress, in the OPs case she said her period was due today so it wouldn't be entirely unreasonable for her to take a test tomorrow if she's late.

I had symptoms before my period was due with my last pregnancies, I didn’t actually realise how unusual it is as it’s my only experience. I also agree that there would be no reason for me to experience psychosomatic symptoms when not trying to concieve. I have just taken an early response test but the result was negative. All I can do is wait, there will be a definitive outcome one way or another. I do know my own body though and I can’t be experiencing these symptoms without reason. The waiting game is just so hard with the added worry of the coil.

@Rachkara I agree. The body is such a weird and wonderful thing. Keep us posted.