Who has no kids and long term contraception/mirena coil?

Had the Mirena but it made me gain weight and killed my sex drive. Now I have a copper one and it's bloody brilliant - my periods are maybe a teeny bit heavier than they were but still v light ([tmi] I don't even bother with tampons [/tmi]) and not painful.

Having it fitted did hurt, but only for a few seconds.

The period thing puts me off as originally I used to have very heavy periods and enjoy having none at all on depo

L
xx

I'm not using it at the moment as having fertility TX but coils have moved on greatly over the last few years and the Mirena coil in particular is recommended for women with endometriosis as it has been shown to reduce the pain and bleeding associated with the condition. As soon as my tx is finished that's the option that i'll be going with.

HTH

I have no children and dont want any either, I used to be on the combined pill years ago (from age 19), then in 2000 I went and got depo injections for a couple of years or so then changed to a mini pill - Cerazette. Ive not had a period since I went on the depo originally.

I was offered a coil, but theres no whay on earth that Id have one, I think I have a phobia about having foreign bodies I cant control inside me (no jokes please!), so having a piece of copper or plastic lurking around up there was a no go. There was also a risk of heavier periods, and knowing that my periods pre pill/depo were horrific and lasted 8 days at a time with 4 of them so heavy it would pour out of me (sorry TMI) I wasnt going to entertain that idea again! Im happy with Cerazette and as long as I can continue using it I will.

Aged 31 i also asked my FP doc about sterilisation to which she replied, if I really wanted a referal she would give me one as I was over 30 and had a mind of my own. So that was good to hear too.

We don't have kids and although H has had a vasectomy, I needed to find a form of contraception which would control my heavy periods. Unfortunately Cerazette didn't work for me - my periods got heavier and more frequent to the point I too was having a permanent bleed and it was pouring out of me. Sorry about the TMI. The combined pill was a no-go because it gave me migraines.

I now control the pain and heaviness with a drug combination - Tranexamic Acid (or anti-bleeding as I call them!) and Mefenamic Acid for pain relief and I feel I've got my life back. I'm back to regularly 4 day periods and although I do still suffer a bad night's sleep once in every two or three periods, I'm really glad that I gave this option a go before accepting the coil. The GP was extremely keen for me to go down that route and I was terrified at the prospect of it.

Hi - I do have kids but have just had mirena put in (to replace depo) and I'd like to say that it is fecking painful when you have had your cervix stretched to the size of a boling ball a couple of times previously, and I remembered thinking as it was happening that I was glad I didn't do that pre partum.

(on the upside, my (assumed) depo weight is coming off and my sex drive has returned a bit).

I've not got Kids but have a copper coil - its fine, i found having it put in was ok but had cramps for a few hours afterward. I do have a heavier period they are alot shorter (3 - 4 day max)

I've had a copper coil put in - although I have children I've had two sections so my cervix is like a woman who's not had children. It hurt but it wasn't awful. my periods are painful though, not heavy, and i get lots of painful twinges around ovulation. I'm thinking of having it taken out and having a Mirena or an implant put in.

Implants are brilliant - my patients absolutely love them. They're even more reliable than vasectomy or sterilisation in terms of failure rates, and they can be changes every 3 years until you hit the menopause. Dead easy to put in. One tiny needle and ten seconds of pain while the local anaesthetic kicks in, then nothing. A bit of bruising for a few days and that's you sorted.

It's the copper coil that can make period heavier typically: the Mirena tends to make periods lighter or dissapear altogether. (Figures are that about 50% of women with the Mirena will have no periods at 3 year follow up although it can cause irregular bleeding/spotting especially in the first few months). By one year most women will have either no periods or light, infrequent periods.

If you're doing OK on depo then side effect wise you should be fine with the Mirena as the amount of progesterone absorbed into your blood stream is much less than with depo.

I won't lie and say it's nice, but it's a short burst of pain for potentially a good long term solution.

Otherwise have you considered Implanon? Not as good as Mirena for getting rid of your periods though. The bleeding rates for that are about 22% of women have no periods, 33.6% have periods regularly and 23% have irregular or prolonged bleeding.

<sorry to crash, I have had none of the above but dispense/fit/inject them all regularly>

ETA Hi Rache ? I love the way we can both sniff out a FP post from miles away ?

I prescribed my first Nuvaring last week - I was rather geekily excited ?

Get you, with your honeymoon-fresh fangita ?

I seem to recall you are in the not having kids camp, so would your H consider the snip? Mine had it done and it's a great peace of mind and I like not having to worry about what contraception to take (plus the pill never agreed with me)

I know.? Pity the rest of me didn't emerge from two pregnancies unscathed....

Thanks all. Pooch, H will not even discuss a vasectomoy (my preferred option!).

I think I am mainly considering the implant now. I feel really, really squeamish about the coil, although I like the less likely to have periods aspect. Ooh, decisions, decisions ?

L
xx

What a big chicken! I know they weren't my balls but it's really not a big deal, H said it was no worse than having a tooth out and then it's all sorted (I know there are risks of reversal). Mind you there was no way I'd have gone back on the pill so it was condoms for us and I think that was all the encouragement H needed ? I think it's a bit our of order than your H won't even consider the idea when you've had to take hormones for god knows how many years.

I think H may be waiting to meet the right woman before taking any drastic steps ?

L
xx

Well, I can see why he's want to edge his bets ?

<shudder>. I dont want anyone playing with my balls unless they ve got a big pair of jugs and a shaved fanny ?

It is perfectly possible a surgeon could have these things, along with a scalpel

L
xx

Unfortunately I'm only available for women's bits.

Ooh RA, i m seeing you in a whole new light