Mireya coil or copper coil?

[blankiesandunicorns]

I'm not sure if this is where I'm meant to post this but here goes...

I'm having a surgical abortion tomorrow and they can fit the coil at the same time. I was on the waiting list for the cooper coil when I fell pregnant but they've asked if I'd rather the mirena one

What are people's experiences of both? My nurse at gp surgery had recommended the copper as hormones give me unpleasant side effects. But apparently the hormones from the mirena coil aren't systemic and don't give side effects.m so they recommend that. I'm confused!

Advice needed please. TIA

Don't have the Mirena. Dreadful thing.

Have the Mirena. Brilliant.

To give a proper answer - I had copper coils and found they gave me heavy bleeding and painful periods which I don’t suffer from naturally. I had my first Mirena in 1994 and am on my last now, so as you can imagine they have been great for me. No periods full stop.

Thank you for your replies. Why did you find it dreadful hopeandglory?

With the copper coil I had horrendous periods. I had the Mirena fitted and now I barely have them. Hardly any period pain and very minimal bleeding.

Mirena tends to cause lighter periods, or in some cases no periods at all. There is very limited systemic distribution of the progestogen, it primarily acts locally, but there will still be a small amount of progestogen which will have a systemic effect.

Copper coil doesn't involve hormones, but does tend to cause periods to be heavier and more painful.

The Mirena is the more popular of the two because the side effect profile is generally more favourable, but if you absolutely wanted to avoid hormones then the copper coil is a good option.

Both are highly effective at preventing pregnancy. Best of luck whatever you go with.

I just had the mirena fitted yesterday .. so far Iv felt ok I'm hoping I don't go crazy on it

But I got advised not to have the copper because I get heavy painful periods anyway

I've had both! Copper coil was horrendous. Horrible, heavy, painful periods every month. Switched to the mirena. I don't have any periods at all now. It took a few months to settle but I wouldn't have any other form of contraception now.

I had the copper coil. My cervix kept rejecting it and I had the most horrendous time for 6 months before they removed it. I passed out from the pain once and my once quite heavy periods became so heavy I'd be changing a super plus tampon every hour. I would never go back to the coil personally. Clearly its different for different women though.

Really glad to read some positive stories of the mirena, my doctor has suggested it instead of a copper coil due to irregular bleeding but I had only read negative stories.

Does the mirena affect weight in anyone's experience?

I didn't want any hormones so went for the copper coil.

So far so good. Periods are a bit heavier and longer but nothing horrendous. I get period pains now when I didn't before. But again nothing bad.

Hi OP, I am a former Mirena user, current copper coil user, returning to Mirena soon. I had a Mirena which was absolutely fine, no side effects at all. Had my second child in my early 40's and had a Mirena again. It was horrendous. It could have been coincidental but my moods were awful and my libido bombed. I had it removed eventually and had a copper coil instead (favouring the no hormone approach). While I was far more comfortable with not having a hormonal contraception, I can't pretend that my periods have been great, much longer, much much heavier (for example, first three days of flooding, super plus tampon plus night pad every couple of hours) and lenth of period from around 5 days to 8-10. I've had it for around 5 years now. I am nearly 50 and living with peri-menopause, periods are horrific, my last one lasted 3 weeks. I don't think this has been helped with the copper coil. I have had some separate gynae issues and will be having a scan next week. My GP has said that she would prefer me to have a Mirena again as long as scan is clear, largely because my bleeding and cycles are out of control and is baffled by my "hormone" worries. The fact is, no contraception is going to suit everybody. However, I know from my experience the first time round with the Mirena that it can be great. Also, it never affected my weight. I am sorry, I didn't mean to write an essay, just I have had both! Good luck with whatever you choose!

Also, I am sorry, I didn't acknowledge your termination tomorrow. I am sure you've made a choice that is right for you, I've been there myself and had the same. Take good care of yourself

I love my copper coil. One of the only kinds of contraception that hasn't messed with my mood (because it is non-hormonal).

Best of luck for tomorrow, OP.

@MotherOfDragonite I agree, I've liked mine too but I can't deal with the periods anymore with the added complication of menopause. I need a break!

Thank you for all your replies, they've been really helpful. I hope others have found them helpful too.

Had termination today and opted for the copper coil, although too early to tell if it will agree with me. I do hope so though, just want things to settle down now.

OP, I hope you're OK...my advice as a copper coil user is give it a couple of months to settle down, expect some increased period pain and also heavier periods. You can change it if you need to. What I would say is that post-termination, keep an eye on your blood loss just in case you expel your coil. Get it checked in a few weeks. I am sure they told you all of this anyway. Recover well

Thank you Theformidable. I am quite worried about the coil coming out and me not noticing then getting pregnant again after having an abortion. I couldn't go through that again. I'm going to wait until things have calmed down then try and check it.

Thanks for everyone's advice

@blankiesandunicorns Just keep a close eye on the loo. You can't have sex for a bit anyway while you recover. I am sure it'll be fine. I hope you feel better.