Mirena coil experiences

[Tiff9731]

Hi,

During my lap in February, I was fitted with the Mirena coil. I have had some mixed experiences with this coil.

Three weeks after the lap I scheduled an appointment with my GP as the surgeons had left the strings of the Mirena coil too long. After a horrific experience with the GP where he attempted to cut the strings while they were inside me, it was decided that they will not harm me by being too long and should now be left alone. (One of the two strings has fallen off).

After my follow up in May, I was told that my endo is restricted to the right side of my pelvis (Although most of my pain is on my left side). I was also told that I am going to struggle to conceive which really upset me, however, I am remaining positive. I informed the Gynaecologist that since the Mirena I feel physically better and my symptoms have much improved.

However, months down the line my periods are returning to their old ways, and I am experiencing pain again. I am not really sure where to go from here, and the only way I can describe it is that my lady parts don't feel right.

Any words of support/comfort or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. If anyone has any questions please feel free to contact me. Thanks.

[Goldencat]

Hi,

I'm also having the coil fitted potentially at my lap in a couple of weeks so would be good to hear people's positive and negative experiences of the coil to help me make up my mind. I had the copper coil fitted a year or so ago and it was a really bad experience with the afterpains and ending up with an infection so it had to be removed. Hoping it was a one off - I know the mirena coil is supposed to be good at limiting the growth so if anyone has had good experiences please share as well! x

[Clou]

Hey

I'm sorry to hear your difficulties with pain and being told about difficulty conceiving after your lap. It's refreshing to hear you're being positive though which I'm sure will help stress levels with that outlook.

I'm hapoy to share my experience with the coil and hopefully it provides an insight? I had been against the Mirena coil after hearing horror stories but at my first lap in 2012 they talked me in to it and I had one inserted during. I don't want to tell you things you already may know but it thins your endometrium and therefore in theory it should make regrowth slower and with less of it... I found it difficult to know for about up for 6 months after if cramps and pain I was experiencing was related to endo or whether it was the coil. I was informed it was most likely down to the coil because they had dealt with the endo which had bound my womb to my bowel and ablated tissue elsewhere. I did find after about 6 months things calmed a bit and apart from the odd cramps which I do think are coil related (partly because they were a bit different to endo pain), I felt more comfortable and period free with the very occasional spotting.

Fast forward to 2017 and I had very different pains to these cramps and was grateful it took so long for a re-emergence of severe endo symptoms although obviously a remergence is never welcomed. I've just had another lap a week ago and am recovering. Within this lap they removed the coil and replaced it because it was in the way (since 2012 I have also had it replaced due to pain and the doctor suggested a break but it was evident it was actually my endo). I am experiencing a lot of bleeding and cramps but know this can happen with it settling in. At my lap some endo was found again, however they said the comparison to my previous lap was that there was less which is great and partly due to the coil thinning the tissue like I mentioned before. They acknowledged pain is not correlated to amount of endo which is very true in my experience because my symptoms this time round were may more debilitating compared to last time.

The long and short of it is the coil has taken me up to 6 months to fully feel comfortable in the body. At the end of the day it's a foreign object as the doctor explained to me so will take some time to settle. I would monitor the pains and compare, is it regular endo pain for you or does it feel different? If you're unsure, explore with your GP, otherwise I would say hold out longer and see if it dies down because it may work with slowing regrowth and although it can be hard to see positives in a world on endo suffering, it is helpful.

I know others will most definitely have different experiences but I generally see the Mirena as a helpful addition to managing symptoms, especially as sometimes it can feel as though nothing is doing anything and things are unmanageable. I hope my insights are helpful and I wish you all the best xx

[Tiff9731 in reply to Clou]

Thanks for your response. Before my lap my periods were light but long e.g. lasting three months. Now they are about 7/8days but they are heavier and the pain is different and is only there at the start of a period and sometimes when I lie down on a flat surface. I will last the 6 months out and if it doesn’t change I’ll consider going back.

Thanks for your insight it has been greatly appreciated xx