Help and opinions on coil or injection or pill

[tootsweet89]

Hi ladies, hope you are all well,

So I was back at the doctors today for the pain and she has given me three options to decide from and I have no idea what these are all like so I need a bit of advice.

In my previous posts I have explained how bad my pains are getting, I'm just totally fed up with it all now.

So my options are I can go on another pill (I have previously been tried on two pills and a mini-pill which all made pains worse and periods prolonged), so I could try the Rigevidon pill along with the Mefenamic acid (anti-inflamatory) tablets and see if they work

Or

Get the contraceptive injection which would be an injection every 8-12 weeks but i would have to get away from work(in a nursery) early every 2-3 months to then get two busses to my doctors to get them and then two busses home again

Or

Get the Mirena coil fitted, but i'm unsure of the thought of the threads.

If anyone has tried any of these before then I would love your opinions please, I'm at the end of my tether with waiting and seeing if trials of different tablets to see if they help any.

Please, all comments are greatly welcome xx

[AnnaEvelyn]

I would say the Depo-Provera, speaking to a nurse at the local sexual health clinic who specialises in these things, the depo is apparently best for Endometriosis, if travel is the issue then see if it can be administered anywhere closer to you. I've found it keeps the pain at bay whilst controlling my periods, the side effects however are things like mood swings (I haven't found this), possible links to increasing the chances of depression (however, since I was diagnosed with Depression about a year before my first shot it hasn't made it any better or any worse) and an increased risk of osteoporosis (they do check to see if the depo is at risk of causing this before it affects you though). Good luck!

[Impatient]

I agree - Depo shots are worth the effort, and you can arrange to get them at a clinic more convenient to where you work too. Or see if the clinic has a saturday surgery or if there is an NHS drop in centre or late night opening clinic which would be more convenient for your work hours.

If the depo shots work and stop your periods then you know that the mirena coil (5years) or Skyla coil (3years) will also work for you - same hormones but a much lower dose and they have the same effect on the uterus lining because the chemicals are delivered right where they are needed. There are side effects with depo - and if you can cope with those then you'll certainly manage with the side effects of the coils.

None of these options is an instant remedy. they all take time to kick in because how they work is over time they drug thins the menstrual lining to the point there is hardly any growth there to shed and cause a period, usually stopping your periods in a matter of months and staying that way while you are getting the drug.

The depo shots are a much stronger dose than the coils have, and because of that, having depo provera

is normally restricted to about 2 years continuous use, because it will reduce yourbone density in thespine, pelvis skull and ribs. Nothing on the scale that the GnRH drugs do, but it is still something to be aware of.

Because the dose from mirena and skyla is so much lower the bone density loss is negligible and not an issue to cause concern in the longer term, so these can be used and replaced at the 5 and 3 year intervals until such time as you want to quit and have them taken out - for example you want to start a family.

The Depo-Provera patient information leaflet is on pdf

medicines.org.uk/emc/PIL.11... have a read through all 17 pages and know what it is all about before you decide it that's for you.

Personally speaking I found the mirena a life transforming gadget - no remembering injections or pills, just forget about it and no periods, no period cramps and pains, no PMT etc fantastic for being rid of all of that. I work in an infant school (nursery to year 2) and honestly without mirena I really wouldn't be able to cope.

How on earth I managed for years and years with mess and pain and what not I have no idea. I wouldn't be without the mirena now or at least I sure wouldn't faff about having periods I don't need. Life is so much better without them.

Mirena is a longer time commitment than Depo-Provera, so it depends really on whether you want the flexibility of a 3monthly decision to carry on with Depo or the longer freedom of mirena.

Believe me 5 years goes quickly - I am already 3 years in to mirena and I have been liberated by not having periods. Won't hesitate to get it replaced when the time comes.

[tootsweet89 in reply to Impatient]

Impatient, you are very knowledgable in this area. Thank you for all of your replies I'm very grateful for input from women who have actually used these methods and have found them good.

May I ask a question about the mirena?

I don't mean to be personal but do you have to check every so often that the threads are still there? Is thy awkward to do?

My doctor showed me the mirena the other day at her office, I got slightly overwhelmed and she said at that point I looked "petrified" I'm just very aware that these are all ways if just masking the pain and symptoms and not actually cures.

Xx