Copper coil (IUD) vs Combined pill

This post is for those considering the copper IUD. I know it is scary and you can find many horror stories online, so I thought I make the effort and share my IUD journey with you which has been very positive. Insertion: Got the IUD on the 4th February Insertion was uncomfortable and for a few seconds very painful but it did go away very quickly. I did bleed a little bit as well but I always do when they are examining my cervix. I’m very sensitive down there. Note:I have never given birth and my GP said that it can be more painful for those who never given birth vaginally. The GP who did the insertion was absolutely brilliant. She talked me through what she was doing and she prepared me for the most painful part. There was also a nurse present who was literally holding my hand through the whole procedure. It was such a positive experience. I’m grateful for both of them for making this experience so manageable. Right after insertion: I wasn’t in pain afterwards - I only had a mild sense of discomfort like you would have after a smear test. I even went for an hour walk right after the procedure, so it was really not bad at all. Please note that I’m a physically active person, so walking for an hour doesn’t tax me much. Others might have different experiences and it’s absolutely fine if you just go home and rest in bad for the rest of the day. That’s what i was told to do to be fair. Days After insertion: The cramping was moderately bad after the next 4-5 days, spotting was light After the 4-5 days cramping intensified especially after exercise and at some point the pain made it difficult to walk. Never felt cramping like that before. It made me very irritated as well. Normal painkillers didn’t work, I had to take cocodamol to get some relief but it was short term. Later it turned out that it coincided with my PMS. I was bleeding everyday after insertion, so it was hard to determine what was menstrual bleeding or bleeding because of the IUD insertion. Around day 11 cramping settled significantly. I only had occasional cramps which don’t require pain killers. I think I got my period on day 12 (16th Feb or 15th Feb) because the bleeding intensified around that time. It is the 17th February today. Moderate bleeding (more than usual but moderate) very light cramping. Fast forward March. After my period in February, I did not experience anymore unusual cramping - even after exercise. I got my period on the 9th of March. I did have some light cramping and mood changes as PMS but nothing unusual. The cramping was very moderate and did not require painkillers. Bleeding lasted 6 days with 3 days of heavier bleeding -3 pads a day- which for me is heavy bleeding. I have had sex a few times since insertion and my partner couldn’t feel the strings, so no problem there. Did not experience any dryness and my sex drive during ovulation is definitely higher than when I was on the pill. Overall very happy with my wee copper coil. 😊 Just a reminder that negative stories often get more attention than they deserve—people are more likely to vent about bad experiences than take the time to share positive ones Will keep you updated!

I’m writing this purely because of how terrified I was going to get the coil after all the horror stories I read about on here. If you are prepared the insertion is an absolute walk in the park. I took 2 feminax and 2 paracetamol about 45 minutes before my appointment, chose the local anaesthetic (call in advance to check you can get this!) - I literally hardly felt the anaesthetic at all and then the insertion is like sudden onset of moderate period pain but again it was nothing as bad as I was expecting!! The 24 hours after I kept using the pain relief tablets and I haven’t needed to use it since. A tiny bit of bleeding since which I think will continue for a few days but that’s it. If this fear of the insertion is what’s stopping you from getting either coil please read this! I almost didn’t get it because of the anxiety I had around fainting / extreme pain etc. that I read about. Eat before, take pain relief and get the local anaesthetic and you will be so fine

I got my gynefix mini online and had it inserted at the John Hunter clinic in London. I had paraguard before which gave me terrible cramps and incredibly heavy periods: I had Jaydess for 3 years which gave low but manageable mood but I started having terrible back pains either it. Once I had it removed, back pains stopped. I didn’t use anything for a while and then tried the implant, which was awful! It gave me terrible mood swings and anger! Went back to jaydess and back pains returned and low mood. I started looking for other options and found gynefix and I am so glad I did! Insertion was painful and my periods are significantly heavier but nothing I can’t live with. No back-pains, no horrible craps and no mood effects! Thank you whoever created this! I really forget it is there and only sometimes can slightly feel it, but this is by far the best contraception I’ve tried! It was hard to find a dr to get it fitted and I had to order it myself as NHS don’t supply it, but worth it!

Good pill, not a lot of mood changes however when I took a break from it for a few months my mood improved so much that I almost didn’t go back. This is my second time trying it so I hope it doesn’t affect me too much

Don't get this contraception if you want to keep your good mental health. It almost ruined my relationship, I turned into a complete monster. The short periods and the clear skin was nice but it really jeopardised my relationship and ruined my mental health. Coming off was the best thing I could've ever done for myself.

I was initially prescribed Yasmin to help with low moods/depression before my period. However, I was then switched to Dretine without explanation and told it was the same as Yasmin. Since taking it, my mood has been all over the place- very sensitive, sad, depression-like feelings, anxiety/overthinking a lot more than usual. I'm switching back to Yasmin as I had a positive experience with it in the first place.

Made the mistake of changing to the Progestogen-only/mini pill 'Desogestrel' August 2023. Caused me to be deeply depressed while on it, and I also experienced serious gastro-related episodes (twice) where I woke in the middle of the night and nearly fainted while on the toilet, with bad stomach aches then following for the next week or so. More relevant now, that pill also caused my skin to break out badly, the worse I'd ever had it (being a person before who had ever only experienced a few spots here and there). These spots were almost always appearing around my mouth around. Once I realised this pill was causing all of these symptoms, I came straight off and was advised to go back on a previous combined I'd been on for years. Depression and the gastro episodes cleared up, but the acne did not. I then experimented with coming off hormonal contraception altogether, hoping my skin would go back to normal. It did not, so I consulted the GP about a pill that was known for clearing up acne effectively. She put me on Yasmin, which I started 25/1/25. In the first month I did experience some feelings of nausea that I have heard people talk about, but that was only in the first few weeks on it. Also had one headache that went on for a couple of days, which is unusual for me, however I had also read that was common and I haven't experienced one since. Regarding my skin, it seemed to get a little worse for the first month, plus maybe a couple of weeks. I am now almost 2 months on this pill (having taken one 4 day break after my first pack, and now in the process of taking 3 packs consecutively) and I am hopeful that the frequency of spots is steadily going down. I also worked with ChatGPT (my very own virtual PA, haha) to create an oil-reducing skincare routine, so that might also be helping. Another positive is that my breasts have gotten larger, but no weight gain other than that! Will update again when I'm at 3 months on.

Went on this pill to try and ease my intense cramps, but it made my periods much much heavier and I’m not sure its worth it.

Little to no side effects, I am glad I am in this pill

Prescribed for pcos. I no longer have pelvic and abdominal pain :) and my mood is better as I do not have pms anymore, it helped my hormonal alopecia. I also notice my face looks different like it’s less chubby or puffy. The negatives are it gave me a phase of acne which eventually cleared and headaches, the first break I took on it was a really bad headache where I had to stay in a lot so I could be in dark to relieve the pain.

Positives - Balanced mood, bigger boobs, great skin and generally little to no side effects Negatives - Bad nausea once you first start taking it (1-2 weeks worth), severe headaches on the pill break I went on this pill as had heard it may help my PMS symptoms. The week before my period I was experiencing low moods and emotional sensitivity. This pill CHANGED that. I now have a balanced mood throughout the whole month. The only time I notice pms like symptoms is when I have taken a few packets back to back - your body defo tells you you need a pill break. Overall, would recommend

I started taking Regivedon combined pill in order to have periods as a peace of mind I wasn’t pregnant, as my mini pill I was taking (cerazette) stopped them. The first week was a massive rollercoaster of emotions and by the end of the week I was exhausted, but this was fairly normal (not usually this extreme) as my body has to adapt. Afterwards it was a general downward slope of mood swings with very negative episodes lasting longer and longer and eventually came off it after realising. I felt like a weight had come off. Everyone is different though, they say mini pill affects mood more but for me combined was hell! Pre warning though I have had past experience with very low mood and depression so I am probably more susceptible.

I was on this pill just shy of a month. I was bloating on the first day of use. I noticed the first week my mental state was horrible very agitated, flat and no energy. I did notice after the first few weeks my skin was definitely clearing up. I get hormonal acne. I had reduced hair loss (from endometriosis) and no ovulation pain. 3rd week in I started to get a sharp pain in the calf. Subsided then came back worse. So decided to stop taking it all together because leg pain wasn't worth the possibility of a blood clot. Three days off the pill the leg pain completely disappeared. Definitely was not the pill for me. Cons- Low mood Low sex drive Joint pain Sore lower back Constant bloating Extreme calf pain Insomnia Nausea Chest hypertension Pros- Clearer skin Less hair loss No ovulation pain