My Thoughts On: The Mirena Coil

Rachel Hawkins - 14 Apr 16

Yes, OK, perhaps this is majorly oversharing, even by my standards. However, while pondering putting finger to keyboard with this subject, I thought about how it could help other women who were considering the Mirena coil.  Perhaps you have just had the coil fitted and you’re unsure whether you should stick with it.

Until recently, I was toying with the idea of having the coil removed. Since I’d had it fitted in November last year, I was beginning to get a little fed up with the intermittent and sometimes persistent bleeding.  I hadn’t signed up for that when I agreed to go down the coil route.  However, fast forward a couple of weeks and I’m now so glad I cancelled my Doctors appointment to have the coil removed.

I have a rather chequered past when it comes to contraception methods. I was 16 when I put myself on the combined pill.  I was in my first long term relationship and following a conversation with my Mum, it was the most sensible and responsible means of contraception at the time.

I stayed on the combined pill (Microgynon) until I was 21. Without going into too much detail, I had, shall we say, an accident and following the decision to have a termination I took a break from contraception altogether to give my body a break following the gruelling experience it had been put through.

I then came out of a relationship and felt I didn’t really need to be on any form of contraception. It wasn’t until I was again in a relationship at the age of 24 did I need to give long term contraception some consideration.

I visited my GP, who took a look through my medical history; he decided to not put me back on Microgynon. This was mainly because of the fact I’d had migraines as a teenager and also because I was a smoker.  The mini pill (I forget the name) was offered and so I decided to give that a whirl.

Heavy and prolonged periods have been something I’ve always suffered from. I’ve often wondered if being a haemophilia carrier had an effect on this.  My factor 8 levels (what determines a haemophilia diagnosis) have always been the lower end of normal.  Borderline shall we say.

With the mini pill, I found myself bleeding quite frequently. Often accompanied by period pain like cramps. After a few months, I decided this pill just wasn’t for me.  As I was also beginning to suffer from anxiety, I also wondered if taking the pill was having some sort of effect on my mental health too.  Thus, at the age of 25 I decided to stop taking the pill once again.

Over the next year or so, long term contraception methods were something I just couldn’t decide on. One day I’d think about going down the implant route, then I’d hear a horror story and find myself rethinking my plan.  The injection was another method I found myself bearing in mind, only to decide against it when I heard it can often result in weight gain.  I was really focussed on my weight loss at this time and the thought of gaining even so much as a pound concerned me somewhat.

After 2 years of being without contraception, and undergoing various tests, I found myself pregnant with my son in April 2013. I was relieved.  Concerned that perhaps my termination in my early 20’s had had an effect on my fertility, I was so happy that I’d managed to fall pregnant naturally.

Once I had my son at the end of 2013, contraception reared its head once again. In the year or so after my son was born, I found myself trying a few different types of contraceptive pill.  Again, finding it difficult to make a decision on what I should be on long term.

Following my break down at the beginning of 2015, contraception was the furthest thing from my mind. Focussing on my recovery was number 1 priority.

When I slowly but surely began to feel better, I felt now was the right time to explore the saga of contraception once again.

Following a discussion with both my GP and a family planning nurse (I’ve never understood why they’re called family planning, when you’re actually doing anything but planning a family), I decided to bite the bullet and have the Mirena coil fitted.

I’ll be honest, the thought of having it fitted made me feel a bit sick. However, I had to have a minor operation in November 2015 and discovered I could have the coil fitted while under general anaesthetic.  I jumped at the chance.

I remember seeing the box the coil came in and feeling my stomach lurch slightly. The box was MASSIVE.  I needn’t have worried though, the actual device itself is very small in size.

Once the coil had been fitted I was certain I would be able to feel it. I even remember worrying that it might fall out!  These irrational fears couldn’t be further from the truth.

6 weeks after the coil was fitted, I had to undergo a check by a nurse to ensure the device was fitted correctly. This is standard practice I believe.  I had the check up at the same time as my routine smear test.  It was uncomfortable but far from unbearable.  Over in seconds.

In terms of the bleeding, I found myself experiencing a bleed rather frequently. I was concerned this was how things were going to be for the long term.  I was also finding myself gaining a small amount of weight and wondered if this should be attributed to the coil – the juries out for me on that as I haven’t gained any weight in recent weeks.

I decided to give it 3 months to see if the bleeding calmed down and my body would get used to the new device.

Come the month of February, the bleeding was still continuing, along with (TMI alert) discharge. I’d find myself experiencing often quite painful cramps and resigned myself to the thought that I’d never find a method of contraception that suited me.

I felt disappointed. I was informed the Mirena coil was the safest method of contraception and was as effective as sterilisation.  I SO wanted this to be the one that worked for me and the thought of having to have it removed made me feel quite queasy to say the least (such a wimp eh?).

This was until very recently, around 3 weeks ago in fact, when I found myself realising I hadn’t bled for a while. The pain I’d found myself often experiencing had subsided somewhat and I became conscious of the fact that I hadn’t actually given my coil a second thought for quite some time.

Taking all of this into account, I decided to cancel my Dr’s appointment for the removal of the coil and am now really pleased this has worked out for me.

I’d spoken to a friend recently who had the coil fitted herself. She explained she too had experienced similar to me and found that after 4 months things had calmed down for her too.  This has certainly been the case with me.

I guess my advice to any woman who has found themselves in a contraception quandary would be to explore the option of a coil. The coil I have lasts 5 years.  Of course if I decide to have another baby (unlikely), then it can be removed.  However, knowing I don’t have to worry about contraception until I’m in my mid-thirties is a reassuring thought.

If you’ve had the coil recently fitted and you’re finding yourself considering having it removed. I would suggest you stick with it until the 4 month mark.  I’m really quite pleased I did.

Rachel Hawkins

Almost 30 year old (eeeek) Mother to one from Bristol. Writing about whatever takes my fancy, mainly due to the fact 140 characters on Twitter and a Facebook status just isn't enough! Passionate about mental health awareness.

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