Copper coil (IUD) vs Hormonal coil (IUS)

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Copper coil (IUD)

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Hormonal coil (IUS)

Add your Hormonal coil (IUS) review

Overview

Rated 3.5

623 reviews

5 - 10 years

Frequency

Over 99%

Effectiveness

None

Blood clot risk

None

Effect on fertility

Rated 3.5

905 reviews

Every 3-8 years

Frequency

Over 99%

Effectiveness

None

Blood clot risk

None

Effect on fertility

Copper coil (IUD) ingredients

Most copper coils are made of a T-shaped frame of polyethylene (plastic) and barium sulphate. Copper wire is wound around the vertical arm.

Hormonal coil (IUS) ingredients

Main hormones in Hormonal coil (IUS)

progestogen

What Lowdown reviewers say

54% no impact on mood

69% heavier periods

63% no impact

75% no impact

75% no impact on skin

Cycle return

44% in 1 month

43% no impact on mood

46% stopped periods

47% no impact

59% no impact

53% no impact on skin

Cycle return

33% don’t know impact

Benefits: What this contraceptive can help with

There are no benefits that are recognised in scientific research or guidelines for this contraceptive

Adenomyosis

Endometriosis

Heavy periods

Menopause

Period pain

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Add your Hormonal coil (IUS) review

Check out our latest reviews

Real life reviews from people like you

Copper coil (IUD) reviews

623 reviews

Copper coil (IUD)  
Used for 3 - 5 yr
29 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  5 days ago

Copper coil (IUD)  

Insertion - worst pain of my entire life Overall experience - very positive. Was able to track my cycle, didnt have to take a pill everyday and no hormonal side effects at all. I got really bad pain AFTER my peirod, which would cause me to feel bloated, tender like peirod cramps and feel tired. Removal was completley fine - a breeze and a mild peirod like cramp

Read more

Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments

Copper coil (IUD)  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
29 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  3 weeks ago

Copper coil (IUD)  

Liked the coil however my periods were really long and extremely heavy and I became anemic. My partner could feel it too


Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments

Copper coil (IUD)  
Used for 3 - 5 yr
32 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  4th Aug 26

Copper coil (IUD)  

Periods became heavy which was expected but cramping after insertion was incredibly painful and I was not prepared for the level for pain. I required A&E support with pain relief and examination to ensure it hadn't moved or perforated. The monthly pain had me missing work, almost fainting and squirming in pain. I had to learn pain management every month to be able to work effectively. Around 1 year later I felt in control but around 3.5 years I have experienced even heavier periods and more pain. I felt determined to make this method work as I didn't want to use hormonal contraception again. Cramping and heavy bleeding caused nausea, extreme fatigue and ovulation cramps. Overall, I experienced a lot of discomfort and only a few days out of the month where I felt well. I recently got told my iron stores are VERY low and that explains a lot of the worsening menstruation symptoms due to losing too much blood per month from the copper coil. I'm not going to scored it as terrible as I know others have had no issues using the copper coil and there were times when I felt in control of it. Maybe my age and change in hormones have made my symptoms worse? Or it just sucks, I don't know. Take ibuprofen and paracetamol before your insertion as this will help a lot!!


Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments

Copper coil (IUD)  
Used for 3 - 5 yr
29 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  5 days ago

Copper coil (IUD)  

Insertion - worst pain of my entire life Overall experience - very positive. Was able to track my cycle, didnt have to take a pill everyday and no hormonal side effects at all. I got really bad pain AFTER my peirod, which would cause me to feel bloated, tender like peirod cramps and feel tired. Removal was completley fine - a breeze and a mild peirod like cramp


Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments

Copper coil (IUD)  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
29 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  3 weeks ago

Copper coil (IUD)  

Liked the coil however my periods were really long and extremely heavy and I became anemic. My partner could feel it too


Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments

Copper coil (IUD)  
Used for 3 - 5 yr
32 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  4th Aug 26

Copper coil (IUD)  

Periods became heavy which was expected but cramping after insertion was incredibly painful and I was not prepared for the level for pain. I required A&E support with pain relief and examination to ensure it hadn't moved or perforated. The monthly pain had me missing work, almost fainting and squirming in pain. I had to learn pain management every month to be able to work effectively. Around 1 year later I felt in control but around 3.5 years I have experienced even heavier periods and more pain. I felt determined to make this method work as I didn't want to use hormonal contraception again. Cramping and heavy bleeding caused nausea, extreme fatigue and ovulation cramps. Overall, I experienced a lot of discomfort and only a few days out of the month where I felt well. I recently got told my iron stores are VERY low and that explains a lot of the worsening menstruation symptoms due to losing too much blood per month from the copper coil. I'm not going to scored it as terrible as I know others have had no issues using the copper coil and there were times when I felt in control of it. Maybe my age and change in hormones have made my symptoms worse? Or it just sucks, I don't know. Take ibuprofen and paracetamol before your insertion as this will help a lot!!


Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments


Hormonal coil (IUS) reviews

905 reviews

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
22 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  5 days ago

Kyleena coil  

for me it works great, but i have a feeling my sex drive changed plus also the intensity of my orgasm. But you know I cannot tell for sure that the coil is the causing this..


Somewhat positive mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

1 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 5 - 8 yr
32 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 weeks ago

Kyleena coil  

Positive - first one for 5 years, protected against pregnancy, stopped periods after about 18 months so saved money on tampons. No significant side effects initially. Set and forget method was great. Negatives - I found the fitting incredibly painful. When I had it changed after 5 years the reinsertion was traumatic and I won't have it again. I suffered with mouth ulcers every month that got progressively worse over time. My mood wasn't bad but it was overall flattened. The new one never settled and I had problems with the threads travelling upwards, I found medical staff across the board (GP, clinic, hospital for ultrasound) very uninterested when I had issues after fitting which was difficult because I was frightened of possible consequences if it moved or they couldn't get the threads to remove it. I have honestly never had thrush so much in my life as I did when I was on kyleena. Noticed more and darker body hair over time.


Somewhat negative mood

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
37 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  30th Jul 26

Mirena coil  

Works well for me, was hoping would take away periods altogether but definitely made them lighter. Found fitting comfortable as just had some cramping. But I have quite a low cervix, so I could feel the strings and needed them trimmed.


Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
22 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  5 days ago

Kyleena coil  

for me it works great, but i have a feeling my sex drive changed plus also the intensity of my orgasm. But you know I cannot tell for sure that the coil is the causing this..


Somewhat positive mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

1 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 5 - 8 yr
32 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2 weeks ago

Kyleena coil  

Positive - first one for 5 years, protected against pregnancy, stopped periods after about 18 months so saved money on tampons. No significant side effects initially. Set and forget method was great. Negatives - I found the fitting incredibly painful. When I had it changed after 5 years the reinsertion was traumatic and I won't have it again. I suffered with mouth ulcers every month that got progressively worse over time. My mood wasn't bad but it was overall flattened. The new one never settled and I had problems with the threads travelling upwards, I found medical staff across the board (GP, clinic, hospital for ultrasound) very uninterested when I had issues after fitting which was difficult because I was frightened of possible consequences if it moved or they couldn't get the threads to remove it. I have honestly never had thrush so much in my life as I did when I was on kyleena. Noticed more and darker body hair over time.


Somewhat negative mood

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
37 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  30th Jul 26

Mirena coil  

Works well for me, was hoping would take away periods altogether but definitely made them lighter. Found fitting comfortable as just had some cramping. But I have quite a low cervix, so I could feel the strings and needed them trimmed.


Top side effects not reported

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 12 - 18 mo
24 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2nd Jul 26

Mirena coil  

Not pleasant to put in but completely stopped by periods after few months. Reassuring that no pregnancy, however absolutely 0 sex drive and this effects relationships.


Decreased sex drive

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 3 - 6 mo
27 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  2nd Jul 26

Mirena coil  

Initial 3 month settling in period is intense, lots of bleeding and emotional side effects plus insertion pain. After 3 months it settled and I thought I had found the holy grail, emotionally stable and no side effects. At 6 months I developed a large ovarian cyst which put me in agony and A&E, doctors said this was caused by the coil and had to remove it. Unfortunately I cant recommend, the search continues.


Somewhat positive mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 18 mo - 3 yr
27 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  29th Jun 26

Mirena coil  

No periods but developed acne. I also get cysts now regularly (never had before) that burst and hurt so bad that the first time it happened I went to the ER.


Worse skin

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 1 - 3 mo
21 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  19th Jun 26

Mirena coil  

only had mirena coil fitted 3 weeks ago but so far it’s been good, i have had quite a lot of lower back pain but other than that i don’t feel any different


Lost weight

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 5 - 8 yr
29 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  18th Jun 26

Mirena coil  

Prior to having the mirena coil I had the most horrific periods literally to the point of passing out. I can say I have had my coil in for nearly 6 years and not had a period since and now I feel like I have my life back! It has been one of the decisions I have ever made and also hardly had any hormonal side effects.


Very positive mood

2 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 3 - 5 yr
32 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  17th Jun 26

Mirena coil  

I loved the mirena but over 3 different coils, shortly after insertion I would get kidney infections that didn’t respond to antibiotics. The link was only made on the third despite me asking the gyno about it. Such a shame because I loved it otherwise. Kidney infections mostly skipped the uti stage and went straight to them but bacteria wouldn’t grow in pee. If this sounds like you remove it!


Somewhat positive mood

1 more effect

0 helpful

0 comments

Hormonal coil (IUS)  
Used for 6 - 12 mo
34 years old
🇬🇧 UK
  •  16th Jun 26

Levosert coil  

Had it inserted at birth during a c section so no pain for insertion. Periods for lighter every month with significantly less pain than before and have virtually stopped after 8 months - just a small amount of spotting.


Very positive mood

2 more effects

0 helpful

0 comments

Contraceptive alternatives and comparisons

Compare the Copper coil (IUD) with other contraceptives

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