Copper coil (IUD) vs Male condom

Seriously heavy periods (wearing nightime pads and a tampon and still bleeding through my clothes in like an hour) and sometimes extruciating cramping. A lot of spotting between periods also which I've never experienced before. Nurse has told me that the coil should not affect my bleeding and I've gone straight from the mini pill to this so it may have been that the pill was improving my regular symptoms more than I realised.

I chose to have the copper IUD inserted in January 2023 because I'd had a bad experience previously with the mini pill (mood swings, decreased libido, and vaginal dryness) and I wanted to try a non-hormonal contraception. The process of getting it inserted was one of the most painful things I've ever experienced with severe pain, cramps, and dizziness. The doctor and nurse I had were wonderful and very reassuring, which made the process slightly easier. I would however, highly recommend anyone thinking of getting it to ask for pain relief if it's available. I'm certain it would have made the process much better and less traumatic for me. What followed was 6 months of intense cramping and spotting at random times of the month and extremely painful, heavy, and long (between 10-12 days) periods (I was lucky to have very light periods before going on any contraception which is one of the reasons I opted for the copper IUD). After 6 months or so my periods settled down to become shorter (5-6 days) and more regular but remained extremely heavy with lots of dark blood clots and severe cramping/back pain - to the point where I would have to take days off work and couldn't exercise normally because I felt sick/dizzy from the pain. The severe cramps started like clockwork on the 7th day before my period was due and continued until the end of my period meaning I was having up to two weeks a month of severe cramping. I also experienced cramps and thick, brownish discharge/spotting around ovulation. Other than the heavy, painful periods, I experienced none of the mood swings, weight gain, or loss of libido that I'd experienced on hormonal contraception, so the copper IUD was great for that. If anything, I experienced a notable increase in my libido! I chose to have the IUD removed about two weeks ago, after just over two years, because I was finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the intensely painful cramps and heavy bleeding and I developed severe iron deficiency anemia, likely due to my heavier periods. I was nervous about the removal process after finding the insertion process so difficult but it was significantly less painful and super quick. I had some light spotting afterward and some minor cramps but nothing too bad. I'm yet to have a period after removal and I'm, so far, two days late (confirmed not pregnant). I would normally have had at least a week of intensely painful cramps by now but so far, nothing. Overall, the copper IUD was great at the times of the month I wasn't bleeding or ovulating and I liked not having any of the side effects that come with hormonal birth control, but it ultimately wasn't worth the heavy and painful periods/iron deficiency anemia for me!

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!

me and my partner have always had problems with using condoms from durex, but now trying skyns condoms, i will never go back. They don’t have that weird smell and me nor my partner could even feel as if it was there! 100% recommend

I was recommended dretine and I've not looked back.

Potentially safe

You would need a lot of lube as it is not naturally liberated.

I have no problem apart from feeling friction more quicker then using without a condom.

I am happy using the male condom as it does not effect my hormones nor cause massive physical issues.

I like to use them because they don’t affect you / if you have had bad experiences with hormonal birth control in the past

My partner uses a male condom which comes with no symptoms as it is not harmonal. However, I struggle with intense ovulation symptoms that ranges from lower abdominal cramps to spotting in mucus. This started 3 years ago (age 25) and first occurred periodically but for the past year it has been almost every month. The mucosal spotting is not heavy and does not require pads. However, it use to last only 1-2 days but now it extends 3-4 days.

For me using condoms worked great and I had virtually no complaints during the years I used them.

Simple but effective. It was the main form of contraception we learnt about at school and the one that was easily available, I switched between this and the coil until I had my babies. Some men may not want to wear one but then they are not people you should be sleeping with!