Mirena coil and vaginal discharge

So I was on the hormonal coil for about 9-10 months. The actual insertion wasn’t pleasant and was very painful, although, it wasn’t as bad as people were making it out to be, it was bearable. I didn’t enjoy the coil as I had non stop breakthrough bleeding the entire time I was on it, and it wasn’t red blood, it was horrible brown sludge, it really began to effect my sex life with my partner and made me feel a bit gross about myself. The coil also made my skin horrible and made me very emotional. All in all, not a good experience and definitely prefer the combined pill.

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!!

I’m 44 with recently diagnosed PCOS and endometriosis which is why my specialist told me to try the Mirena to lighten the lining of my uterus and help with my awful periods. I had to go off of the pill at 40 and suffered for 2 years while debating what to do. I got the mirena in at 42 and have had it 2.5 years now. I do get pelvic pain and cramping twice a month for a few days randomly and feel like I can tell which ovary is active but it is still better than dealing with the bleeding and irregular periods I had previously. My periods are non existant apart from spotting for a few days but not enough to even merit wearing a liner! Sex drive is definitely lower and dryness comes and goes as well but breasts have grown which I’m not upset about! I’m leaving it for another 2 years then will decide if I should opt for a hysterectomy.