Contraception

[Lou98]

Hi, not sure if this is the right topic but wasn't sure where to post!

I had a baby 6 weeks ago and have my appointment this week with the GP to discuss contraception. I was on the combined pill for years before TTC but I'm not really keen on the idea of going back on hormonal contraception.

Other than condoms what other methods of contraception don't use hormones? I was having a look at the copper coil, if anyone has any experience with this what were the pros/cons of it?

I know I can discuss this with the GP at my appointment but I want to have some idea of what I'd like when I go to my appointment but I've only ever used the pill/condoms so don't have much clue about other methods so any experiences much appreciated!

Copper coil was a nightmare for me.
Very painful from day 1. I even went back to the clinic in tears asking for it to be removed a couple of days after insertion but the doc convinced me to give it time. The pain was so bad i almost fainted a couple of times that first week. Anyway, after that the pain/discomfort was on and off and my periods were super heavy. I had it removed less than a year after because i couldnt deal with the pain anymore.

After that went back on combined pill...

The copper coil is really the only other non-hormonal option, but as pp says, it will cause periods to be heavier and probably more painful.

The Mirena coil might be a compromise - the dose of hormones is much lower than the pill, and it’s more reliable. But some people get irregular bleeding for the first few months, it’s a little bit of a gamble! Personally it suited me, after a few months my periods stopped completely and I kept it in the full 5 years.

@SunnySideUp2020 ah really? Maybe best to avoid it then, before getting pregnant I had heavy periods anyway so wouldn't really want to make that worse!

@greenmacaron I never realised the mirena coil was a lower dose in hormones. The only reason I'm reluctant was because I was on a combined pill for a while and was having awful headaches and dizziness then changed to loestrin and got on okay with it but for the time I was on the pill I just never felt fully 100%, I always felt a bit ill and maybe it's a coincidence but when I came off it I felt so much better and it took us 2 years to conceive and felt so much better in those 2 years than I had the previous 4 years that I'd been on the pill

I'd get on with using condones while things are settling down, then decide.

I refused to use hormonal contraception again.

Like you, my periods are stupidly heavy so the copper coil is a no.

I used an app called natural cycles with condoms between my two (planned) pregnancies.

Since having my daughter we've used a combination of having 2 kids and condoms.

One or both of us will be getting tubes tied soon as our family is now complete.

Following as I’m in the exact same situation. I’m 5 weeks PP and at the point where I need to choose something. I was on the combined pill for 10 years prior to TTC and thought I was happy on it. It was only until I came off it I realised how much better I felt! I’m reluctant to use hormonal contraception again now but also worried about the copper coil. And condoms just aren’t a long term solution. It’s so difficult!

@Lou98 have you ever considered the diagphram? It's called the caya which is the new one size fits most one. Available on nhs. I used one for 3 years and loved it! Once you work out how to insert it it's easy. Use with spermicidal gel and insert up to 2 hours before you dtd. If its inserted correctly you cant feel it. You just leave it in at least 6 hours after then take out wash and pop in its case! I loved the no hormones they have always made me feel hideous and not myself. I highly recommend it. NHS supply the gel to so whenever you run out they send you more. Or you can buy it on Amazon for around £40. Theres lots of videos about it on you tube etc. I hope that helps xx

I got a copper coil. It wasn't the most comfortable and less than a year after fitting I fell pregnant with our twins.
I hate hormonal ones, they bugger my body. We did use natural family planning successfully for many years, simply avoiding dtd at fertile times.

I will be in a similar situation once baby is born. I have pcos and very heavy irregular periods so will be avoiding anything other than condoms. It took us 4 years to conceive though so if I did end up pregnant again soon we wouldn't mind.
3 if my friends have had the coil and none of them got on with it unfortunately.

I had the copper coil for 7 years before getting it removed at Xmas to conceive. I had no problems with it, but my periods were not heavy before the coil and definitely became a lot heavier and more painful with it. For me that was only to the point of having a day or 2 per period with pain, but at the clinic they did say that if you have naturally heavy periods the copper coil may not be for you. I’d been on various versions of the pill for years before the coil and hormonal contraceptive just really wasn’t for me - worsened my natural cycle of depression.

Not sure what I’ll do after the baby is born as seems mad to have the coil fitted for just 18 months or so before having it removed to try for number 2, but have equally been terrified by stories on here of women getting pregnant at like 6 weeks postpartum!

I have had two copper coils and it was great for me , no heavy bleeding or pain . Used for a total of fifteen yrs .

The Mirena coil releases the same amount of hormone as taking one mini pill a week, so far less than an oral tablet. The kyleena is the same as one mini pill a month so even less.
Women tend to find less side effects with the hormonal coils as the hormone is only released in the area it's needed, rather then being filtered through your kidneys and liver etc.
You're far less likely to experience weight gain, mood changes, crap skin and loss of libido.
As other have said it can take up to 6 month for things to settle though. Usually this means irregular spotting rather than full on bleeds. Although a lot of women report it being much less time.
Hope that's helped.

@Twizbe I'm thinking about trying just tracking my cycle and condoms after reading the replies on here. The only problem is my DP works away so is say home for a week or two then away for a week or two and so if the week he's home coincides with ovulation say I don't feel condoms are as reliable (I know we could just not have sex but if he's only home for a week say we most likely would).

@Nat4392 yeah I feel the same, we've used condoms so far but I don't like them for long term use. Neither of us enjoy the feeling of them as much as without and I just worry about them not being as reliable as other methods.

@Snoopy28x I hadn't even thought about it actually, that could be a good option for me! I'll discuss it with my GP, thank you

@Chelyanne I'm thinking that avoiding dtd at fertile times is maybe our best bet. We would like to ttc again in a year or so, so if it did happen sooner we would still be happy with it especially as it took us 2 years with our first.

@Pinkroseuk I didn't realise all the issues with the coil, I definitely think I'll be avoiding now. I had heavy and sometimes irregular periods pre baby anyway so I definitely don't want to make that worse. It took us 2 years to conceive our DS so ideally we would like to wait at least another year but like you, if it happened sooner then we would be happy.

@Littletoaster2021 yeah I think I'll avoid as definitely don't want to make my already heavy periods worse! I'm in the same boat, we would probably look to ttc again within the next 12-18 months so does seem a bit much getting it fitted to just get it removed again next year

@Blissfulignorance I didn't realise that with the hormones, that definitely would seem like a better option for me I think. I'll ask the GP about it next week, thank you!

I’m the same, I really don’t want the implant in my arm or the coil. I was on the pill for a long time but the longer I was on it the more I saw about all the terrible side effects it has on your body. Don’t really want all those hormones in me again, especially while trying to lose the baby weight 🤷🏼‍♀️ Obviously really don’t want to get pregnant again so soon after! I panicked and said I’d go back on the pill when they asked if I wanted a coil put in during my c-section 🙈

I've never had a scare with condoms. They are pretty reliable if used correctly.

With apps like natural cycles, they are only as good as they data they have put in. You have to be very good at taking your temperature.

I still use the app now, but don't input data so I don't trust it for contraception.

I've been really put off by people's stories of the coil. I've always had the implant, which I've got on ok with... but I'm expecting this to be our last baby... and I don't want it forever.
I hate condoms... they do the job, but I don't want that to be a long term thing. I expect I'll have another implant, which will give us time to decide what to do. (I think hubby will end up having the snip tbh!)
I'm super fertile it seems as I've fallen pregnant the first month for all 3 pregnancies I've had... so I'm a bit reluctant to risk any accidents!!! ;-)

@Lou98 I found my gp didnt know how to fit it. But they advised to go to the local sexual health clinic. I rang them they did a phone consultation and then just sent it out to me! Alot of gps seem to want to push the hormonal options which I didnt like.