Mirena coil reviews

My experience with Mirena wasn’t fully bad. I started using Mirena back in 2022. The insertion wasn’t all that bad because my doctor didn’t use the Pozzi clamp (or tenaculum). I had 3 insertions already so I’ve gotten to realize that the worst part is the pozzi clamp. The first 2-3 months, my body adjusted to the IUD and therefore I had cramps here and there but nothing more than usual period cramping. The bleeding started to elongate though. Prior to Mirena, I had Kyleena and Jaydess and my main issue with those. was the constant spotting. It was always around my period but it lasted 10-20 days. With the Mirena it stayed at about 10 days every month. So I was fine with it. Other side effects I noticed but didn’t bother me were more body hair, my breast got smaller and most of my pms symptoms were gone. After about 1.5 Years, the bleeding started to get worse (25 days a month, I was lucky if I even got a week free). So that’s when I decided to change. My overall experience wasn’t bad, I just wished the spotting wasn’t there. I will now be switching to gynefix (copper IUD without arms).

I’ve been using this method for 11 months now upon recommendation of a nurse as I suffer from heavy periods, and the mini pill gives me more trouble than it’s worth. I’ve had cramps before, but nothing like I have experienced with the Mirena coil. I am currently waiting on a hospital appointment for surgery to get it removed as it has gone missing. I was told it was so rare to experience this that it shouldn’t even be of any concern to me, and yet here we are! I have been waiting a month just to be seen to be told it’s missing, always listen to your body ladies!

I haven't noticed any side effects, and its been a good form of contraception, which is why I have remained on it for 8+ years. The only downside is the painful insertion and removal process.

I had the Mirena coil for about a year and a half to manage menorrhagia and for contraception. The insertion procedure was better than I expected; while I had been warned it could be very painful by others, I found it more uncomfortable than painful. I do have a high pain tolerance, so that might have helped. However, the next seven months were horrendous. I experienced intense cramps and back pain, worse than anything I'd ever felt. Some days, I couldn't get out of bed, and even walking made me faint and dizzy. I relied heavily on pain medication and even resorted to using weed to cope. During this time, I became incredibly depressed, but my doctor advised me to give it six months. My periods, although lighter and lasting about five days, were followed by weeks of spotting, necessitating the use of pads or liners. They were also extremely irregular, they never were before. This constant bleeding made me less confident and significantly reduced my libido as I had issues getting aroused which made me 'dry', making sex both unappealing and painful, especially in the first few months. While the Mirena coil did make my periods lighter, the prolonged bleeding was a significant downside. Additionally, I could sometimes feel the coil, which was uncomfortable as it seemed to scratch my cervix and vagina. I eventually had it removed because my doctor suspected that the issues might be related to the hormone. I honestly should've removed it a couple of months in, and I regret that I didn't, as it clearly was not for me. I have now started the combined pill and feel much happier. Overall, although the Mirena is great for some, it was a horrendous experience for me, but I'd recommend people to give it a go regardless, as its effects seem to be case-dependent and it may be brilliant for some!!

The merina coil was not for me. I chose the merina for the benefits of inserting and forgetting and that the hormones released were localised, therefore less side effects on the rest of the body (in theory). What I was underprepared for was the discomfort and pain in the insertion and the intense cramps following, lasting for around 1 year. I had considered having it removed after around 6 months which is when they say the cramps should have stopped. However, where I was living (abroad) it had cost me a lot of money to have the procedure, it also gradually did decrease in frequency and intensity after the 1 year mark. I decided to keep using it for a further 2 years (3 in total) until we talked about having children. Since having it removed the cramps have completely gone which is a huge relief. I definitely recommend getting a wide range of views and stories, not to put you off but so you’re fully prepared. I feel that the leaflets supplied describe generally how most people feel but don’t give the whole picture of how it can affect different people. I will say the removal was incredibly easy (if the stings are visible) and so can be tried and removed if not working.

Had the coil recommended by a gynaecologist to combat my estrogen dominance which was causing me very irregular but really heavy periods. I haven’t had any negative side effects thus far and my skin has got much better, however I did have constant, light bleeding for 3 months after insertion.

The insertion wasn't as bad as I expected, it was very quick and the pain was manageable. I got it about 5 months ago and my periods are now very light but last around two weeks but I understand that they should shorten. I came off the combined pill (on which I took no pill breaks) just before I got the coil so am unsure which side effects (mood swings, migraines) are due to the coil or just because I now have a natural cycle.

Some cramping but generally ok and didn’t affect me like other contraception

I had my first Mirena fitted after the birth of my second child. It seemed to work well although my periods became even more irregular than then they were before and I had weeks of spotting at a time especially as I was approaching the 5 year mark. However overall I was satisfied and opted to have it replaced when it expired. This was quite traumatic and took a very long time as the strings had moved making it hard to access. However, the GP was able to remove it and I had a second one fitted which worked much like the first one. However, when it came time to have that one removed and a third one fitted my cervix went into spasm at the point of fitting the new one which was extremely painful and after what felt like forever the GP told me they were unable to fit a new coil that day and to come back. I went back and tried again a month later and the same thing happened. A month after that I was admitted to hospital with an abscess in my fallopian tube caused by repeated failed attempts to insert the coil. I was in hospital for 4 days and off work for over 3 weeks due to the pain/side effects of the antibiotics I had to take.

This was the first coil I had put in and the process itself was okay but felt very woozy and nearly fainted on the way home. Overall it was not a pleasant experience! I have since swapped to the copper coil and this process, whilst not fun, went a lot smoother! I had the hormonal coil removed primarily due to it's effect on my mood (feeling very low a lot of the time) and big drop in sex drive. It's worked very well for many of my friends but really just didn't suit me!